Overview
This lecture introduces Tableau Prep Builder and walks through the essential steps for cleaning and preparing data using its core features.
Introduction to Tableau Prep Builder
- Tableau Prep Builder is a tool for cleaning, shaping, and combining data before analysis.
- It is designed for users who want to prepare data visually and intuitively.
Navigating the Tableau Prep Interface
- The interface includes a workspace for building data flows, a profile pane for examining data, and various cleaning tools.
- Users can visually track how data changes through each step of the flow.
Key Data Preparation Steps
- Begin by connecting to your data source, such as Excel or a database.
- Drag the data source into the workspace to start building a flow.
- Use cleaning steps to remove errors, filter unnecessary data, and rename fields.
- Combine data from multiple tables using join or union steps if needed.
- Apply operations like split, group, or aggregate to further shape your data.
Output and Integration
- Once the data is cleaned, output it as a file or publish it directly to Tableau for further analysis.
- Save your flow regularly to preserve your work.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Data Flow — Sequence of connected steps that progressively clean and shape your data.
- Cleaning Step — Action that edits, filters, or transforms data in the flow.
- Join — Combines rows from two datasets based on a shared field.
- Union — Stacks datasets with matching columns into a single table.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Download Tableau Prep Builder and sample data to practice building a data flow.
- Try connecting to a sample data source and create a basic cleaning workflow.
- Explore additional Tableau Prep tutorials for deeper learning.