Overview

Updated in May 2025. This course now features Coursera Coach! A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the course. This comprehensive course is designed to prepare you for the Tableau Desktop Specialist Exam while equipping you with practical, hands-on skills to master Tableau. By the end of the course, you will be able to visualize, analyze, and share data with confidence, boosting your career with a valuable certification. You will gain a deep understanding of Tableau's functionality, from basic visualizations to advanced data analysis. You will start by installing Tableau Public and getting familiar with its user interface. As you progress, you will explore fundamental Tableau concepts such as dimensions, measures, aggregation, and granularity. With these foundations, you'll dive into a variety of data visualizations including bar charts, line charts, scatter plots, and advanced charts like dual-axis and stacked bar charts. You'll also learn how to organize and manipulate data to extract actionable insights, using features like filters, groups, sets, and calculated fields. The course will guide you through advanced techniques, such as table calculations, trend lines, and using parameters for interactive dashboards. You will also learn how to format and share your work, including exporting to PDF, PowerPoint, and publishing to Tableau Server. Along the way, you’ll develop the skills necessary to prepare and clean data, create live and extract connections, and optimize your Tableau visualizations for different devices. This course is perfect for anyone seeking to become proficient in Tableau and pass the Tableau Desktop Specialist exam. It is ideal for beginners with no prior experience in Tableau but is also suitable for intermediate learners who want to refine their skills. A basic understanding of data analysis concepts is helpful, but no prior Tableau knowledge is required.

Syllabus

Introduction

In this module, we will introduce the course layout, cover key topics essential for the Salesforce Certified Tableau Desktop Foundations Exam, and familiarize you with Tableau’s capabilities. You’ll also learn how to install Tableau Public and explore its interface and features for navigating the software efficiently.

Understanding Tableau Concepts

In this module, we will dive into fundamental Tableau concepts, covering dimensions, measures, aggregation, and granularity. We’ll explore discrete and continuous fields, ratio calculations, and managing data properties to help you master data organization and analysis techniques essential for the Salesforce Certified Tableau Desktop Foundations Exam.

Exploring and Analysing Data

In this module, we will explore various data visualization techniques such as bar charts, line charts, scatter plots, and more advanced chart types like combined axis and stacked bar charts. You'll learn how to manage and filter data, apply table calculations, and use parameters to create interactive visualizations, providing a comprehensive approach to data analysis in Tableau.

Sharing Insights

In this module, we will focus on how to share and present your insights using Tableau. You will learn how to design and format dashboards, add interactive actions, and optimize views for different devices. Additionally, we'll cover how to export your work to various formats for easy sharing and collaboration, ensuring your insights are accessible and impactful.

Connecting to and Preparing Data

In this module, we will explore various methods for connecting to and preparing data in Tableau. You will learn how to set up live and extract connections, use joins and relationships to combine data, and understand the differences between data blending, relationships, and unions. By the end, you’ll be equipped to efficiently manage and prepare data for analysis in Tableau.

Hands-On Quiz to Test Tableau Knowledge

In this module, we will review the hands-on quiz solutions, giving you an opportunity to test and reinforce your Tableau skills. You will gain a deeper understanding of key concepts by analyzing real-world examples and discussing the correct approaches to solve Tableau-related challenges.