Visual Analysis of the Zeroth Kind: Geoffrey Taylor and The Bomb

"What do you do?" It's a question you probably get all the time, like I do. Being a QA engineer at Tableau, my usual quick answer is that "I test data visualization software." Simple enough, right?

Well, I've found that different people hear different things out of a statement like that. For some, visualizing data is the last step -- a way of constructing charts of information for documentation or presentation. But for others, visualizing data is the first step -- a way to understand data before analyzing it in detail.

Learning by Example - Real Data Visualizations with Real Data Now Available

If you're like most people, one way you like to learn new stuff is by example. So recently several people at Tableau Software put together over 40 different examples of data visualizations based on many different types of data. Each is accompanied by a Tableau packaged workbook which contains additional visualizations and the data behind them. Everything is available as free downloads.

Inside Healthcare Computing Reports Major Hospital Saved $20 Million with Tableau Software

We love it when we learn about customers not only creating insightful and beautiful visualizations but also (and more importantly) creating real value for their organizations. As a recent article in Inside Healthcare Computing reported, a major hospital in Ohio "avoids $20 Million in denials in one year using IT-recommended $1,800 software package". That $1,800 package was Tableau Desktop. How did they do it? Our client told it best. We've also got a case study.

Searching for the Holy Grail of Analysis

Jock Mackinlay and Chris Stolte recently posted a Tableau Letter I could have used when my primary job was conducting data analysis or managing other analysts. Their Letter "There Is No Single View" suggests that searching for the one perfect view may be a noble cause but the effort is typically futile. Rather than focusing on a single perfect view, people are better served focusing on the process of analysis, which explores a wide range of views to answer questions or present findings.

Building Cycle Charts to Look at Trend Data

The January 2008 newsletter from Perceptual Edge is an excellent description of Cycle Plots by Naomi B Robbins Ph.D, which are a less known way to look at trend data. On her website, you can find a link that describes how you can create these views in Excel and provided the input data. I think it is great when people give you access to the data that is shown in examples. I used the same data to build a cycle chart in Tableau in a couple of minutes.

Three of History's Best Charts Ever According to The Economist

Check out the December 22nd 2007-January 4th 2008 issue of The Economist. You probably remember it from the newsstands: it's got Mao in a Santa's hat. It's also got a great article "Worth a thousand words" about what they call "the best charts ever" - and guess what? They are all from the 19th century!

Andy on Enterprise Software Recognizes Tableau Innovation

The blog Andy on Enterprise Software had a recent post about something many people in the Business Intelligence (BI) industry (and its periphery) are talking about: what the restructuring of the BI market by acquisitions is doing to product innovation and next generation BI. He cited Tableau Software as an exception and an industry innovator. Innovation (and not just for its own sake) is a high-minded goal and one we take seriously.