Tableau Software Reviews

“decent analytics you can use daily”

Pros

Working with Tableau every day has been a really positive experience as a data analyst. It integrates well with SQL, Excel, R and plenty of other tools which makes it incredibly useful. The platform is also very user friendly and impressively fast.

Cons

One thing that holds it back a bit is the price since it feels fairly expensive. I just wish it were more affordable so more people could experience everything the tool can offer.

“Good charts for handling large data”

Pros

I first came across Tableau in a data analytics class and it was very approachable from the start. The interface is user friendly and it handles large datasets really well when turning them into charts and graphs for analysis. Compared with Excel, creating visualizations in Tableau feels much more convenient especially when working with bigger sets of data.

Cons

That said, I still wouldn't replace Excel with it for every part of data analysis. In school, I still prefer Excel for things like pivot tables and regression analysis.

“Helpful visuals for better choices”

Pros

It turns analytics into visuals that are simple to understand. Having data presented this way helps our team focus on the most important information, improve the areas where we're falling short and keep doing well in the areas where we're already strong.

Cons

At times, it can run pretty slowly which may be because a lot of people are using it at once but that's really my only complaint.

“A full toolkit for analytics”

Pros

Tableau has been fantastic to use. It's full featured, offers hundreds of capabilities and makes analysis simple once you're working in it.

Cons

Honestly there's nothing major to complain about. It isn't the most user friendly tool to learn at first but after taking a short online course, it becomes much easier to understand and use.

“Analytics that help you decide”

Pros

It works really well for analyzing numbers and has been a big help when it comes to making informed decisions.

Cons

The data filtering can be tricky to use and the downloading feature isn't very convenient either.

“Good visuals with strong data integration”

Pros

Working with Tableau felt like using a seriously capable platform for handling large volumes of data from different sources. I'd absolutely recommend it to anyone who relies on multiple datasets and already has a good grasp of data visualization. One thing that really stood out to me was how consistently the product keeps improving to stay useful. A good example was the upgrade to data integration especially the addition of data cleansing within the broader workflow. That was genuinely impressive and it helped me build some really impactful visualizations that supported business decision-making.

Cons

The pricing can be a bit high although the value it delivers does make the cost feel justified. In our case, we ended up moving away from it because our clients weren't as engaged with this style of visualization which really came down more to us needing to do a better job educating them than to any fault with the software itself.

“Easy dashboards with nice visuals”

Pros

Having worked with two different BI tools, Tableau has been the one I have enjoyed using the most. It makes it simple to turn data into meaningful visuals and the interface is very user friendly when it comes to both using the platform and learning how it works.

Cons

At first, there's a slight learning curve when it comes to figuring out where some of the buttons and features are located. Once you get familiar with the program though, that stops being a problem.

“Top-tier analytics power”

Pros

Compared with other tools we evaluated, Tableau delivered more complete functionality and gave us deeper analysis and better insights. It stood out as the best-in-class option when it came to features.

Cons

The pricing structure made sharing far too expensive for us. Unlike products such as Adobe Acrobat/Reader, where the creator pays and the reader can access content for free, it charges a premium on both sides. That ended up limiting how widely we could distribute dashboards internally.

“Strong dashboards available everywhere”

Pros

The visualization capabilities in this software have been excellent across the board. I haven't worked with another tool before that lets me build dashboards this effortlessly. It's also really useful that I can publish those dashboards from desktop to mobile devices or directly in a web browser.

Cons

It can feel a little slow when working with large datasets. I have also noticed some lag in reports and the integration with databases tends to be slower than I'd like.

“Great daily visibility into your data”

Pros

Tableau has been an excellent tool for pulling together and presenting the data a business uses every day. The layout is well organized and it's very user friendly to work with.

Cons

To be honest, there's very little I dislike about it. It has handled everything I have needed the product to do.

“Dashboards built for student data”

Pros

Having access through the student license is a big plus. The interface is user friendly and creating charts and dashboards packed with information and detail is very easy.

Cons

A few settings can be tricky to locate so sometimes it takes a lot of clicking around and searching to find the exact adjustment you need.

“Great visuals with strong connections”

Pros

Compared with other visualization tools I have used, Tableau is like the most user friendly option for building dashboards and visualizations. The feature set is strong and the ability to switch or swap views is especially impressive. It also integrates to different data sources without much trouble and lets you bring everything together in a single view. Overall, this is the tool I'd choose for visualization work in an industrial or business environment.

