Tableau Reviews

Name: Tableau
Brand: Salesforce
Rating: 4.2 (306 reviews)

Vendor: Salesforce

4.2 out of 5

306 reviews
89% willing to recommend

12K followers

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What is Tableau?

Tableau is a tool for data visualization and business intelligence that allows businesses to report insights through easy-to-use, customizable visualizations and dashboards. Tableau makes it exceedingly simple for its customers to organize, manage, visualize, and comprehend data. It enables users to dig deep into the data so that they can see patterns and gain meaningful insights.

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Tableau is the #1 ranked solution in top Data Visualization solutions, #1 ranked solution in top Embedded BI Tools, #2 ranked solution in top Business Intelligence Tools, and #2 ranked solution in top Reporting Tools. PeerSpot users give Tableau an average rating of 8.4 out of 10. Tableau is most commonly compared to Microsoft Power BI: Tableau vs Microsoft Power BI. Tableau is popular among the midsize enterprise segment, accounting for 45% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a educational organization, accounting for 40% of all views.

Helped 853,831 peers since 2012

Featured Tableau reviews

Nattawat Choosuwan

Senior Data Consultant at a government with 11-50 employees

An area for improvement in Tableau is the Explorer license type. It is not as useful, and the product owner should enhance its benefits or clarify its role. Additionally, the frequent updates with many versions available for download can be confusing and could affect stability. They should avoid providing access to older versions on their website.

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Uzair Faruqi

Head Of Analytics at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees

Introducing custom features, such as NLP-based reports, is not very good in Tableau. My MD has been asking us for a way to write in natural language to request reports that the system should generate, but that isn't very effective with Tableau. As a developer, I can develop an on-demand report in Python quite easily, but exposing a REST API on the Tableau platform is not a very easy task. AI enablement is an area for improvement for Tableau, and that is something they might have to work upon. I have heard that ThoughtSpot is quite better in this regard, but the cost of ThoughtSpot is much higher. ThoughtSpot has lots of natural language-based report generation features that Tableau lacks.

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Satyavrat Nirala

Founder at Mindclick Consulting

The interface needs improvement as sometimes it is locked, and it takes some time for the visualization and dashboards to load. There is some delay if the data volume is high, and the failure log is not always practical. The failure log sometimes does not give every detail about why the data has failed. Installing Tableau is not easy.

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Tableau mindshare

Product category:

As of June 2025, the mindshare of Tableau in the BI (Business Intelligence) Tools category stands at 16.4%, down from 19.1% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

BI (Business Intelligence) Tools

PeerResearch reports based on Tableau reviews

Type	Title	Date
Category	BI (Business Intelligence) Tools	Jun 1, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Jun 1, 2025	Download
Comparison	Tableau vs Microsoft Power BI	Jun 1, 2025	Download
Comparison	Tableau vs Amazon QuickSight	Jun 1, 2025	Download
Comparison	Tableau vs SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform	Jun 1, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Microsoft Power BI	4.0	21.1%	93%	321 interviews Add to research
Informatica PowerCenter	4.0	N/A	91%	81 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

Tableau's most valuable features include interactive visualizations, seamless data integration, and ease of use. Users benefit from flexible data blending, intuitive drag-and-drop functionality, and robust dashboard capabilities. Its ability to connect with multiple data sources and provide real-time analytics is unmatched. Tableau's strong community support and extensive customization options enhance user experience. Additionally, its predictive analysis and storytelling capabilities allow users to gain meaningful insights, making it a powerful tool for data-driven decisions.

"Tableau is quite easy to develop dashboards with, and the range of dashboards is good."
"Tableau's ability to manage extensive data, even in an extract format, is noteworthy, as Power BI struggles with that."
"Tableau is saving me time, money, and resources, which I would rate as ten."

Room for Improvement

Tableau requires enhancements in several key areas. Users express a need for better performance with large data sets and improved integration with other platforms like Microsoft Office. The price can be prohibitive for some organizations, necessitating more flexible licensing options. Data preparation features, especially without a semantic layer, prove cumbersome. Users desire easier formatting controls, dynamic features like interactive analytics, and integration with machine learning tools. Advanced customization, dashboard visualization options, and comprehensive support could elevate user experience significantly.

"Introducing custom features, such as NLP-based reports, is not very good in Tableau. My MD has been asking us for a way to write in natural language to request reports that the system should generate, but that isn't very effective with Tableau."
"From a customer's point of view, I have noted that after the acquisition by Salesforce, the customer service for Tableau has declined significantly."
"The interface needs improvement as sometimes it is locked, and it takes some time for the visualization and dashboards to load."

ROI

Consultants attribute their entire income to Tableau, experiencing rapid, substantial returns. Many see significant cost savings due to improved reporting efficiency. Implementation often results in quick ROI, sometimes within months. Adoption challenges exist, but those embracing Tableau report time, cost savings, and increased data insight. Licensing costs are high compared to alternatives, but overall users experience high returns by leveraging Tableau's capabilities for more efficient, predictive, and scalable analytics across various data-intensive environments.

