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Vice President Engineering Intellicloud at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
The diagram drop facilities help to double up hard drive reports
Pros and Cons
  • "I work for clients. That is my business model. Business people really like to see Tableau. They love Tableau because it is very user-friendly. The platform provides an easy to use interface, which is what most people like about it."
  • "From the developer perspective, the data connection handling the target data set is what most needs to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

I have a lot of experience using Tableau for the Healthcare Market. I use Tableau for visualization and reporting mostly. Main observations:

  • Tableau is nice and smooth. 
  • Tableau is quite user-friendly and easy to use. 
  • The digital agents were really great. 
  • Clients and customers liked the visualizations. 

Overall, I got positive feedback from clients by using Tableau.

How has it helped my organization?

I work for clients. That is my business model. Business people really like to see Tableau. They love Tableau because it is very user-friendly. The platform provides an easy to use interface, which is what most people like about it. 

Being easy to use is more important to me than the look and feel Tableau gives to your data. Nevertheless, data analytics is what we value the most. 

Tableau definitely has a big user community. If you get stuck or anything, you can easily seek help through that. Whenever you do this, you get good results.

What is most valuable?

The diagram drop facilities help to double up hard drive reports. The map facilities and the ability to connect with different data sources are the most valuable features. 

Tableau has a lot of different connectors, many of which are very new. You can connect many different data sources with Tableau. 

Overall, it was a good experience with Tableau and the visualization looks quite attractive with the proper combination of colors.

What needs improvement?

I have a lot of experience on the desktop version of Tableau. My recommendations for improvement for Tableau would be:

  1. From the developer perspective, the data connection handling the target data set is what most needs to be improved. 
  2. Tableau keeps evolving with each version. With Tableau 192019.2, they're coming again with some more features. 
  3. Data preparation is where Tableau needs to work a lot on. Every time with Tableau you have to invest a lot of time preparing the data before you start using the visualizations.
  4. Tableau doesn't perform well on big data processes. Suppose I was working with a file of like 1 or 2 gigabytes, then in that case Tableau is really slow. 

Sometimes I feel that Tableau is too slow when you have a big data file.

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July 2025
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For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's quite stable, aside from the data file which is not. Otherwise, Tableau doesn't hang.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Good scalability. Not that bad, not that great, it's good.

How are customer service and support?

I didn't need technical support with Tableau.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We don't have any preference for other solutions. We depend on Tableau for the solutions based on the client's requirement. If a client requires Tableau, we develop the application and customize it.

How was the initial setup?

A lot of complexity happens initially. Tableau is a little bit too complex. I started using the clear tool and application. Then you will feel comfortable with the tool and with the data. 

There will definitely be some tough, complex things in your development, especially with the data. The data preparation (combining everything else) has to work. 

Initially, all the data preparation tools have that kind of experience. In the beginning, you have some tough times and little complexity. Once you resolve this, the future and further development will come relatively easy.

What other advice do I have?

First, clients should be comfortable with the existing resources or existing platform which the organization is using - that is one of the very important aspects before you decide on any new tool or any kind of new technology. 

Second, you want to go ahead and invite a new application into your current system. Ask how compatible the application is before you decide on any new product in your organization.

Third, you should consider if your employees are comfortable with the new incoming technology in terms of whether it’s easy to learn or adapt. Ask how comfortable your employees are before you bring any new tool into your organization

These are the key important points. I will rate Tableau at eight out of ten because there will be some shortcomings in the application that are not up to the mark.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Project Development Coordinator at ALIMENTOS ITALIA
Real User
Top 20
I can upload excel files and visualize the information with details

What is our primary use case?

In particular, I believe in the ease that Tableau provides for generating statistics and content in real time. We no longer use the old system where we must load the data one by one, and with just one click, I can see all the information I need.

How has it helped my organization?

It has facilities that improve some aspects inside and outside of work. We use it basically to see statistics and locate focal studies to make decisions.

What is most valuable?

With Tableau, I can upload excel files and visualize the information with details.

Another aspect is that I can organize the information with the data I have as dates of income, expenses, and annuals.

What needs improvement?

To improve the next version, it is important to highlight the use of the tool in other languages. This includes internal handling and updates.

For how long have I used the solution?

Less than one year.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have never used a similar solution. It is my first time using this tool, and from the time of usage, it facilitates the process of information analysis.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Mainly, there is a free download version but with limitations that allow the user to evaluate and then contact the service provider for their respective installation and deployment.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have not reviewed other options. I think it does not exist; if it exists, I would know and leave a record to compare these tools.

What other advice do I have?

This software must be managed on mobile devices in several languages.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Buyer's Guide
Tableau Enterprise
July 2025
Learn what your peers think about Tableau Enterprise. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user984828 - PeerSpot reviewer
ACS/OPS at Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Real User
We are able to create reports that are more helpful to our front-line employees

What is our primary use case?

I use this program to visualize the data sets from front-line employees. Primarily, the tool is used for visualizing data. 

