Tableau Desktop Software: Workspace & Navigation

Tableau Workspace Desktop contains a set of feature that helps in coding and customizing the reports. It allows connectivity with the data warehouse as well as other files. These workbooks can be shared locally as well as publicly.

Tableau Desktop Workspace

Tableau workspace consists of a menu, cards, and shelves, toolbar, etc. To open a tableau workspace, you need to go to File > New.

Given below is a list of various elements available in a Tableau workspace:

• Menu Bar: It consists of options like File, Data, Worksheet, Story, Dashboard, Analysis, Format, Map, Windows, Help, and Server. It provides features such as saving the file, connecting to the data source, exporting the file, table calculation options, dashboard, and storyboard.

1. File Menu: It contains Open, Save, and Save As functions. It includes a print to pdf option that exports the worksheet or dashboard in pdf form. Using the repository location option, you can change the default file save location.
2. Data Menu: The Edit Relationships option available in the data menu helps in the blending of data. It also contains a very useful option Paste. If you want to analyze some interesting data present on a website, you only need to highlight and copy the data and use the paste option in the Tableau.
3. Worksheet Menu: The Export option available in this menu allows you to export the worksheet as an image, Excel crosstab, or Access Database file format.
4. Dashboard Menu: The Action option is the most useful option from this menu.
5. Analysis Menu: It contains options such as Create Calculated Field, Edit Calculated Field that are used to create new dimensions and measures.
6. Format Menu: Using the Cell Size menu, you can alter the size of the cell in the workbook. You can also modify the theme of the workbook using the Workbook Theme option.
7. Map Menu: This menu is used to alter the base map color between normal, gray, or dark. Geocoding for custom locations can also be imported using the Geocoding menu.
8. Windows Menu: If there are a number of worksheets in the workbook, and you want to share a specific worksheet to someone, the Bookmark option can be used to bookmark the particular worksheet.
9. Help Menu: It contains Tableau’s online manual, training videos, and sample workbooks. You can also find the product key under the Manage Product Key option.
10. Server Menu: You can log in and publish work to Tableau Server.

• Toolbar Icon: It is available below the menu bar. It is used to edit the workbook using different features such as undo, redo, save, slideshow, and so on. It also contains analysis and navigation tools such as Sort, Group, and Highlight.

The Undo and Redo help to scroll backward or forward in time. File Save is used to save the file from time to time, as Tableau does not have an auto save feature. To add a new page in your workbook, use New Dashboard or worksheet. The Duplicate Sheet option creates a copy of the worksheet or dashboard you are currently working on. Worksheets can be sorted using the Ascending and Descending Sort. If you are giving a presentation, you can use the option Presentation mode. The Highlight control option enables a comparison between the selected highlighted combinations of data.

• Dimension Shelf: The dimensions of the data source is available in the dimension shelf.
• Measure Shelf: The measures of the data source are available in the measure shelf. It contains measure values and measure names. Measure Values contains all the measures available in your data that are collected into a single field having continuous values. Measure Names contains the name of all the measures available in your data that are collected into a single field having discrete values.
• Sets and Parameters Shelf: The sets and parameters that are defined by the user are available on this shelf. Existing sets and parameters can also be edited.
• Page Shelf: It is used to view the visualizations in video format by applying a filter on the page shelf.

The fields that are placed on the page shelf generates an auto-scrolling filter. When a field is placed on the page shelf, it gives options such as manual field selector and auto-scrolling options like forward, pause, or stop, controlling speed, and show history checkbox.

• Filter Shelf: Filters are applied in this shelf to control the visualizations and filter the dimensions or measures. The style of the filter depends on whether the field is continuous or discrete.
• Marks Card: These are used to design the visualization. The components such as color, size, shape, label that is required in the visualization can also be modified in marks card.

• Worksheet: Actual visualizations, design, and the functionalities of a visual can be viewed in the worksheet.

Tableau Repository:

All the files related to the Tableau are stored in the Tableau Repository. It contains various folders such as Bookmarks, Connectors, Data sources, Extensions, Logs, Map sources, Services, Shapes, Tab Online Sync Client, and Workbooks. Its default location in the system is C:\Users\User\Documents\My Tableau Repository.

Tableau Navigation:

Given below is the navigation of a workbook:

• Data Source: It is available at the bottom of the Tableau Desktop window. The new data source can be added, or the existing data source can be modified using this tab.
• Current Sheet: Current Sheet shows the name of the current sheet. All the sheets, dashboards, and storyboards that are present in the workbook can be viewed in this tab.
• New Sheet: This tab is used to create a new worksheet in the Tableau Workbook.
• New Dashboard: This tab is used to create a new dashboard in the Tableau Workbook
• New Storyboard: This tab is used to create a new storyboard in the Tableau Workbook.