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What is Tableau and Why Do You Need It?

Florian Cabirol
April 30, 2024
What is Tableau and Why Do You Need It?

Quick steps to create a report with Google Sheets:

You can easiliy create a report following this step :

  1. Get informations from the data integration from our connector.
  2. Create a source on catchr.io.
  3. Download our Google Sheets extensions.
  4. Configure and run your request
If you need more informations, you can follow the tutorial.

How to install Google Sheets Catchr Add-on.

To start exporting your data to Google Sheets, you need to install the Catchr add-on. You currently have two options :

Option A: Via the marketplace:

  1. Visit the Catchr Add-on page on the Google Workspace Marketplace and click "Install."
  2. Grant the necessary permissions for the add-on.
  3. Upon successful installation, open a Google Sheets to proceed.
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Install Catchr Google Sheets Add-on

Option B: Directly within a Google Sheets:

  1. Open a new Google Sheets.
  2. In the top menu, click "Extensions", then hover over "Add-ons" and select "Get add-ons."
  3. Search for "Catchr" and choose "Catchr - data connector."
  4. Click "Install" and grant the required permissions.
  5. Close the installation pop-up when completed.
  6. Start using the Catchr add-on.
Install Catchr Add-on for Google Sheets
Install Catchr Add-on for Google Sheets

Once you have installed the add-on, you can start making requests.

The tutorial

Quick steps to create a report with Looker Studio:

You can easiliy create a report following this step :

  1. Get informations from the data integration from our connector.
  2. Create a datasource and new report on Looker Studio.
  3. Choose your metrics and dimensions.
  4. Use charts with your metrics and dimensions.
If you need more informations, you can follow the tutorial. You can also find a template for at the end of the page.

The tutorial

Quick steps to create a report with PowerBI:

You can easiliy create a report following this step :

  1. Get informations from the data integration from our connector.
  2. Create a source on catchr.io.
  3. Configure your request on the PowerBI request manager.
  4. Copy the given URL in PowerBI
If you need more informations, you can follow the tutorial. You can also find a template for at the end of the page.

The tutorial

Both start-up and global businesses require data-driven insights to improve digital marketing campaigns and win more customers. Emerging as a powerful tool in this domain, Tableau helps over 70,000 companies worldwide to convert raw data into valuable analytics. 

The software provides a no-code environment to business individuals, allowing them to screen visual dashboards, identify gaps, and optimize the data for potential growth. In this article, we will cover the nuts and bolts of this software, what it is, how it empowers your market presence, and why you even need it in the first place. Keep reading to find out more.

What is Tableau Software?

Tableau is a business intelligence tool that allows salespersons, digital marketers, industry analysts, and retailers to simplify intricate data and make sense of it through interactive spreadsheets, graphs, charts, and diagrams.

As a visualization software, Tableau is different and more versatile than other tools like SQL, Alteryx, R, or Looker Studio. It features smooth automation, real-time support, and a robust data source integration facility. Simply put, users can perform analysis without external data and access almost every digital provider, including Cloud, JSON files, RDBMS, or Excel.

Purpose of Tableau

Tableau is the playing field for data analysts and business personnel who have no previous experience in the line of coding. It simplifies the baseline data through dashboards by making it more digestible to end users.

Recently, the company has also introduced Tableau Pulse to empower the role of generative AI in the industry. This feature is well-received by more than  80% of IT experts who claim the transforming power of AI in uplifting their business.

What Can You Do With Tableau?

Mainly built as a visualization tool, Tableau is used for numerous other reasons by developers, tech enthusiasts, and software admins. Read about the top ones below. 

1. Data Cleansing and Preparation 

Businesses keep the sales and customer information in various databases or data storage platforms like Excel. However, performing true-to-life comparisons and data regrouping is difficult when all the essential stats and information are scattered on different platforms. 

Tableau identifies this problem and uses TDE (tableau data extract) or hyperfile formats to store and process information. Not only can Business owners cleanse, correct, pivot, or unify the data, but they can also examine it through a summarized and user-friendly interface.

2. Data Blending

With Tableau, users grasp the big-picture outlook by combining data from different sources. It allows you to take multiple data sets and merge them into a primary data source for a visual, to-the-point, and comprehensive display. 

Let’s suppose a business individual who deals with automobile shipping with his client data and sales reports stored on two different servers. This individual can treat these two data sets as a whole, extract heaps of necessary information, and view it on a single screen to gather insights. 

3. Reporting and Dashboards

As an IT enterprise tool, Tableau gives a sharp edge to companies in maneuvering the data and gaining better monetary benefits. The attractive dashboards and visually appealing reports help industries view the data differently and use it to stand out in the market. 

The cloud-based software, Salesforce Inc., recently published its earning reports, and according to them, the company’s latest Tableau incorporation engaged a great many customers. Many other organizations, including Arkos Health and John Lewis Partnership, also drive customer success through clean-cut Tableau analytics.  