How has it helped my organization?

We are able to create reports that are more helpful to our front-line employees. They are able to implement decisions much faster.

What is most valuable?

The friendliness and easy way of using the platform. I think that as a new user it is easy to learn, and really easy and quick to try and learn from mistakes.

What needs improvement?

Their training. I've been looking for ways in which we can start training more people to it, and it has shown that other platforms have more access to training than Tableau. 

For how long have I used the solution?

Less than one year.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Process Data Engineer (Subsurface and Wells) at Shell
Real User
Platform to automate and make user-defined customized dashboards

What is our primary use case?

  • Creating dashboards to generate value out of data
  • Great features and functionalities with customized dashboards
  • Very intuitive and massive user support base.

How has it helped my organization?

It has helped to save millions by making informed decisions which are data driven. Visualization of data with great efficiency has helped to integrate dashboards across the organization.

What is most valuable?

  • Platform to automate and make user-defined customized dashboards. 
  • Very well integrated with other applications which helps to move data from one application to another with much ease.

What needs improvement?

Sometimes it crashes because of the huge database. This could be fixed so that it works smoothly with large databases.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Program Manager at a non-profit with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
It allows us to understand and evaluate our numbers in an expedient manner.
Pros and Cons
  • "It allows us to basically understand and evaluate our numbers in an expedient manner."
  • "It is a stable solution."
  • "I would like to be able to set the parameters in a more specific manner."

What is our primary use case?

We have used it for our program correspondence, basically, so how to program report to satisfaction of different programs. It helps us obtain information. We also use it for visualization.

How has it helped my organization?

It allows us to basically understand and evaluate our numbers in an expedient manner. It doesn't require us to need a huge number of data bases that we need to manage. This solution sets everything up for us. It has a good ease-of-use.

In the past, we were using several different solutions, and the packages were insufficient for our needs. We used a lot of different software solutions, and extreme Excel, but it wasn't enough for our needs. We were also looking for something that was a bit more user-friendly. 

What is most valuable?

One of the most valuable features are the different visualizations. It makes it much easier for us to represent what the data is showing. The dashboard is great, and the visualizations are really what we focus on. 

It's as powerful if you know how to use it, so it's made as much as we know how to use it. It's enough, but there's much more of a need to understand what you do to operate the solution. To be able to do more, we need to set it up to do different things. It is fine, but we have not really invested time or people into doing this much.

What needs improvement?

I would like to be able to set the parameters in a more specific manner. I feel as if it's not a questions of whether the solution is sufficient, it's whether we understand how to use it to the best of its productivity.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution. I think we can use it for a while for a lot of different things. Again, we do not know the full scope of the capabilities. I think we are using it the best we can, but we could find better ways for it to best suit our needs. So, we just need to learn how to use it more efficiently.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is good. They give solutions to our questions. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used Microsoft BI.

How was the initial setup?

I was not involved in the initial setup of the solution.

What was our ROI?

Most people buy software because they know that it will help them do one thing, but they use it a tenth of the potential of what it could be used for. So, if you don't know what that is, you're stuck at ten percent. Be sure to explore the full capabilities of the solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price is competitive. We always consider pricing when considering a new solution. We are a non-profit, and pricing is a huge concern.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We always like to evaluate other products in tandem with what we are using.

What other advice do I have?

When reviewing a possible solution, we always consider:

  • Price
  • Functionality
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Director, BI & Analytics at a leisure / travel company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
If you're evaluating Tableau as a potential data visualization solution, consider these points.
Pros and Cons
  • "Visualization attributes: Marks – Color, Size, Label, etc.. Easily Accessible and Intuitive."
  • "Small multiples (a.k.a. Trellis charts) are possible only through very hacky means. Update: Still remains a challenge."

***We've upgraded to 2018.1 So I've updated the Pros and Cons accordingly!"

I've been working between Tableau and Qlikview (depending on use case) and have been jotting down Pros and Cons of each as I come across them.  Many of these, but not all, are centered around some fairly specific UI functionality and limitations that I've come across while trying to deliver on various dashboard solutions.  If you're evaluating Tableau as a potential data visualization solution, some of these points might help with your evaluation, or at least I'm hoping so!  One caveat I will apply to the "Cons" section is some of these may in fact be resolved in the latest version, or may be achieved through some means that I'm just not aware of (though I do generally research pretty extensively before throwing in the towel).  

