Tableau Software Reviews

“Quick insights that help you act”

Pros

When it's used for the right kinds of work, Tableau is incredibly powerful and fast to work with. It helps surface insights that might otherwise stay hidden, makes it simple to share findings across a team and can be used in near real time to deliver quick answers whenever they're needed.

Cons

Getting comfortable with it does take time since the learning curve is fairly steep and some parts can be hard to fully understand at first. A few features also don't feel very user friendly so in certain cases I still have to export data to Excel to handle quick table calculations.

“Fast filters with clear visuals”

Pros

One of the best parts of using this is how simple it is to narrow things down to exactly the information I need. On top of that it gives me charts and graphs right away which makes it really helpful to get an instant visual of the data I am looking at.

Cons

The part that frustrates me most is that when I set up filters in one tab, they don't automatically carry over to the others. There's probably a reason behind that but it would be much better if that worked across tabs.

“Flexible imports with strong dashboards”

Pros

Tableau creates really professional data visualizations and with its API support you can connect and pull in data from a wide range of sources. It's definitely a more advanced tool so it helps a lot to have at least an intermediate background with Excel or similar programs. That said if you already have that kind of experience, getting everything set up is fairly easy. There are also plenty of tutorials online that walk you through the setup process and help fill in the gaps.

Cons

It's not especially beginner-friendly if you're new to Excel or similar tools although people with some experience can usually get comfortable with it without too much trouble. In some cases, you'll also need SQL or another programming language to get everything configured properly.

“Good charts but workflow seems confusing”

Pros

It does a really good job turning whatever data you give it into strong charts and graphs. I was also able to build maps for market areas and drill sales down from the company level all the way to individual accounts.

Cons

There's a lot packed into it and that makes it feel pretty complicated. I understand that the complexity comes with having so many features but it still feels somewhat difficult to work with.

“Smart dashboards with flexible connections”

Pros

Putting together dashboards and reports in Tableau is fast and the interface is very user friendly. The visualizations are clear, professional and easy to understand. I also like how the data can be organized into metrics, parameters and dimensions which makes analysis more structured. The Show Me feature is especially helpful because it recommends the most suitable chart based on the types of variables you want to use. Connecting to sources such as Redshift or Google Sheets is simple and it also lets you combine data from different sources. Publishing to Tableau Server is easy as well and can be done directly from the Tableau Desktop menu.

Cons

Tableau Desktop is not the right option if you need to clean, manipulate or transform data beforehand. For that you need a separate product called Tableau Prep. I came from another platform where this capability was already built in so I really missed having it integrated at first because it changes the whole workflow. It also takes some effort to get every visualization aligned perfectly inside a dashboard so everything looks polished. In many cases, you still have to rely on blank objects just to make the layout fit properly.

“Dynamic dashboards changed our reporting”

Pros

One of the biggest changes for us has been how Tableau helps present and distribute information to stakeholders. It offers powerful, flexible data visualizations that let us communicate content in a much more dynamic way. Since moving over to Tableau, our dependence on slide decks has dropped significantly.

Cons

It does take time to get comfortable with especially when it comes to learning how to use it effectively. We also didn't really unlock its full potential until we connected it with Alteryx. After that integration, the impact felt much more amplified.

“A great tool for data visualization”

Pros

There's a bit of a learning curve at the beginning but once you get comfortable with it, it becomes a fantastic tool for visualizing data. It has saved us hours that used to go into manually creating reports and graphs.

Cons

Honestly I don't have any complaints right now. That said, we only use the software in a limited way and don't really need anything too powerful.

“Live sync with dynamic dashboards”

Pros

Tableau really stands out for how well it works with Microsoft Excel. I can import data directly and even keep spreadsheets live-synced with the software and my workbooks which saves a lot of time. It also lets you build dynamic dashboards and bring SQL and Teradata coding into your Tableau projects, making the whole workflow feel more connected. That setup helps cut down on manual updates and makes it much easier to present data that stays as current as possible.

Cons

Getting used to attributes and the different data classifications can be confusing when you're just starting out and that can affect how your information ends up being displayed. Reaching the exact output you want may take quite a bit of trial and error, along with some extra research, before everything clicks.

“Customize reports in endless ways”

Pros

The report customization options feel almost limitless. If you can imagine a certain type of report, there's a very good chance you can build it in Tableau.

Cons

It does come with a bit of a learning curve, both when creating reports and getting used to the interface. Some people on our team needed a few weeks before they felt fully comfortable using the software.

