1/22/2016
Tableau Suggestions Quantity 1
Yesterday, I used to be on a convention name with Robert Rouse, Andy Cotgreave and Steve Wexler. We had been taking a look at a dashboard that Robert had created and it included some sparklines. We had been pondering higher alternate options for the design, together with a dialogue in regards to the shade and the axis scale. Robert talked about that he did the axis in a selected method due to the labels, then he talked about that if the strains had been grey the labels would present up higher over the strains. The problems with the labels did not actually concern me, I merely mentioned, « I am not anxious in regards to the labels, we are able to simply transfer them wherever we would like. » Robert shortly responded, « yeah, I typically overlook about issues I realized a few years in the past. » and we had been all set. Robert moved a couple of labels round on the dashboard and drawback solved. After a fast second, Andy Cotgreave jumped in and mentioned, « Wait, what? » He noticed Robert transferring these round and had no concept that these labels may very well be manually adjusted. Andy and I each posted to Twitter about this and because it seems, there have been plenty of those that had no concept that this was doable. It jogged my memory of a extremely nice Tableau Suppose Information Thursday discuss, by Shawn Wallwork, Steve Wexler and Peter Gilks. If you have not seen it, it is best to test it out here.
This bought me serious about all the little issues I’ve realized in Tableau through the years. Sadly, I can not level to after I realized a few of these, or who might need proven them to me, so I can not give everybody the credit score they deserve in all circumstances. Regardless, I made a decision to put up a couple of of those, so right here it goes.
Click on on photographs under for full display screen
#10 – Shifting labels round with a easy click on and drag.
This easy, however efficient tip will permit you to put ending touches on the visualization. These pesky marks, simply not exhibiting up in the fitting place. Mix this with some axis formatting and you will get label placements proper the place you want them.
#9 – Eradicating chart borders and including axis strains.
Tableau defaults to borders across the whole chart and headers, leaving you with the choice of prime and backside borders (Row Dividers) or proper and left borders (Column Dividers). Nevertheless, in the event you take away them and add « Axis Rulers » you possibly can have a extremely clear axis line, with a line on simply your X or Y axis or each (utilizing Sheet), however with out the additional border strains.
#8 – Aligning and sizing floating tiles utilizing Dashboard pane.
When utilizing a number of floating tiles there’s sometimes a must align them and measurement them. Through the use of the Dashboard pane, you possibly can management the precise placement and measurement of the floating tiles. Merely use the X/Y place and the width/peak of the article you need to align to and enter these values within the different objects. This can be sure that they’re all aligned and sized precisely as wanted, for instance right into a single row with the very same measurement and horizontal placement.
#7 – Shifting a floating tile off of the dashboard canvas.
I first noticed this tip in a put up by Joshua Milligan here. I’ve used this numerous instances for numerous issues. Take note, this stuff will present up in Presentation Mode, however they are going to be hidden from view when publishing to Tableau Server or Tableau Public.
#6 – Utilizing an animated gif to indicate play management.
The Play Management in Tableau is de facto highly effective, nevertheless, when publishing to Tableau Public there is no such thing as a play management possibility. The consumer can solely click on by way of the play motion one step at a time. One widespread answer is to create a video and cargo it as much as YouTube. Then you possibly can embed the YouTube video within the viz. For shorter clips, one other nice possibility is an animated gif. That is what’s getting used on this web page to indicate the following pointers. They are often embedded right into a Tableau Viz to indicate the top results of any play management motion. Right here is an instance exhibiting a MLB visualization achieved by Craig Wortman. The longer the video, the bigger the information, so be conscious of load instances. Word – Tableau will not play animated gif information when putting them in a Dashboard as an Picture tile, however in the event you place them as a Internet Web page tile they may work, so you may need to load your animated gif to a internet hosting server or use a Dropbox hyperlink out of your Dropbox folder.
Add an Picture tile to a clean dashboard and replica and paste this hyperlink because the URL in a Internet Web page tile on clean Dashboard to strive it out. This can be used as a background canvas for a viz as nicely.
http://www.dataplusscience.com/information/AnimatedGif.gif
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/30188145/AnimatedGIF.gif
#5 – Including greater than six columns.
