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Mixed · Self-paced2026 Edition

Tableau for Analysts

Tableau end-to-end: from connecting messy data through Level-of-Detail expressions, parameter-driven dashboards, and Tableau Server. Built for the analyst who needs to ship publication-grade dashboards employers will respect — not just toy chart galleries.

12

Modules

~9h 50m

Reading time

Mixed

Level

Self-paced

Format

§

Syllabus

  1. 01

    Orientation and the Tableau workflow

    The Tableau ecosystem (Desktop, Public, Server, Cloud, Prep). The data → analysis → publish loop, and the discipline that separates a working file from a working asset.

    ~35 minModule 01
    →
  2. 02

    Connecting to data — extracts vs live, joins, blends, relationships

    Live connections vs extracts (.hyper), joins vs data blends vs the new relationship model (2020.2+), and when to pick which.

    ~50 minModule 02
    →
  3. 03

    The marks card — the grammar of Tableau

    Marks card = aesthetics. Mapping dimensions and measures to position, colour, size, label, tooltip, detail. The mental model that makes every chart type the same chart in different clothes.

    ~45 minModule 03
    →
  4. 04

    Calculated fields and the function library

    Logic, aggregation, type conversion, string and date functions. The three calculated fields you'll write hundreds of times: margin, YoY, % of total.

    ~55 minModule 04
    →
  5. 05

    Level of Detail (LOD) expressions

    FIXED, INCLUDE, EXCLUDE. The single Tableau feature that separates intermediates from advanced users. The 'percentage of category total' problem and the LOD solution.

    ~60 minModule 05
    →
  6. 06

    Parameters — interactivity without code

    User-controlled values that flow into calculations, filters, and titles. Build a single sheet that lets viewers swap metrics, time periods, scenarios.

    ~45 minModule 06
    →
  7. 07

    Filters, context filters, and sets

    Filter order of operations, context filters as performance optimisation, sets for cohort analysis. Why the filter you added didn't apply where you expected.

    ~45 minModule 07
    →
  8. 08

    Table calculations — running totals, ranks, percent of

    WINDOW_SUM, RUNNING_AVG, RANK, PERCENT_FROM, the addressing/partitioning that determines what 'previous' means.

    ~50 minModule 08
    →
  9. 09

    Dashboard design — layout, actions, mobile

    Containers, padding, the five-question dashboard discipline. Dashboard actions (filter, highlight, URL). Device-specific layouts.

    ~55 minModule 09
    →
  10. 10

    Performance — extracts, indexes, the recorder

    Why a dashboard is slow: heavy custom SQL, too many marks, blends instead of joins. The Performance Recording feature and how to read it.

    ~45 minModule 10
    →
  11. 11

    Publishing, Tableau Server, and row-level security

    Workbook governance, scheduled extract refreshes, user filters for row-level security. The non-glamorous half that decides whether dashboards survive in an organisation.

    ~50 minModule 11
    →
  12. 12

    Publication-grade Tableau — FT, NYT, Tableau Public Hall of Fame

    Reverse-engineering Iron Viz finalists and FT-grade dashboards. The polish checklist: action titles, palette restraint, annotation, source notes, mobile layout.

    ~55 minModule 12
    →

How to use this course

Start with module 01 if the material is new; skip ahead if you have prior exposure. Each module is self-contained but the arc is sequential — the projects in the final module assume the toolkit from modules 1-11. Every module ends with key takeaways and a curated further-reading list with primary sources.