Tableau Desktop 7 Core Certification
STUDY GUIDE
Tablleau Certif
C
ficatio
on Stu
udy Guide
Tablleau 7.0
7
The testin
ng center com
mputers will be
b pre‐loaded with Tableauu 7.0. The co
ontent describ
bed below, an
nd
the exam itself, are based on the fe
eature set of Tableau
T
7.0. If you are currrently using Tableau an earlier
t
you upgrrade or trial TTableau 7.0 and understan
nd the
version off Tableau Dessktop, it is reccommended that
new capabilities prior to
t attemptingg the exam.
Recomm
mended preparation
1. Learn
n the fundamentals of Tab
bleau Desktop
p. There are options to leearn the mateerial:
a)) Attend Tableau Fundam
mentals and Advanced Tr aining (best o
option) – Seee a list of available
h
http:///www.tableaausoftware.co
om/learn/traaining/classro
oom.
locations here:
b) Review alll of the online
e training vid
deos under th
he Intro and A
Advanced headings on thee
following page: http:///www.tableaausoftware.ccom/learn/traaining/ondem
mand. (Notee,
eos do not covver all materrial on the exaams, but can
n help you witth your learn
ning
these vide
prior to re
eviewing the study
s
guide.
2. Revie
ew and be ablle to complette all of the materials
m
covvered in the ““Review and P
Practice” secttion
of this study guide
e.
Review
w and Practtice
All of the examples below use the ‘SSample – Sup
perstore Saless (Excel).xls’ ffile. It is not rrecommend tthat
he sample data source of the
t same nam
me, rather maake a new con
nnection to the excel file.
you use th
When trying to recreatte these exam
mples, your daates and resuulting visualizations may differ from thee
examples.
Be able to
o:
1. Basic Concepts and Data
B
Views
1.1. Build
1.2. Build
B
Dashboaards
1.3. Create
C
a hieraarchy
1.4. Understand
U
and explain th
he difference between Dim
mensions and Measures. YYou can find a
definition
d
of dimensions
d
ve
ersus measurres here:
1.5.
1.6.
1.7.
1.8.
http://online
h
ehelp.tableau
usoftware.com
m/v6.1/pro/o
online/en‐uss/Id112A8A00
0YEX.html. M
More
simply,
s
measu
ures are the numeric
n
value
es that you usse to evaluatee. Dimension
ns are the way
that
t
you “slice
e” your data. So in evaluating, your bu siness, you m
might look at yyour sales
measure.
m
Butt you would want
w
to “slice” or sub‐dividde the Measu
ure sales by ceertain
Dimensions:
D
by Geography, by Productt, by Sales Repp, etc.
Change
C
a meaasure into a dimension
d
Hide
H unneede
ed fields
Change
C
a field
d’s formattingg to display as currency orr percentagess
Understand
U
th
he difference
e between ‘Discrete’ and ‘CContinuous’ aand work with
h Discrete and
Continuous
C
Dates.
1.9. Group
G
two or more items on
o a view or legend
l
Use ‘M
1.10.
Measure Names’ and ‘Measure Values’
Measure
M
Nam
me and Measu
ure Values come into play when you plaace more thaan one measu
ure in
the
t same placce. They are a name‐value
e pair. Measuure Name con
ntains the lab
bel for the
measure
m
(“Sales”, Profit”, etc).
e
Measurre Values con tain the correesponding nu
umerical valuees.
The
T most com
mmon examplles include:
a) Creating a listing report with more than one measure – In this case, Measure Values will be
placed on the text shelf. Measure Names will appear on the Column Shelf. Placing Measure
Names on the column shelf provides a separate column with a header for each measure listed.
Otherwise, the values will be written on top of each other in the same column. See the
following article: http://www.tableausoftware.com/support/knowledge‐base/measure‐names‐
and‐measure‐values‐explained.
b) Creating Cross Tabs (also known as Text Tables or Pivot Tables) with more than one
measure in the intersection of measures. In this case, you would have one or more
dimensions on the Row Shelf, another Dimension(s) on the Column Shelf. You would then
place Measure Values on the Text Shelf, and Measure Names on either the Row or Column
Shelf. This is to provide a separate column or row header for each measure displayed
rather than having them over‐write. See the following knowledgebase article:
http://www.tableausoftware.com/support/knowledge‐base/quick‐crosstab.
c) Combining more than one Measure on the same Axis. See the following knowledgebase
article: http://www.tableausoftware.com/support/knowledge‐base/measure‐names‐and‐
measure‐values‐explained.
