How To Grow Your Sales With Tableau & Excel - X3's Tools For Data Driven Growth
Updated: May 13
Tableau is an interactive data visualization and business intelligence software. It is used for enterprises to consolidate, organize, and evaluate large volumes of data to make strategic, calculated decisions.
We started using Tableau during a project proposal for Phillips Respironics. It was extremely intuitive and we liked the interface better than other software such as Microsoft's BI (business intelligence).
Check out our other post to learn more about the basics of data software Tableau.
If you're any business with scale, you know that using Excel is essential. Excel is an extremely powerful program (Google Sheets is better heeh) and we even used it at PPG Corporate.
If you're interested in migrating to a more powerful, robust program with advanced data manipulation and visualization tools, let's take a look at how to integrate Excel with Tableau.
Excel is cluttered!
Yes, Excel is great. But who's spent a lot of time searching multiple worksheets, files, and rows to find the data they're looking for. Then even longer to create a whole new sheet to combine with another to render the information you need!
Tableau allows multiple spreadsheets, APIs and other file sources to come together in a single dashboard. Import all of your sheets in one Tableau file and BAM.
Choosing The Right Charts In Excel
Excel is a numbers program and good at that. Numbers. Here in Pittsburgh, we say "yinz stay in yer lane." That's why Tableau makes sense. While in Excel, you have to already know the answer to the question before choosing a graph to render, Tableau moves beyond static charts and facilitates a more fluid data workspace.
Excel requires specific renders of charts, highlighting of data sets, and lots of moving and arranging. Tableau offers a giant database of all the data and very intricate yet simple parameters to sort and organize. Your data informs the best chart and graph choices. Not the other way.
Tableau is optimized to handle changing data and promotes live visuals. Focus on the analysis and answers needed, not the chart drawing.
Calculations in Excel?
Excel has SUM, LOOKUP, etc. That's all you need, right? These tasks ARE important and should be easy to access. But sometimes you need more. Fast.
Tableau has built-in features to help you structure your data and explore to quickly reveal other patterns. Identify outliers, check geographic trends, and set these models to accept future data changes.
Don't worry about the data becoming corrupt. Tableau never writes back to the original source but rather stores a new one until you export it. Organically solve questions safely and efficiently.
How Do I Share Excel Reports?
So you're ready to share your results? We got physical reports, we got PDF, but what about allowing others to interact with the data? Good luck getting Excel to do that without the fear of having someone messing it up or honestly, not knowing how to look at it.
With Tableau, you're able to invite others and set configurations so they can make changes, but not to the master. So they can look but not touch, and even add-on plugins.
Tableau integrates collaboration with Tableau Server and Tableau Online. It's backed up to the cloud and available everywhere you need it.
Conclusion
While Excel is fantastic (Google Sheets is better) for small business and some industries, Tableau offers an incredible advantage by giving data fluidity, mass organization, and collaborate precautions for simplified process and storage.
Tableau is offering FREE trials, so go check it out! Keep an eye out for our tutorials coming soon. Also, the X3 Digital Marketing department will help you set-up, integrate, and train you on new data streamline methods. Most of our campaigns are compiled with Tableau as it allows us to share it with you immediately!
Here in Pittsburgh, using robust data visualization is an excellent way to get a competitive edge. #Southside, #Lawrenceville, #Northside, and #East End are all coming up so fast. Make sure you're at the top with a digital marketing team or campaign set up!
Visit www.xthree.co to learn more!
Download the official white page from Tableau to learn more