I realized this tip from Steve Wexler a couple of years again. That is most likely one to keep away from utilizing as a result of nobody likes broad textual content tables. Nevertheless, you would possibly end up in a state of affairs the place you want this. In my use case, I used to be attempting to catalog the music assortment at our church when my spouse was the interim music director. The information is all dimensions, names of items, composers, arrangers, publishers, and so on. Every little thing labored nice till I ended up with 7 blue drugs on the Rows. At that time my first ID column went loopy with the Title. Beneath Evaluation, click on Tableau Format, then Superior. Enhance the « most variety of row labels » (as much as a most of 16) and every thing will work nicely, though I needed to format my ID discipline to keep away from rotated textual content. At first you is perhaps confused as to why « including row labels » will increase the variety of columns, however in the event you look intently at the place the drugs are positioned (on the Rows) and the way Tableau is constructing them then it makes good sense.
#4 – Increasing report rely in View Information window.
By default, while you view knowledge within the « View Information » window, Tableau reveals 10,000 information. You may kind these information by clicking on any discipline and you may choose « Copy » to repeat the info to your clipboard. If the info set is bigger than 10,000 or in the event you merely need to have extra information, simply sort in a bigger quantity. You may view giant knowledge units on this window, however watch out how large you go in any other case you possibly can be ready a very long time for Tableau to view the info.
#3 – Utilizing URL paths in Tableau Public or Tableau Server.
For any Tableau visualization on Tableau Public or Tableau Server the place permission is out there, you need to use the URL in numerous nice methods. For instance, you possibly can append « .pdf », « .csv » and « .png » to the the visualization URL and Tableau will return a PDF, CSV or PNG file. The PDF and PNG might be photographs of your visualization view and the CSV possibility will obtain a CSV file. For instance, here’s a URL to a Tableau Public visualization:
https://public.tableau.com/profile/jeffs8297#!/vizhome/ClockTimes/TableauTime
Appending numerous issues (up to date 9/17/2017):
https://public.tableau.com/views/ClockTimes/TableauTime.pdf?:showVizHome=no (returns a PDF file)
https://public.tableau.com/views/ClockTimes/TableauTime.png?:showVizHome=no (returns a PNG file)
https://public.tableau.com/views/ClockTimes/TableauTime.csv?:showVizHome=no (returns a CSV data file)
Along with file downloads, you can too apply filters. For instance, in the event you wished to ship somebody a viz the place the beginning filter was pre-selected or based mostly on an IP deal with you possibly can pre-filter the sphere « state » to make it extra private.
Right here is an instance of a Mass Capturing visualization by Andy Kriebel. The default within the visualization is all years, however with a easy addition to the URL we are able to pre-filter the visualization to 2015. Click here for extra data on filter utilizing URL parameters from the Tableau Data Base.
https://public.tableau.com/views/MassShootings_3/MassShootings&year(Date)=2015
This may be mixed to filter and create a PDF.
https://public.tableau.com/views/MassShootings_3/MassShootings.pdf?:showVizHome=no&year(Date)=2015
This similar strategy might be leveraged to do different issues as nicely, for instance, a button within the viz for the reader to obtain the info. See Andy’s « Greatest Tableau Tip EVER » here for particulars on methods to construct this.
#2 – Use keyboard keys for simple multi-selection.
I exploit this subsequent tip all the time. On any chosen canvas (instance, chart or map), you need to use CTRL-A to pick out all the factors. Should you maintain down the Management key then you possibly can multi-select factors. For instance, you possibly can shortly choose sure states and group them right into a area.
This can be helpful in dialog packing containers, for instance when grouping issues collectively or assigning shade. The Shift key will choose every thing between the primary and final click on and the Management key will choose or unselect particular person objects. This is an instance assigning 2 colours to 50 states. First step is holding the Shift key down, choosing the primary and final state within the checklist, then holding the Management key all the way down to unselect a number of states.
#1 – Saving Your Customized Coloration Palette in Tableau.
Should you observe my weblog then you definately’ve most likely seen this one earlier than. This was a tip I found again in August of final yr. On the Suppose Information Thursday webinar, Shawn talked about that customized colours which can be manually assigned within the shade window do not carry over throughout Tableau classes. I used to be confused, as a result of I had the reverse drawback. I could not get them to go away. After tinkering with why some colours would keep and others disappeared, I noticed what was occurring and created this blog post. This has been actually helpful for me, so I put it as #1, at the least for this checklist. Briefly, in the event you click on the « Add to Customized Colours » button the colours do NOT save throughout Tableau classes, however in the event you click on or enter the colour after which drag the colour from the massive shade field to the smaller Customized Coloration packing containers then they may save from session to session. Word – the settings for these customized colours follows the set up of Tableau, not the workbook from machine to machine.
I hope you discover this data useful. When you have any questions be happy to electronic mail me at Jeff@DataPlusScience.com
Jeffrey A. Shaffer
Observe on Twitter @HighVizAbility
