Unlock the power of visual storytelling with Tableau, the leading platform for modern data visualization. This hands-on course, offered through the University of Southern Maine's Professional Development division, is designed for professionals and beginners alike who want to transform raw data into compelling visual narratives. Learn to connect to diverse data sources, build insightful charts and maps, and design interactive dashboards that communicate your message clearly and drive effective business or organizational decisions. Whether your goal is to enhance reports, inform strategies, or inspire action, this course provides a strong foundation in both the technical and communicative aspects of Tableau.

Learning Objectives

• Explain the role and impact of data visualization and storytelling in business intelligence and decision-making.

• Navigate Tableau’s interface with confidence and compare it to other common data visualization tools.

• Connect Tableau to local and online data sources including Excel, CSV, databases, and web services.

• Distinguish between dimensions and measures, and use both effectively in creating analyses.

• Build core visualizations such as bar graphs, line charts, pie charts, highlight tables, heat maps, scatterplots, trendlines, and geographic maps.

• Format charts for impact, using colors, labels, tooltips, and calculated fields for enhanced storytelling.

• Use basic and advanced filters, quick filters, and parameters to deliver dynamic, interactive visual experiences.

• Apply data preparation and connection options, including relationships, joins, extracts, and live connections.

• Design engaging dashboards with interactive elements, mapped visualizations, and thoughtful layouts to best tell the data’s story.

• Communicate insights clearly and persuasively to a wide variety of audiences using Tableau’s visualization and dashboard tools.

Instructors

Manish Sharma