Pricing

Enterprise buyers find Tableau’s pricing slightly expensive compared to several competitors like Power BI, which offers more budget-friendly options. Tableau provides both core-based and user-based licensing models, catering to different organizational needs. Some users appreciate the all-inclusive flat fee for Tableau Desktop, priced at approximately $1,999 per user, while others cite the high cost per user for Server licenses as a concern. Despite its cost, many value Tableau's comprehensive features and user experience.

"Tableau is an expensive solution."
"The solution's licensing is based on user-basis. It depends on the business ROI it offers. It's not on the higher side or too cheap; it falls in the medium-cost range. The price is determined by user usage, so the cost will also increase as the number of users increases."
"Tableau is an expensive solution compared to Power BI."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily use Tableau for data visualization, dashboard creation, and reporting. It enables industries to analyze asset performance, create operational and executive dashboards, monitor key performance indicators, and develop business insights. Users across sectors like healthcare, finance, and retail rely on Tableau for tailored analytics, allowing them to make informed decisions through user-friendly interfaces and powerful data manipulation capabilities. It aids in generating real-time insights and enhancing decision-making processes.

Service and Support

Tableau's customer service is highly valued for its responsiveness and professionalism, with many users praising its priority handling of queries. Technical support is largely regarded as helpful and efficient, though there are instances of delayed resolutions and procedural challenges. The vibrant online community often serves as a key resource for troubleshooting. While some experienced quick and effective assistance, others noted variability in response times depending on support tier or region. Overall, user satisfaction remains high.

Deployment

Tableau's initial setup frequently receives feedback for its simplicity and ease of use, with many users praising the straightforward installation process. While most find setup intuitive, issues can arise with more complex configurations, especially concerning data security and integration with existing infrastructures. Users appreciate the availability of comprehensive guides and documentation, facilitating a seamless start. Some complexities may occur, particularly with larger enterprises or unique data arrangements, but support readily addresses these.

Scalability

Responses indicate Tableau is notably scalable, especially with proper design, though some users report challenges with massive datasets and performance. Leveraging efficient data practices boosts scalability, minimizing issues. Most users emphasize adequate hardware and strategic scaling to accommodate demands, such as adding users or expanding Tableau’s server capabilities. Reviewers acclaim its scaling capacity but acknowledge integration with other tools may optimize results further. Cost is a potential consideration for some organizations.

Stability

Many users report stability with Tableau, praising its performance without crashes. Initial versions had issues, but updates improved reliability. A few encountered problems with large datasets or specific versions, noting server issues, memory usage, or compatibility problems during upgrades. Most find it stable and reliable with proper infrastructure, despite some experiencing slow performance with extensive data. Security features are commended, though improvement is needed in the publication feature.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Tableau Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

40%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

University

Government

Healthcare Company

Retailer

Insurance Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Non Profit

Real Estate/Law Firm

Legal Firm

Media Company

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

Hospitality Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Performing Arts

Transportation Company

Pharma/Biotech Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Outsourcing Company

Consumer Goods Company

Compare Tableau with alternative products

Learn more about Tableau

Make data-driven decisions with confidence thanks to Tableau’s assistance in providing faster answers to queries, solving harder problems more easily, and offering new insights more frequently. Tableau integrates directly to hundreds of data sources, both in the cloud and on premises, making it simpler to begin research. People of various skill levels can quickly find actionable information using Tableau’s natural language queries, interactive dashboards, and drag-and-drop capabilities. By quickly creating strong calculations, adding trend lines to examine statistical summaries, or clustering data to identify relationships, users can ask more in-depth inquiries.

Tableau has many valuable key features:

Tableau dashboards provide a complete view of your data through visualizations, visual objects, text, and more.
Tableau provides convenient, real-time options to collaborate with other users and instantly share data in the form of visualizations, sheets, and dashboards.
Tableau ensures connectivity to both live data sources and data extraction from external data sources as in-memory data. This gives users the flexibility to use data from more than one source without any restrictions.
Tableau gives many data source option, ranging from spreadsheets, big data, on-premise files, relational databases, non-relational databases, data warehouses, and big data, to on-cloud data.
Tableau has a lot of pre-installed information on maps, such as cities, postal codes, and administrative boundaries.
Tableau has a foolproof security system based on authentication and permission systems for data connections and user access. Tableau also gives you the freedom to integrate with other security protocols.

Tableau stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Some of these include its fast data access, easy creation of visualizations, and its stability. PeerSpot users take note of the advantages of these features in their reviews:

Romil S., Deputy General Manager of IT at Nayara Energy, notes, "Its visualizations are good, and its features make the development process a little less time-consuming. It has an in-memory extract feature that allows us to extract data and keep it on the server, and then our users can use it quickly.

Ariful M., Consulting Practice Partner of Data, Analytics & AI at FH, writes, “Tableau is very flexible and easy to learn. It has drag-and-drop function analytics, and its design is very good.”

Tableau was previously known as Tableau Desktop, Tableau Server, Tableau Online.

Tableau customers

Accenture, Adobe, Amazon.com, Bank of America, Charles Schwab Corp, Citigroup, Coca-Cola Company, Cornell University, Dell, Deloitte, Duke University, eBay, Exxon Mobil, Fannie Mae, Ferrari, French Red Cross, Goldman Sachs, Google, Government of Canada, HP, Intel, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Macy's, Merck, The New York Times, PayPal, Pfizer, US Army, US Air Force, Skype, and Walmart.