Tableau Software Reviews

“Great for reports you run often”

Pros

Tableau works really well for putting together weekly or monthly reports.

Cons

At times, interpreting the data can still be a bit challenging.

“Flexible data access with strong dashboards”

Pros

Pulling data from almost any source is one of the best things about this tool and it lets you work with that data quickly and turn it into a story through dashboards. It feels very user friendly overall.

Cons

At times, performance slows down when working with billions of rows, even when using extracts. The Ask Data feature also still feels like it needs more development.

“Quick start for creating data visuals”

Pros

Getting started is quick and it doesn't take long to begin visualizing data. The drag and drop, point and click interface is very easy for everyday use.

Cons

Handling more complex data is less user friendly and building formulas for certain situations can be a bit tricky.

“Clear visuals even for complex data”

Pros

It does an excellent job of turning complex data into visuals that are clear, meaningful and user friendly.

Cons

Navigation can feel a bit slow at times. When large amounts of data are loaded into the tool, the system tends to lag when switching between selections.

“Rich data sources with strong dashboards”

Pros

Tableau stands out for how many data sources it can handle, from CSV and Excel to SQL and just about everything else. It also gives plenty of ways to present and interpret data, offering tables and different chart options automatically depending on the data you choose. Going deeper into analysis is very doable and the dashboards you build can be configured to refresh manually or based on relative dates. Sharing finished reports with teams for viewing is easy and creating custom indicators can be done pretty quickly as well.

Cons

One downside is that the version available for new learners only lasts 2 weeks which really feels too short and should be extended to at least 3 months. On top of that the product is quite expensive.

“Reports that just make sense”

Pros

Even as someone who only uses Tableau rather than building the reports, I really enjoy how clear and understandable the reports are when they're sent over. I am very visual so staring at rows of spreadsheet numbers doesn't help much. Tableau makes the data much easier to absorb by showing it in a visual way and I can also interact with it instead of just looking at static figures. Being able to explore and adjust the data the way I want makes it much more useful.

Cons

One limitation I have come across is with date range controls. There have been times when I wanted more flexibility with start and end dates. I remember one report where the only options were either all of the data or just a single day, when what I really needed was to view specific date ranges in between.

“Great visuals with useful insights”

Pros

Tableau delivers really impressive visuals and the results are incredibly useful. I have used it across a few different jobs and every time it's been a pleasure to work with. I have also spent time with competing tools and Tableau has easily been the one I have enjoyed using the most.

Cons

Getting started with it does take some time since there's definitely a learning curve at first. That said, they offer plenty of tutorial videos and those have been very helpful for picking things up.

“Find insights hidden in your data”

Pros

It's impressive how this tool works with databases and spreadsheets to turn them into informative, meaningful visuals. I have only used it a handful of times but its capabilities really surprised me.

Cons

At times, setting up the data exactly the way you want to see it can be a bit confusing though I can tell that's mostly something a beginner would run into.

“decent tools for data visualization”

Pros

Tableau has been really strong for data visualization. It's user friendly, integrates to multiple data sources without much hassle and moving from one report to another is very easy.

Cons

The biggest downside is the price which can be pretty high. I have also heard about possible security concerns and the older versions don't support rolling back revision history like the newer ones do.

“Fast insights with strong analytics”

Pros

It has been excellent for turning the massive volume of system-generated data into actionable insights. It handles complex business analysis quickly which makes it much easier to spot patterns in the data and use them to make strategic decisions with confidence.

Cons

At one point we ran into some Tableau Server connectivity problems with MongoDB and there was also some system slowness. After optimizing the queries and tuning it properly though, it started performing very efficiently.

“Easy to use with helpful guides”

Pros

Getting started with the software is pretty easy and it's something you can learn without much trouble by going through manuals and watching tutorial videos.

Cons

Customer support from the company doesn't really meet expectations. On top of that the software is fairly limited when it comes to statistical analysis so it only covers the most basic calculations.

“Turn data into useful insights”

Pros

Tableau is proven reliable and powerful for my needs. It helps me visualize large amounts of data in a way that actually makes sense which makes it much easier to pull out insights I can act on.