Tableau Main Product Features Explained

The main uses of Tableau remain well above simple visualization and dive straight into the data analytics domain. Some of the major ones include:

1. Tableau Catalog 

  • Automatically indexes the metadata
  • Facilitates data search in the business warehouse 
  • Increases the discoverability of good business data 
  • At-glance insights into crucial metrics

2. Explain Data 

  • AI-supported data descriptions using advanced models
  • Statistical analysis of data with textual and visual aid
  • Access to relevant data points, insights, and trends

3. Ask Data

  • Faster insights with rich data visualizations
  • Editing columns to simplify the metadata
  • Detailed analytics without programming command

4. Einstein Discovery

  • No-code environment supported by ethical AI usage
  • Real-time predictions for making data-driven choices
  • Future trends and intuitive model building for insights

5. Tableau Prep Builder

  • Integrate, organize, and clean data before analysis
  • Drag-and-drop option simplifies complex operations 
  • Publish clean data and receive alerts

6. Tableau Desktop

  • Streamlines analytics through immersive dashboards
  • Breaks down sales and profit margin by region
  • Offline access to trusted and secure data models

7. Tableau Public

  • Explore, create, and share data visualizations with an online community
  • Connect with data geeks and hire employees from across the globe
  • Showcase your learning journey and growth in your personal profile

8. Tableau Server

  • Easy access through a web browser to gain actionable insights
  • Manage data sources, sheets, and dashboards on the Tableau desktop
  • Build interactive workspaces and share reports with other Tableau users

Tableau for Data Analytics: Is It the Right Choice?

Tableau is an excellent source for dashboard building and data visualization, but it still has some technical gaps that we can’t overlook. Read ahead as we discuss the prominent drawbacks, and think through them before sliding the tool into your business routine.

1. Inflexible Customization

One thing that bugs most Tableau users is its limited scope in creating custom templates. Aside from having only 16 columns number format, the tool also lacks extensive color coding options and foolproof comparison operators (high, average, low). 

For data analysts or e-commerce startups, even the existing custom options are laborious to process, which complicates the progress and brings the working ability of individuals almost down to zero. 

2. Cramped Data Modeling

Tableau’s data blending can handle limited quantitative data pretty well, but the tools fall short when it comes to massive data sets and multifactor dimension analysis. Therefore, analysts may need to blend this information outside Tableau into other data preparation platforms like SQL.

It makes the whole process slow and clunky to the point that users switch to all-inclusive visualization and reporting tools that deliver both benefits — seamless visuals and direct reporting — without putting in so much effort.

3. Enigmatic Operation 

The user interface in Tableau seems familiar and quite impressive. However, the advanced functionality of the tool is hard to comprehend for most users. It requires intensive learning and weeks' worth of training for someone without hands-on experience on raw data. 

While these issues are solvable for large enterprise units, the scenario doesn’t match the demands for fresh business startups and new data analysts. Their progress can run almost a year behind, leading to unwanted holds in teamwork and collaborative ventures.

4. Intensive Manual Labour 

For using Tableau, you ought to have a great deal of patience. The tool lacks a scheduling feature, demanding a lot of manual effort in editing and publishing the data reports on time. In addition, you can face problems dragging things around the layout and into the dashboard.

Considering these restrictions, Tableau might not be an exemplary fit for startup business projects and social media companies in the market. 

5. Above-Market Price

The Tableau business model is sky-high expensive. Basically, developers need permission to access the Tableau server. For that purpose, the visualization tool offers ownership licenses, which are beyond the scope of a regular data analyst. 

For large enterprises, however, the tool streamlines the publishing and collaborative structure, but they will have to hire Tableau server admins and pay for high-price licensing to seal the deal.

Catchr: Why is it a Better Alternative for Digital Marketers?

Digital marketers need clean, swift, and effective data delivery alternatives to collect information and curate more actionable insights in less time. Catchr makes it super affordable and easy to monitor KPIs and transfer your data into numerous tools for seamless reporting — unlike work-intensive, elaborate software tools as discussed above.

1. Automated Data Extraction

Manual data extraction from sources can lead to random errors and inconsistencies in the outcome. Thanks to Catchr, you no longer have to face this problem. It automates the data extraction, giving you ready-to-analyze, precise information in just a few minutes.

2. Robust Data Source Integration

Catchr is well-compatible with numerous tools like Looker Studio, Google Sheets, BigQuery, and Tableau. You can import your datasets into your favorite tools and screen the analytics with pleasing visual dashboards.

3. Cross-Platform Reporting

Flexible and diverse, Catchr lets you integrate data from social media platforms and scale your digital marketing strategy. Converting insights from Facebook, Google Analytics 4, or Matomo into beautiful dashboards, you can make informed decisions and drive better growth.

4. Successful Marketing Campaigns

Catchr is a tested solution for digital marketers. From an intuitive user interface to clean and stunning digital marketing reports, the tool covers everything to help them stand out in the digital world. 

Conclusion

Tableau is the right choice for screening dashboard visuals and creating the usual infographic reports. However, manual labor that goes into using this tool is a clear drawback and weak spot for most users. 

Catchr lets you bridge this gap by automating data extractions and importing your data into multiple platforms like Google Sheets and Tableau. Get in touch with us today, and let us help and answer any related query you have.

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In this template, you will find all the metrics and dimensions you would need to get a better view of your data.

If you need more templates, you could look at our looker studio template gallery.

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In this template, you will find all the metrics and dimensions you would need to get a better view of your data thank to our integrations.

If you need more templates, you could look at our PowerBI template gallery.

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