Create Your Own Alteryx Tools with Macros
If you’ve spent any time using Alteryx by now, you probably have a directory full of useful modules. One of the greatest features about Alteryx is that once you have created and tested a module, you can turn that module into a macro or an analytic app that you can share with others. Last week […]
Alteryx Inspire 2015: What to Do While You’re in Boston
Next week, Alteryx is kicking off their annual Inspire event. We’re excited to be in Boston to talk to people about the amazing things you can do when combining the power of both Alteryx and Tableau. But, while we’re there, we will definitely be checking out Boston. So, why not do both? We’ve created a […]
The Tableau Performance Checklist: Data – Use Extracts
Next, we’ll explore the sixth point under the Data section of the Tableau Performance Checklist: “Use extracts wherever possible to accelerate performance. Hide unused and confidential fields. Roll up data granularity by pre-aggregating or filtering. Break hierarchies to only visible dimensions” There are many reasons to utilize extracts and many interpretations of when to use them […]
10 Questions for Tableau Instigator Gregory Lewandowski
I met Gregory Lewandowski (aka @lewandog) at the second Tableau Customer Conference. He was wearing this gangster/jazzy fedora, and when I asked him were he got it his answer was that he “knew a guy.” Gregory comes from big-company technology. He works at Cisco and knows how to get things done inside of a big global […]
Using import.io, Python and Tableau LOD Calculations to Visualize Top Baby Names over 101 Years
I haven’t had a ton of time to really dig into the new features of Tableau 9, but I did want to start playing with the new Level of Detail (LOD) calculations to see what they could do. The result is simple yet entertaining. The resulting viz can be found here as well as at the […]
Tableau Essentials: Calculated Fields – User Functions
In today’s article, we’ll examine User Functions that you can use as part of the Create Calculated Field tool. To access this window, right-click on either the Measure or Dimension window and select Create Calculated Field. Then, select User from the function drop-down menu. The user functions allows you to create filters based on your […]
The Drag-and-Drop Future of Data
What the world needs now is a ubiquitous schema that is without form and can capture everything. That sounds like Hadoop or some NoSQL capture/archive systems. We want these data sources to be more performant so that they can also support analytical analysis with tools like Tableau. Spark will help that along. What the world really needs is good data that performs – […]
What to Expect from InterWorks at Alteryx Inspire 2015
In case you weren’t aware, we’re only a few days out from one of the most exciting analytic conferences in the biz: Alteryx Inspire 2015! Inspire spans four days packed full of analytics goodness, including keynote speeches from Alteryx leadership as well as breakout sessions from the likes of Experian, Audi, Levi’s, Voya, Sprint and […]
Window Functions in Alteryx
Averages can be weighted too heavily on historical data: models expire, conditions change and behavior evolves. That is why a data analyst keeps a lot of tools in the kit to create an accurate picture of the present day. Window functions are used to remove the noise from random variation and remove the weight of […]
Bringing a Custom Map into Tableau in 10 Minutes or Less
I was recently lucky enough to present at the Berkeley Tableau User Group about how to create a viz that will keep people coming back. I’ll be writing more about this in a later post, but one of the steps I talked about was making your viz special. Seasoned Tableau pros have seen dozens of dashboards […]