Tableau 8: new features

In March 2013, the Tableau Company released a long-awaited new version of their product - Tableau 8. In the updated version of the software, the company has made more than 90 changes and created new features.

Thus, the package of Tableau 8 adds support for mobile editing of the application. Now Tableau products support not just the mobile viewing visualizations but also have editing features.

Another important feature of Tableau 8 is the ability to connect to cloud-based data sources, including Google Analytics, Google BigQuery and Salesforce.com.

Also, Tableau 8 offers users a new API interface for programs written in Javascript. This opens up new possibilities for system integration with enterprise applications.

Another important "user" innovation is the setting of sending statements of interest automatically by e-mail.

In general, as expected, Tableau has become more flexible and user-friendly:

expanded variety of visual representations and personalized applications;
working with key elements: dashboards, filters become more varied;
now there are ample opportunities of forecasting based on historical data
improved performance of individual processes and overall system performance.

Free upgraded version is available to all licensed users of Tableau.

New Tableau 8.0 features include:

•Web authoring: Answer questions right in a browser with a layer of depth that was not previously possible.

•Mobile authoring: Drag and drop to analyze data on a tablet while on the go.

•Visual analytics: Improved sets, groups and forecasting capabilities extend the analytical depth of the application. Treemaps allow for new ways to spot patterns and exceptions.

•Connect to any data: A number of new connectors, including Google Analytics, Salesforce.com and Google BigQuery, allow people to access these popular data sources with a few clicks.

•Speed-of-thought analytics: Tableau’s breakthrough unification of computer graphics and databases is faster than ever before with a new visualization engine.

•Enterprise Integration: With a new Javascript API and a new Data Extract API, customers can now integrate Tableau more deeply into their existing systems.

Customer feedback about Tableau 8.0:

•“Following the evolution of Tableau has been really enjoyable. Each new version stays true to a core philosophy whilst making giant strides forward,” said Lee Mooney, Visual Analytics Manager at Barclays. “With version 8.0, it’s possible to produce and share an even wider array of effective visualizations. There is simply no faster, cheaper or more enjoyable way to produce high-quality business intelligence.”

•“Tableau 8 is a spectacular upgrade. There is a lot to be excited about, but the enhanced data blending will really make a huge difference for building more complex views,” said Mark Jackson, Manager of Business Intelligence and Management Reporting at Piedmont Healthcare. “Dashboard rendering speed has also improved by an average of 50%. Piedmont Healthcare will definitely be upgrading as soon as possible.”

•“With the direct connection to Google Analytics, Tableau Desktop has quickly become an invaluable tool in my analytics armoury. I’m in the digital publishing industry and so I need to visualise trends aggregating thousands of articles over weeks, months or years using datasets regularly exceeding Excel's limit of 1 million rows,” said Geoff Richards, Business Analyst at Net Communities. “Work that previously would have taken hours or would be or impossible to calculate is done in real time with Tableau 8.0. Tableau has transformed my workflow and I never hesitate to recommend it to everyone I meet.”

•“I’ve used Tableau Desktop Professional for quite some time now and one feature I’ve always wanted to see was Google Analytics connectivity,” said Andrew Keech, Data Analyst at GForces. “The extra insight I can now get from combining our Google Analytics statistics with our other data sources is invaluable.”

•“I have enjoyed using Tableau 8.0,” said Tim Reilly, Manager, Strategic Finance at Constant Contact. “The new forecasting capabilities are extremely helpful, particularly the inclusion of seasonality.”

•“At Bunchball we are always working to create an informed and engaging user experience and with Tableau 8.0 we are able to offer increased flexibility and creativity within our dashboard visualizations, making it even easier for our clients to understand the results of their gamification initiatives,” said Keith Conley, Director, Analytics and Insight at Bunchball. “That alone would be exciting; however, what has made the biggest impact on our business is Tableau’s enhanced data connectivity with Salesforce, which allows us to seamlessly integrate our data. This helps us to focus on what matters most to our customers - insight, rather than data aggregation.”