“Report from any source with ease”

Pros

Tableau lets you build beautifully designed reports from massive datasets, even when the information is spread across different platforms like Salesforce, Google Analytics and Google or Bing Ads. It handles all of that in one place which is incredibly useful.

Cons

Since the platform is so powerful, there are plenty of features I am sure I still haven't explored. It really helps to have someone guide you through the basics at the beginning so you can get up to speed faster.

“Helpful for connecting student insights”

Pros

One feature that's been really useful is the Save Our Students integration tied to Tableau through Infinite Campus. It pulls in information from Canvas courses so when teachers meet with students about grades, they can quickly check on missing assignments and have a more informed conversation.

Cons

The downside is that, at least in my district, teachers can only use SOS while they're physically at school. On top of that it doesn't always catch or display missing work correctly.

“Nice visuals for your data”

Pros

From charts and graphs to heat maps, including geographic ones, this analytics tool does an excellent job of turning data into clear visuals. It's a very powerful platform for data analysis and makes understanding information much easier.

Cons

At this point I honestly cannot point to any drawbacks. Compared with other analytics tools, it seems user friendly and makes it simple for users to carry out analysis.

“Blend data with strong dashboards”

Pros

Tableau is very easy to use. You don't need deep knowledge of each specific data source, just a good understanding of the business ER model. It lets you quickly join, merge and aggregate data from multiple sources, even when those sources are completely different types. I also like how dimensions and measures can be updated dynamically. If your company has Tableau Server, you can build on your host environment and publish across the organization with live, dynamic data updates. It includes decent basic analysis tools and gives you the flexibility to create custom dashboards as well.

Cons

There does need to be a quick introduction or short course before using it because without that it's very hard to use naturally. The licensing is also fairly expensive although in my opinion it's still worth the cost.

“great visuals”

Pros

Being able to combine multiple data sources is a huge plus since it lets you create entirely new views of the data. For instance, you can layer census information over sales figures and instantly build a demographic picture of sales across the country. The wide selection of charts and graphs is another big advantage. Having so many visual options definitely helps when presenting to executives especially when a professional graphic makes the data stand out in meetings.

Cons

Connecting properly with our servers and applications was a challenge and it took longer than expected to start working with live data for reporting. Another downside is that the data really needs to be cleaned before you upload it. Its own data scrubbing still needs improvement and that becomes even more limiting with live data. Most of the time I have to pull an extract, clean it outside the platform and then upload it myself.

“Easy to use and looks amazing”

Pros

After working with other analytics tools, attending the Tableau conference in Vegas really reinforced my impression of the product. It's very user friendly, is easy to work with and the visual output is genuinely impressive.

Cons

There honestly isn't much I can point to as a downside. Based on what I have used it for so far, it has gone beyond what I expected and the team has been fantastic.

“Great visuals with helpful prep tools”

Pros

Once Tableau added the Data Prep ETL tool, it became much more competitive with products like Cognos and Power BI. With Prep included, its visualization capabilities really stand out and put it ahead in a lot of areas.

Cons

Trying to join more than two data sources can be extremely difficult without something breaking along the way. Thankfully, Prep has reduced this issue quite a bit.

“Clear stats !!”

Pros

It is very easy to use and it's genuinely nice to see all the stats and visualizations you can create with the software. I'd definitely recommend it.

Cons

I haven't used it heavily enough yet to really notice any downsides. I am also just using it as an end user, not in an administrator role.

“Deep analysis with beautiful visuals”

Pros

The visualizations this software creates are genuinely beautiful and it lets you analyze data from a lot of different angles. That combination of visual appeal and analytical depth is hard to find anywhere else.

Cons

If someone is inexperienced with spreadsheets, they'll probably struggle with this software. I'd really only recommend it to users who would consider themselves at least good with that kind of work.

“Broad connectivity with strong analytics”

Pros

Tableau comes packed with a lot of useful features. It integrates with nearly every database I have needed, supports a wide range of charts and graphs, lets you blend data from different sources and works across multiple platforms.

Cons

The biggest downside is the cost since the software can get pretty expensive. Also once the visualizations become more complex some of the graphs can start to feel harder to read.

“Interactive visuals for the web”

Pros

Creating interactive graphics with it is really helpful and publishing them to a website is easy too.

Cons

The color options and chart design styles don't feel polished enough and there isn't much variety when it comes to choosing different visual styles.