Tableau Prep Cookbook: Use Tableau Prep to clean, combine, and transform your data for analysis

Explore common and not-so-common data transformation scenarios and solutions to become well-versed with Tableau Prep and create efficient and powerful data pipelines

Key Features

• Combine, clean, and shape data for analysis using self-service data preparation techniques
• Become proficient with Tableau Prep for building and managing data flows across your organization
• Learn how to combine multiple data transformations in order to build a robust dataset

Book Description

Tableau Prep is a tool in the Tableau software suite, created specifically to develop data pipelines. This book will describe, in detail, a variety of scenarios that you can apply in your environment for developing, publishing, and maintaining complex Extract, Transform and Load (ETL) data pipelines.

The book starts by showing you how to set up Tableau Prep Builder. You'll learn how to obtain data from various data sources, including files, databases, and Tableau Extracts. Next, the book demonstrates how to perform data cleaning and data aggregation in Tableau Prep Builder. You'll also gain an understanding of Tableau Prep Builder and how you can leverage it to create data pipelines that prepare your data for downstream analytics processes, including reporting and dashboard creation in Tableau. As part of a Tableau Prep flow, you'll also explore how to use R and Python to implement data science components inside a data pipeline. In the final chapter, you'll apply the knowledge you've gained to build two use cases from scratch, including a data flow for a retail store to prepare a robust dataset using multiple disparate sources and a data flow for a call center to perform ad hoc data analysis.

By the end of this book, you'll be able to create, run, and publish Tableau Prep flows and implement solutions to common problems in data pipelines.

What you will learn

• Perform data cleaning and preparation techniques for advanced data analysis
• Understand how to combine multiple disparate datasets
• Prepare data for different Business Intelligence (BI) tools
• Apply Tableau Prep's calculation language to create powerful calculations
• Use Tableau Prep for ad hoc data analysis and data science flows
• Deploy Tableau Prep flows to Tableau Server and Tableau Online

Who this book is for

This book is for business intelligence professionals, data analysts, and Tableau users looking to learn Tableau Prep essentials and create data pipelines or ETL processes using it. Beginner-level knowledge of data management will be beneficial to understand the concepts covered in this Tableau cookbook more effectively.

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started with Tableau Prep
2. Extract and Load Processes
3. Cleaning Transformations
4. Data Aggregation
5. Combining Data
6. Pivoting Data
7. Creating Powerful Calculations
8. Data Science in Tableau Prep Builder
9. Creating Prep Flows in Various Business Scenarios

Hendrik Kleine is an advanced analytics leader with 15 years of experience in the analytics space, including in data architecture, engineering, and visualization. He specializes in translating vast amounts of data into easy-to-understand visual communications that provide actionable intelligence. He is an avid innovator and a listed author of multiple data-related inventions. Before COVID-19, he was a speaker at the most recent Tableau conference in San Francisco.