Pros/Strengths

  • Multi-dimension Graphs, side by side bars
  • Formulas/Calculations are a familiar structure to many  (IF..THEN.. ELSE)
  • Visualization attributes:  Marks – Color, Size, Label, etc.. Easily Accessible and Intuitive
  • Very good Geo/Mapping capabilities
  • Built in Table Calculations (% of Total, Rank, etc..) Update:  Even more intuitive now.  
  • Publish to PDF.  Despite trying to encourage users to interact with the live tool, there seems to always be some need for this. 
  • Story Creation for presentations.  
  • Free Tableau Reader – You can create ‘Packaged Workbooks’ and those with Reader can open the file and manipulate the dashboard.  (No ability to refresh the data)
  • Easy Cube Connection.  Though it can still be quirky and limited relative to using other data sources.  You can't for example, use LOD calculations.  If you plan to use Cubes as a data source, be sure you thoroughly understand the limitations.  
  • Tool Tips (Hovers).  Easy to add all kinds of additional data to hovers.  Update:  The Viz in tooltip feature is fully baked and in certain circumstances, very useful!   
  • Adaptive sizing based on display resolution.  Also something Qlikview does not do - you must develop for particular display size/dimensions.  Update: I've since learned that it generally makes life easier if you still used fixed dimensions for your dashboard.
  • Drag and Drop Hierarchy creation
  • Device Layouts (Mobile, Tablet, etc.).  Update: Rumor has it Tableau is currently working on a better Mobile solution.
  • URL Actions - Allow you to enable workflow between Tableau and other Applications through click-throughs and parameter insertion in URLs.  

Cons

  • Small multiples (a.k.a. Trellis charts) are possible only through very hacky means.  Update:  Still remains a challeng
  • Sparkline Tables are not supported.  There are tutorials on how to accomplish this, but as with small multiples, it is hacky and limited. Update: Still remains a challenge.
  • Heavy data prep needed.  Blending within the tool is clunky and causes performance hits.  Some functions are limited or unavailable when using blended data (e.g. LODs) Update:  Blending has improved but it is still generally a better practice to do all your data prep prior to ingestion.  Tableau Prep now exists to help with this, but it is still very much in its infancy.
  • Sorting on joined data requires hacks.  Update:  Unchanged
  • No easy ‘Clear’ to remove applied filters and/or Exclusions/Keep Only, which makes it sometimes easy to lose sight of how exactly the data has been filtered. Update:  Unchanged
  • Combo charts unavailable without Date dimensions  Update:  Unchanged
  • Dynamic column headers/aliases difficult and hacky.  I find this limitation particularly frustrating.  Example use case:  I have two columns - Current Month, & Previous Month.  As these will always be dynamic, I want them instead to display the actual Month as it changes (e.g. Apr-2016, Mar-2016).  Update:  Very unfortunately Unchanged.  
  • Can’t format a single measure column in a table (e.g. make one bold or conditional format)  Update:  I've heard rumors that this is now easier, but have yet to identify how.
  • Image thumbnails in tables not supported.  In my last two roles this has been a fairly large impediment.  I'm likely not the only one.  Qlikview, SSRS, & Even MS Powerview/PowerBI are able to support this. Update:  Unchanged 
  • Large Table reports with many filters (our case was 14 columns, 300K rows, and about 8 quick filters)   to narrow the data set – Don’t bother!  It will be excruciatingly slow even on the server. Tableau will likely say this is not what it is intended for anyway (it's a Data Viz tool, not a Report tool), which is fair, but sometimes it's necessary as part of a larger solution. Update:  This seems to have improved some though you still run into the limitation of 16 columns.  Rumor has it, this will be done away with in future releases.

  • Any questions, or comments?  All feedback is welcome.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
it_user952008 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user952008SEO Executive at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User

Starting from the fundamentals such as getting familiarized with Tableau Desktop, connecting to common data sources and building standard charts; you will walk through the nitty-gritty of Tableau such as creating dynamic analytics with parameters, blended data sources, and advanced calculations. onlineitguru.com

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Principal Consultant at University of Utah Hospital
Real User
Its ease of developing visualizations is a valuable feature, but the tool needs improvements in its security schema
Pros and Cons
  • "It most valuable feature is its ease of developing visualizations, not just charts and graphs."
  • "Improvements in schema security and row/column security need to be made."

What is our primary use case?

I use this solution for healthcare analytics.

How has it helped my organization?

Tableau has provided visibility into patterns which I had not previously observed.

What is most valuable?

The ease of developing visualizations, not just charts and graphs.

What needs improvement?

  • The enterprise features need improvements.
  • Improvements in schema security and row/column security need to be made.

For how long have I used the solution?

Less than one year.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Reviewer3292 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager Technology at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
It is a stable product. It doesn't break.
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a very stable product. It doesn't break."
  • "We would like a report model, because currently there is no schema that we can create in the tool."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case is more visualization for user interactivity.

What is most valuable?

  • Interactivity
  • Fast data access
  • The graphs
  • Understanding our data better based on the sublevel of data provided. 

What needs improvement?

We would like a report model, because currently there is no schema that we can create in the tool.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a very stable product. It doesn't break.

How is customer service and technical support?

I am not using the technical support. There is a great Tableau community.

How was the initial setup?

I was not involved in the setup.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Tableau is an expensive solution, though it comes with its advantages.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We are researching for a new solution.

What other advice do I have?

Most important criteria when selecting a product:

  • Price and licensing
  • Future landscape
  • Support.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Tableau Enterprise Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: July 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Tableau Enterprise Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.