Tableau software is a powerful business intelligence, visualization, and analytics tool. Tableau has been one of the Gartner's "Leaders" in the business intelligence software field. There are two components:
- Tableau Desktop helps users create and publish dashboards and data visualizations and perform data analysis. Tableau Desktop is available for a free trial from Tableau. Licensing for the software is maintained by ITS. To purchase a license, please visit the Tableau Software page for more information. Purchasing Tableau Desktop requires a one-time fee plus an annual maintenance fee (which gives you access to tech support and all free upgrades).
- Tableau Server lets desktop license holder share data visualizations that can be viewed and, in some cases, manipulated by authorized users in the university community. Tableau Server is the best way to publish and share reports with other university users.
In addition to an interface that is easy to use for both those who publish visualizations and those who use them, Tableau enables data from multiple sources to be integrated together into combined reports. These visualizations can show combinations of locally maintained data, enterprise data, and even public data.