Getting Started with Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server

Overview

Tableau is easy-to-use data analytics software for exploring and visualizing data. Tableau places an emphasis on visual analytics, allowing you to move quickly from question to insight.

Use Tableau Desktop authoring software to create dashboards, workbooks, and analyses using the University Data Warehouse, local databases, spreadsheets, text files, and more. This work can then be shared with University faculty and staff via the Tableau server available at analytics.pitt.edu. All Pitt faculty and staff members have access to the Tableau Server. However, they will only be able to see dashboards and data for which they have permission.

Tableau Desktop users at Pitt meet monthly to share tips, techniques, and their work. If you receive a Tableau Desktop license, you’ll automatically be added to the invitation list for those meetings.

Detail

Tableau Products for Student, Instructor, Faculty, and Administrative/Staff Use

User Type	Product(s)	Cost	Where to Purchase
Students	Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep	FREE	Tableau for Students>
Instructors (for classroom and/or non-commercial research use)	Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep	FREE	Tableau for Teaching>
Staff, Faculty administrators (for administrative purposes)	Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep	$630/year	PantherExpress

Getting Started with Tableau Desktop is Easy

1. Choose one of the following options:

Students, visit Tableau for Students>, fill out the eligibility form, and download the software.
Instructors, visit Tableau for Teaching>, fill out the eligibility form, and download the software.
Faculty and staff administrators, request a departmental software purchase for Tableau through the Software Store on PantherExpress.
Web Edit - Free on-line version if you are working with data in prepared Tableau Server Data Sources, you can use Tableau Web Edit to create dashboards, visualizations, and reports. Tableau Web Edit is not as powerful as Tableau Desktop. It can only connect to Tableau Server Data Sources, and has a few other limitations in functionality.

2. Get started with Tableau by exploring sample Tableau data visualizations

Related Information

More Ways to Get the Most from Tableau

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I try out Tableau Desktop?

Yes, download the 14-day free trial from Tableau. If you are a student or instructor, you are eligible for a free Tableau license.

How can I access Tableau Server content?

All faculty and staff members at the University of Pittsburgh have access to the Tableau Server at analytics.pitt.edu. Visitors to analytics.pitt.edu will only see dashboards and worksheets to which they have been granted access by a Tableau Desktop author.

Who has access to view a dashboard on Tableau Server?

Tableau Desktop authors publish dashboards and worksheets to the Tableau Server. These authors are also responsible for granting access to those dashboards. If you would like access to a particular dashboard, contact the author of the dashboard to request access.

What kinds of data can Tableau use?

Tableau Desktop users can take advantage of several data sources connected directly to the University Data Warehouse. In addition, Tableau can ingest data from almost any database or format. It can easily connect to Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL and other databases, as well as CSV and Microsoft Excel files. These data sources can then be joined together to create unified datasets for analysis.

I’d like to have Tableau Dashboards in my school, department, or business unit. Who can help me?

Your school, department, or business unit may already have someone working with Tableau. If not, Pitt IT Business Intelligence provides consulting for analytics and dashboards. Contact the Technology Help Desk to find out more.

For more help, see the Tableau Quick Start Guide & FAQ

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