Tableau Glossary

Cross-tab: Another name for a text table or a table of numbers. It is a tabular representation of data where rows and columns intersect to display values.

Dashboard: A collection of views shown in a single location where you can compare and monitor a variety of data simultaneously. Dashboards provide a consolidated and interactive way to analyze data.

Data source: The underlying data that Tableau Reader is connected to. You can't change the data source in Tableau Reader. It serves as the foundation for creating visualizations and reports in Tableau.

Filter: A control on a view that limits the data shown in a view. For example, a filter on Region that only includes the West. Filters help users focus on specific subsets of data within a visualization.

Marks: A visual representation of one or more rows in a data source. Mark types can be bar, line, square, and so on. Marks are the individual data points or elements displayed on a visualization.

Packaged workbook: A type of workbook created in either Tableau Desktop or Tableau Server. These files contain both the workbook as well as copies of the referenced local file data sources and background images. They allow for easy sharing and collaboration.

Pane: The row and columns areas in a view. Panes divide the view into sections, often used for arranging headers, rows, and columns within a worksheet or dashboard.

Repository: A folder located in your My Documents folder that stores workbooks. The repository is where Tableau stores its files, including workbooks and data sources.

View: The visual representation of your data in a worksheet or dashboard. Views are the charts, graphs, and tables that display data to users for analysis and interpretation.

Workbook: A collection of one or more worksheets and dashboards. Workbooks serve as containers for organizing and presenting data visualizations and analyses.

Worksheet: A single view of data. Each worksheet can be connected to a single data source. Worksheets are where you build and design visualizations and reports.

Dimension: A qualitative field that can be used to categorize, segment, and reveal the details in your data. Examples include dates, customer names, or geographical data. Dimensions provide context for analysis.

Measure: A quantitative field that can be aggregated and is suitable for mathematical operations, such as sums or averages. Measures would be data like sales amount, temperature readings, or counts of events. Measures provide numeric values for analysis.

Calculated Field: A user-defined field created by applying calculations to existing fields in the data source. This allows for more advanced analysis within a Tableau workbook. Calculated fields are created using mathematical, logical, or custom expressions.

Parameter: A dynamic placeholder that allows users to replace a constant value in a calculation, filter, or reference line. For instance, a parameter can let end-users change the threshold value displayed in a view. Parameters enable user interactivity and customization.

Extract: A saved subset of a data source that you can use to improve performance and support offline data analysis. An extract is a snapshot of the data taken at a specific point in time. It can be useful for working with large datasets efficiently.

Live Connection: A direct connection to a data source that allows real-time access to the latest data, but can be slower if the data set is very large or the database is not optimized. Live connections ensure that data is always up-to-date.

Hierarchy: An organizational structure that allows for drilling down into dimensions. Hierarchies are used in Tableau to define levels of data granularity from higher to lower levels of aggregation. They help in organizing and navigating data.

Tooltip: A message that appears when a user hovers over a mark in the view. Tooltips can be customized to display relevant information about the data point. They provide additional context and details about data.

Blending: The ability to combine data from two different data sources on a single sheet and visualize them together, even if they're not joined or related at the database level. Blending allows for integrated analysis of disparate data sources.

Sets: Custom fields that define a subset of data based on some conditions. A set can be used for comparative analysis, like comparing the performance of top products against all others. Sets help in creating segments within data.

Bins: User-defined containers of equal size that can be used to divide the dimension data into distinct ranges, which are often used for histograms. Bins are used to group continuous data into discrete intervals for analysis.

Story: A sequence of visualizations that work together to show different facets of data and insights. A story can explain how data leads to the conclusions you've made. It allows for storytelling through data visualization.