June 2005

Data Visualization Competition
DM Review Magazine Evaluated Over 40 Solutions, Naming Tableau "Best Overall"

SEATTLE, WA, June 1, 2005—Tableau Software, a pioneer of visual analysis and reporting systems for the business intelligence industry, today announced it has been named as the overall winner of DM Review Magazine’s 2005 Data Visualization Competition. The winner was selected based on its ability to effectively and efficiently present graphical solutions that communicated the data and intended messages contained in each of the four contest scenarios. In a blind judging, Stephen Few, DM Review columnist and author of a new book, Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten, selected Tableau from more than 40 submissions.

"We are delighted to be selected as the winner of this industry competition," said Jock Mackinlay, Director, User Interface at Tableau. "It’s an honor to be recognized by an information design expert of Stephen Few’s stature. Our software, with its intuitive drag and drop interface and its clear, effective displays of data are what our customers appreciate most."

Tableau’s products enable the visual analysis of databases. By analyzing data visually, users can spot trends, outliers and relationships quickly, leading to better insights. The products are compatible with data of all forms, from small Excel files to large data warehouses. And because the software connects directly to data sources, users don’t have to stop with one query: They can continue to explore their data, in effect conducting "visual Q&A" sessions to get the answers they need. At the heart of Tableau’s software is new proprietary query language called VizQLTM that enables this breakthrough user experience. This new language marries a query to a visual response through an easy to use drag and drop interface.

Tableau Software is the culmination of eight years of research and development that originated in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University. The project was initiated through a DARPA grant sponsored by the US Department of Defense. Under the leadership of co-founders Dr. Pat Hanrahan and Dr. Chris Stolte, the Tableau development team has produced a fundamentally new way of interacting with the desktop files, relational databases, and OLAP servers that are the backbone of the $20 billion database and business intelligence industries.

"Data visualization offers the greatest area of potential benefit to business intelligence today," said Stephen Few. "This competition was an important effort by DM Review to expose and promote this potential. Every person or company who participated has contributed to this cause, and the winning submissions especially have shed much needed light on the path that all information-savvy businesses ought to be walking." Stephen will feature the submissions for this competition in his upcoming columns in DM Review, beginning in the July issue.

About Tableau Software
Tableau Software, a privately held company based in Seattle, Washington, is the leading provider of visual analysis and reporting solutions. Its products are used by executives, managers, business intelligence professionals, business analysts, strategic consultants, financial professionals, market researchers, scientists, and engineers in nearly every industry. The company is backed by New Enterprise Associates. For more information on Tableau, visit www.tableausoftware.com.

For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Elissa Fink, VP Marketing
206.633.3400 x560
efink@tableausoftware.com

"Tableau Software" and "VizQL" are trademarks of Tableau Software, Inc.