Cons

At the beginning, the number of filter options was a bit confusing to navigate. I have gotten comfortable with it over time but for new developers it can still be somewhat difficult to understand how the various filters work and when to use each one.

“Speed boost from hyper extracts”

Pros

After converting some Cognos reports to Tableau, the biggest win came from using Hyper extracts. In Cognos, we had to pre-schedule reports because the complex queries running in the background took a long time. At first, we tried Tableau with a live connection and moved most calculations into ETL but performance was still an issue. Once we switched to Hyper, the improvement was fantastic.

Cons

One thing Cognos still handles better is query visibility during development and troubleshooting. In Cognos, viewing the query behind the Framework Manager model or report is just one click away which is really convenient. In it, it takes more effort since you usually have to dig through logs or check directly from the database side to find the query.

“Strong reporting for business stories”

Pros

When reports come to mind, Tableau is one of the first tools I think of. It's very useful for creating report-based stories especially for business meetings and presentations.

Cons

I have used it many times and there are moments when it feels fairly complex. A few features can be hard to find or seem a bit hidden but it becomes a really strong tool once you make full use of everything it offers.

“Flexible charts with great visuals”

Pros

Putting data together in Tableau is very user friendly and it doesn't require programming or special commands to get started. Switching fields from numeric to alphanumeric is simple and it includes the most common and useful chart types. Breaking data into multiple clusters is also very practical as I was even able to display 6 parameters in a two-dimensional chart using X, Y, bubble size, color, name and icon. Another useful feature is the ability to create special read-only documents that can be opened with Tableau Reader, similar to how Acrobat Reader works. It also gives plenty of control over labels, axes, trend lines and reference lines.

Cons

At some point, you do notice that a few very specific chart types are missing, such as chord charts, tornado charts, treemaps, nodes, gauges, alluvial diagrams and dendrograms. And even though it handles clustering well, it still falls short on statistical analysis features like ANOVA, hypothesis testing between two datasets and normal probability plots.

“Great visuals for data teams”

Pros

When it comes to building standout data visuals, Tableau is one of the best tools out there. It gives you a lot to work with when you bring in raw data and the suggested chart options are really helpful for figuring out the best way to present it. If a company wants to create distinctive, professional visualizations, it is definitely a strong choice.

Cons

That said it is built for visualization, not for creating or heavily shaping data. It also has some limits with more layered visualizations and in certain cases those are actually easier to put together in Excel. Because of that, it usually works best alongside other tools rather than on its own like we use it with Excel, where Excel handles the data manipulation and Tableau takes care of the visual side.

“Professional dashboards that stand out”

Pros

A few years back I started using Tableau while building data dashboards and it made a huge difference. I deal with large amounts of data and raw numbers alone usually don't mean much to senior leadership. We have to condense everything into clear visuals and story-driven summaries they can quickly understand. Before this I relied on Excel and PowerPoint for charts and graphs. Those tools can do the job but this one delivers a much more professional result, with far more functions and calculations readily available. The visuals look highly professional and there are plenty of ways to summarize and analyze data effectively. I really love this modern, high-end tool.

Cons

At the beginning, one thing that bothered me was that the online platform is open to everyone. That means the data and visualizations I create can potentially be accessible to others. Since I work with sensitive information that cannot just be shared freely, the free version wasn't really an option for me. I wish they offered a free plan that still allowed users to keep private data and dashboards secured. Aside from that, pricing can also be a concern. It took quite a bit of back-and-forth to get management approval before I could have it installed.

“Good visuals for large datasets”

Pros

Tableau has been a really convenient and capable data visualization tool to use. It works especially well with large datasets and makes it simple to present and explore data in a broad, visual way.

Cons

Even though it is a very powerful platform, the pricing is a bit on the higher side and there are still some security concerns that need to be addressed.

“Dashboards with strong database links”

Pros

It works really well for connecting to databases and building dashboards.

Cons

At times, the software freezes and needs a refresh to get back on track.

“Strong visuals and dashboards together”

Pros

One thing that really stands out with Tableau is the wide range of visualizations it offers, including many that you usually do not get with more traditional BI tools. Bringing data into the platform is easy and building dashboards from it is quick and convenient.

Cons

A downside is that it is somewhat limited when it comes to operational reporting. Tasks that other BI tools can handle in just a few steps often take more effort and additional work in it.