Last week, a user on Quora asked a question about which data visualization platform he should use. I decided to take a little time to provide a detailed answer.

The Question

What Data Viz/Dashboard Software Should I Use?

I’m looking for a software or service that lets me do the following:

• Create graphs and geo data visualisations that can be combined into near-real-time dashboards.
• Share dashboards publicly or privately.
• Import data from services like Google Analytics and Comscore.
• Import data locally from Postgres DB (like in Tableau). This is important, I do not want to expose my db to internet. Therefore, it needs to be able to connect to localhost.

Bonus points: handsome, easy to use, desktop version for os x

The Answer

Tableau, of course. I go into more detail on the actual post, but here’s a short summary of my answers covering each point of the poster’s query. These answers are great if you or someone you know is asking, “Why Tableau?”

Q1: Create graphs and geo data visualisations that can be combined into near-real-time dashboards?

Tableau features a wide variety of options when it comes to graphics. It even has an easy-to-use feature called Show Me that shows you the best visualization options depending on which fields you select for analysis. 

Q3: Share dashboards publicly or privately?

Tableau has several options for sharing dashboards. Tableau Desktop is the primary creation tool. Tableau Reader allows people without Tableau to view your dashboards. Tableau Server is a hosted solution that lets you share dashboards in a governed environment. Tableau Public lets you create and share your dashboards with the world for free.

Q3: Import data from services like Google Analytics and Comscore?

Tableau can do both. Tableau has had a Google Analytics connector for years. Comscore has an API that allows you to set up that connection. Tableau also has several other connectors and APIs, making it easy to use with various tools and software.

Q4: Import data locally from Postgres DB (like in Tableau)? This is important, I do not want to expose my db to internet, therefore it need to be able to connect to localhost.

You said it … like in Tableau. Tableau can connect to Postgres and more than 40 other data sources. They add new ones each year.

Read More

Again, to read my full response, you can head to the original Quora post.

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