Cons

At times, the platform feels a little overwhelming. I do wish it offered more guidance around the available options so it would be easier to navigate and fully take advantage of everything it offers.

“Flexible connections with great visuals”

Pros

Coming in as a new user, it didn't take long to get comfortable with this software. A big part of it is drag and drop so you don't need to be highly technical to work with it effectively. It makes it possible to build visualizations that are both attractive and genuinely informative. There are also plenty of tools and features available and I really appreciate being able to connect it to different kinds of data sources.

Cons

One downside is that large files can take quite a while to load and it does crash from time to time which is frustrating. Since there isn't an auto-save feature, any crash can mean losing the work you haven't saved yet.

“Smart dashboards with easy exports”

Pros

Tableau gives you a lot to work with when it comes to handling data from manipulating it in detail to exporting it in just about any format you might need. You can send reports out as images, Excel workbooks, PDFs, PowerPoint files and more which makes it very flexible. The custom filtering options are also really useful for narrowing things down to the data that matters most. Moving through reports is not a hassle and features like favorites make it convenient to keep important items visible on your dashboard. The interface looks clean and professional which helps keep projects organized. It's also easy to share reports across your organization and the permission controls make it possible to decide exactly who can access specific datasets. Another helpful detail is that the software clearly shows when the data was last refreshed, whether a report is real-time and when the next refresh is scheduled.

Cons

One thing worth mentioning is that if you stay inactive for too long, the page can refresh and clear out any filters you had already applied which means waiting again for the filtered data to reload. That can get frustrating especially when working with very large datasets that already take a while to load or if you forget to export everything before the session refresh happens. That said it doesn't happen often since the timeout window is fairly generous usually at least a couple of hours. Still it's something that could definitely be improved in future updates.

“Elegant dashboards with broad connectivity”

Pros

It has one of the most professional looks when it comes to charts and graphs. It's flexible enough to connect with almost any data source and the platform is user friendly enough that even non-technical users can build the dashboards they need.

Cons

The licensing cost is quite high compared to other tools. Technical support could also be more effective and there's still room to improve parts of the interface.

“Great dashboards with a nice interface”

Pros

The dashboard interface looks fantastic and once everything is put together, it's very user friendly to work with. The dashboards themselves are really impressive.

Cons

Making updates or building new dashboards can still feel a little confusing at times. That learning curve could end up pushing some users away from the product.

“Flexible charts with great visuals”

Pros

Uploading Excel spreadsheets and choosing the data you want to work with is very easy. The visualizations are excellent and each chart is highly customizable, whether it's a line graph, pie chart, map or another format. Switching between styles is quick with just a click in the upper-right corner. Another thing I appreciate is that if your data isn't set up well enough for the chart you want, Tableau gives helpful guidance on what you need to select so you can complete the visual properly.

Cons

This may partly come down to my own approach but there were times when the data manipulation didn't turn out visually the way I expected. That said, that's also part of the process with building visuals and when it happened, I usually had to step back, rethink it and better understand the story the data was actually telling.

“Access dashboards from your phone”

Pros

One thing that really works well with Tableau is the wide range of visualization options and as someone using the dashboards, it's very user friendly. It can connect to multiple data sources and automatically convert the data into the format you need which saves a lot of time. It's also very mobile-friendly so using dashboards on different devices is convenient.

Cons

The biggest downside is the cost because it is very expensive and it almost pushes you into relying on dedicated dashboard specialists unless you want to pay for individual licenses. On top of that learning how to use it is quite challenging and the online courses available are too basic to be truly helpful.

“Beautiful visuals with strong insights”

Pros

Using Tableau every day has shown me how powerful it is for getting meaningful insights from enterprise-level data. The visualizations look really professional and being able to integrate with different data sources is a big advantage.

Cons

I am still exploring the platform so I haven't run into any major issues yet. If I had to mention one thing, it would be that helpful resources aren't always easy to find online.

“Analyze and report with ease”

Pros

From my use of it, this is a very capable tool for analyzing data and presenting it clearly from multiple sources like SQL oracle and others.

Cons

Overall, I haven't run into any downside with this tool that has ever prevented me from working and I am able to create different reports based on my data without issues.