Preparing Your Data For Import

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Из курса от партнера University of California, Davis

Fundamentals of Visualization with Tableau

1726 оценки

University of California, Davis

Fundamentals of Visualization with Tableau

1726 оценки

Курс 1 из 5 — Specialization Data Visualization with Tableau

In this first course of the specialization, you will discover just what data visualization is, and how we can use it to better see and understand data. Using Tableau, we’ll examine the fundamental concepts of data visualization and explore the Tableau interface, identifying and applying the various tools Tableau has to offer. By the end of the course you will be able to prepare and import data into Tableau and explain the relationship between data analytics and data visualization. This course is designed for the learner who has never used Tableau before, or who may need a refresher or want to explore Tableau in more depth. No prior technical or analytical background is required. The course will guide you through the steps necessary to create your first visualization story from the beginning based on data context, setting the stage for you to advance to the next course in the Specialization.

Из урока

Making Data Connections

Creating visualizations require data and in this module, you will discuss the various data sources for visualization and specifically what can be used in Tableau. You will prepare your data and identify the types of data connections possible with Tableau. You will be able to connect and merge to multiple data sources which can help make your visualizations more powerful.

Making Data Connections Overview1:41

Preparing Your Data For Import7:14

Primary Types of Connections2:53

Preparing Your Data6:15

Connecting and Merging Multiple Data Sources4:48

Познакомьтесь с преподавателями

Suk S. Brar, M.B.A.
Lead Business Consultant
Blue Shield of California
Govind Acharya
Principal Analyst
Budget and Institutional Analysis

In this lesson, we'll focus on preparing your data for import,

and I'll illustrate how to connect to different types of data using Tableau Public.

Before connecting to your data,

you need to make sure that the data is correctly prepared.

If the data is not prepared correctly,

it will be very difficult for Tableau to

recognize and utilize for analyses. Let me show you what I mean.

For Tableau Public, there are three steps to format your data correctly.

First, make sure that your data begins in

column A1 and that the first row of data only includes column headers.

Second, make sure each column of data contains the same type of

data throughout the column and each row of data is one data item.

Finally, remove any column or row totals.

Once your data is correctly formatted,

you are ready to import the data into Tableau Public.

When you first open Tableau Public,

you will be directed to the Tableau Public home page.

On the left side of the screen,

you will notice that Tableau Public gives you

the option to connect to an Excel file, Text file,

Access file, or Statistical file located on your PC or Mac,

or the option to connect to an OData or Web Data Connector Server.

The Excel, Text, Access,

and Statistical files will be local databases,

such as files located on your own computer,

while the OData and Web Data Connector will allow you to connect to an online database.

We will discuss first how to connect to one of

your local databases and then I will show you

how to connect to the OData and Web Data Connector.

So let's first connect to your local database or an Excel,

Text, Access, or Statistical data file by clicking on the file type.

For this example, we will use data that is stored in a Microsoft Excel file.

From the open file window,

navigate to where the file is stored and click "Open".

Tableau Public will import every sheet that resides within

the Excel workbook and each sheet will

appear under sheets here at the bottom of the worksheet,

similar to tab worksheet file management people have come to expect from Excel.

Click on the sheet that contains

the data you would like to analyze and drag it to the drag sheets here area.

You now have a visual representation of your data,

and it should look very similar to the original Excel data.

As you can see, each column has a header name and

the data type is automatically identified by Tableau through the use of icons.

An ABC icon represents string data,

for example, data that includes names.

A globe icon represents geographical data, for example,

data that includes cities,

states, zip codes, et cetera.

A calendar icon represents dates,

and the pound icon represents numeric data.

If Tableau incorrectly assigned a data type,

you can click on the associated icon and choose the correct data type.

If everything looks correct,

you can click on sheet one and begin analyzing your data.

Shifting gears, let's take a look at Tableau's Open Data Protocol Connection.

An OData connection defines a protocol for acquiring

and updating of data utilizing existing web protocols,

such as Microsoft SharePoint server lists.

OData is intended to be used to access information from a variety of sources including,

but not limited to, relational databases,

file systems, content management systems, and traditional websites.

If you want more information on OData connections,

I have included the link to visit the Microsoft OData within the resources.

To make an OData connection,

first we click on OData from the Tableau Public home page under servers.

From the OData connection window,

enter the URL to where the data is located.

If no authentication information is necessary, click on "None".

If authentication information is needed,

enter your account key for

Windows Azure Marketplace Data Market

or your username and password for the URL you entered.

We can click "Okay",

and the connection will pull in the available data for you to analyze.

For more information on Tableau's OData connection,

I have included a link within the resources.

Finally, another connection type that Tableau Public provides is a Web Data Connector.

A Tableau Web Data Connector gives you a way to

connect to data that doesn't already have a connector.

Using a Web Data Connector,

you can create and use a connection to almost any data type that is accessible over HTTP.

This can include Internal Web Services, websites,

JSON data, XML data,

REST APIs, and many other sources.

Because you control how the data is retrieved,

you can even combine data from multiple sources.

You will need to use the Web Data Connector when you need to connect to

any data source that is accessible via JavaScript,

but not currently listed in the native tab flow connections.

In order to make use of a Web Data Connector,

you don't need programming experience whatsoever.

If you are aware of a Web Data Connector you want to use,

all you need to know is a URL to access that.

Simply select the Web Data Connector from the connection list,

enter or paste the URL of the Web Data Connector

into the appropriate window and follow the instructions presented.

The URL of the Web Data Connector may be different from the site that holds your data.

If the connector displays a web page,

enter any information that you are prompted for and then submit the page.

Wait while the connector retrieves your data and imports it into Tableau as an extract.

When Tableau opens a new worksheet,

you can begin your analysis.

Each Web Data Connector is unique and

its interface depends on how the author has designed it.

For additional information on Tableau's Web Data Connector,

please visit the links in the resources.

However, if you do not have a Web Data Connector,

you will need to create one.

This involves programming and knowledge of JavaScript.

Additional information on creating a Web Data Connector can be found in the resources.

Now that we have our data imported, in the next lesson,

we will discuss the two primary types of data connections for Tableau,

a live connection and a data extract.

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