Getting Started with Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server

Summary

General information about Tableau software

Body

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.

*There is a free online version: if you are working with data in prepared Tableau Server Data Sources, you can use Tableau Web Edit (opens in a new tab) 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.

Detail

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

Tableau products by user type
User Type Product(s) Cost Where to Purchase
Students Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep FREE Tableau for Students (opens in a new tab)
Instructors (for classroom and/or non-commercial research use) Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep FREE Tableau for Teaching (opens in a new tab)
Staff, Faculty administrators (for administrative purposes) Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep $630/year PantherExpress (opens in a new tab)

Getting Started with Tableau Desktop is Easy

  1. Choose one of the following options:

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

Checking on Your Tableau Desktop License

  1. Visit Tableau Customer Portal (opens in a new tab).
  2. Navigate to the License tab (opens in a new tab).
    The Customer Portal showing the Licenses tab open, and the existing licenses in view

Your license should appear similarly to the screenshot above.

Related Information

More Ways to Get the Most from Tableau

Can I try out Tableau Desktop?

Yes, download the 14-day free trial (opens in a new tab) 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 Digital 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.

Details

Details

Article ID: 273
Created
Mon 8/7/23 9:47 AM
Modified
Wed 5/13/26 9:06 AM

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ANALYTICS Tableau is easy-to-use analytics software for exploring and visualizing data.