NOTE: In all cases of using Measure Names and Measure Values, Measure Names are
placed on the filter shelf to allow you to select which measures you want in play (active). A
Measure Values card will also appear showing which measures are in play. Adding or
removing Measures from this card is equivalent to changing the filter on Measure names
from the filter shelf.
1.11.
Formaat a cross‐tab so that the shading changges on every third row
1.12.
Filter a view to the last 14 days
1.13.
Put two or more measures on a single axis
Measure Names
Order Date
Profit
Sales
3500K
3000K
Value
2500K
2000K
1500K
1000K
500K
0K
2007
1.14.
2008
2009
2010
Change the label of an axis
2011
1.15.
Adjust color legends by using a custom color
1.16.
Sort dynamically
1.17.
1.18.
Show Quick Filters
Change Quick Filter modes
1.19.
‘Make Global’ filters. Understand the difference between local and global filters. Most
people understood that global filters apply across worksheets while local filters apply to only a
single worksheet. Many miss the subtle distinction that global filters only apply to worksheets /
visualizations utilizing the same data connection. Some implications:

If you want a filter to apply to several, but not all worksheets, you can create a
duplicate connection

If you want to have a filter apply to visualizations from different sources in the same
dashboard, parameters or filter actions can serve this purpose.
1.20.
Understand how ‘Context Filters’ interact with Top n filters. Adding a filter to context
implies that a “temp table” is created from the results of that filter. In some cases, this will be a
temp table within the database itself. In other cases, a temporary Tableau Data Extract is
created. The two most common applications of context filters are described in the following
articles:

http://onlinehelp.tableausoftware.com/v6.1/pro/online/en‐us/help.htm (search
“Example – Context Filters”).

http://www.tableausoftware.com/support/knowledge‐base/using‐context‐filters‐
improve‐performance
1.21.
Save a packaged workbook with your name as the title
1.22.
Publish to a Tableau Server
2. Building and Understanding Visualization Types
You should understand the common types of visualizations that we create with Tableau, when you
would use each type, and how to create them. A review of common visualization types that you should
be comfortable with is included below:
2.1. Histogram – a histogram is a bar chart showing the distribution of data. It is described in more
detail in the following article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histogram. Steps for creating a
histogram in Tableau can be found here:
http://onlinehelp.tableausoftware.com/v6.1/pro/online/en‐us/help.htm (search “Histogram”).
2.2. Sparkline – Edward Tufte invented the Sparkline. There is a great article on what a Sparkline is
and why you might use it written by Tufte: http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q‐and‐a‐
fetch‐msg?msg_id=0001OR. You can find a knowledgebase article on creating a Sparkline in
Tableau here: http://www.tableausoftware.com/support/knowledge‐base/sparklines‐bullets.
2.3. Combo Chart – Combination Charts combine two different mark types in one chart. They
require the use of multiple marks cards. You can find directions on creating these charts here:
http://onlinehelp.tableausoftware.com/v6.1/pro/online/en‐us/help.htm (search “Combination
Chart”).
Max. Discount
Sales
Create a combination chart (e.g. bar and line)
2.4. Dual Axes Chart – Dual Axes charts use two separate axes to show the data. This article
describes creating them: http://onlinehelp.tableausoftware.com/v6.1/pro/online/en‐
us/help.htm (search “Dual Axes”).
Sales
Max. Discount
Create a dual axis chart
2.5. Cross Tab – Cross Tabs are also often referred to as text tables, pivot tables, and a number of
other names. It is simply having your report broken down with a Column Dimension(s), a Row
Dimension(s) and a Measure(s) at the intersection of each row and column. If you want to have
more than one measure at the intersection, Measure Names and Measure Values come into
play. You can find more information here:
http://onlinehelp.tableausoftware.com/v6.1/pro/online/en‐us/help.htm by searching “Text
Table” or in the knowledgebase http://www.tableausoftware.com/support/knowledge‐
base/quick‐crosstab.
Create a cross‐tab with % of Total Sales and Sales
2.6. Small Multiples – A small multiple is similar to the idea of a Cross Tab in that you have your
information divided by a Row dimension and a Column dimension. However, instead of having
a number at the intersection of the two dimensions, you have a visualization. Here is an article
which describes small multiples: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_multiple. Here is a link
that describes creating small multiples in Tableau:
http://onlinehelp.tableausoftware.com/v6.1/pro/online/en‐us/help.htm (search “Small
Multiples”).
2.7. Bullet Chart – A bullet chart / bullet graph is a great way to display how an actual value
compares to a target. It was invented by Stephen Few. You can find a good description of what
a bullet graph is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullet_graph. This knowledgebase article
describes the steps to create bullet charts in Tableau:
http://www.tableausoftware.com/community/support/kb/bulletgraph.
Create a bullet chart
Region
Central
East
South
West
0K
100K
200K
300K
400K
500K
600K
700K
800K
900K
Current Year Sales
2.8. Scatter Plot – a scatter plot shows the distribution of values across to Measures. You can find
more details here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scatter_plot. For details on creating Scatter
Plots in Tableau search Tableau help for “Scatter Plot”
http://onlinehelp.tableausoftware.com/v6.1/pro/online/en‐us/help.htm.
1000K
Profit
Create a scatte
er plot
C
a map view and corrrect geo‐coding errors (fixx locations)
2.9. Create
2.10.
Use sh
hapes on a maap and scatte
er plot
2.11.
Create
e a pie chart on
o a map
2.12.
Create
e a “Colored in Map”
2.13.
Create
e an Area Chaart
2.14.
Create
e a heat map
Sales
s
Region / Customer
C
State
South
West
Eastt
1,541
Cen
ntral
50,000
100,000
150,000
Product Sub-Catego
ory (group)
Telephones and Com
mmunica..
193,823
Profit
Binders and Binder Accesso..
A
Office Machines
Copiers and Fax
Chairs & Chairmats
P
P..
Envelopes, Labels, Paper,
Appliances
Office Furnishings
als
Computer Periphera
Storage & Organizattion
Bookcases
Tables
3. Analyytics
3.1 Create Calculated Fields
h as DATEDIFF() and DATETTRUNC()
3.2 Use date functions such
-22,1
140
52,03
34
3.3 Use the INDEX() function to create row numbers/ranking
index
Product Cat..
1
Furniture
2
3
Office
Supplies
Technology
index
1
Region
Central
index
1
2
East
2
3
South
3
4
West
4
1
Central
5
2
East
6
3
South
7
4
West
8
1
Central
9
2
East
10
3
South
11
4
West
12
0K
200K
400K
600K
800K
1000K
1200K
1400K
1600K
Sales
3.4 Use IF or CASE statements
3.5 Understand when and how to use aggregate calculations (custom aggregations)
3.6 Create and use a parameter to perform ‘what if’ analysis
Measure Names
Order Date
Sales
4M
What if Sales
3M
2M
1M
0M
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
3.7 Work in ‘dis‐aggregated’ mode
3.8 Blend data from two or more datasources
3.9 Apply a ‘Quick Table Calculation’ (e.g. Year Over Year Growth, Percent of Total)
1800K
Filter a list to the To
op 10
3.11
Perforrm a linear reggression (Turn on Trend Liines)
Sales
3.10
3.12
3.13
Create
e an extract of your data
Create
e reference lin
ne with a con
nstant value
Create
e a reference line shading the
t area betw
ween +‐2 stan
ndard deviations
Profit
3.14
boards
4. Dashb
4.1 Add quick filters to dashboards
4.2 Organize dashboards
d
byy moving item
ms
4.3 Use Horizo
ontal and Vertical Layout Containers
C
ns’ to make a selection on one sheet fillter only one other sheet o
on the dashbo
oard
4.4 Use ‘action
ns’ to highligh
ht related item
ms on a dash board
4.5 Use ‘action