Data Visualization
With TableauCornell Certificate Program

In today's world, data fills every corner — from business to science to our daily lives. Yet large swathes of data aren't practical or parseable for humans when presented in their native formats; we rely on faster and more intuitive ways of digesting complex data. One of these methods is data visualization, or the graphical representation of data in the form of charts, graphs, and diagrams. In this course, you will encounter myriad ways to visualize data and provide your audience with a clear understanding of the data's contents.

You will explore the fundamental principles of data visualization through the lens of data types, audience analysis, and communication effectiveness. You'll categorize data and select compelling visualization methods while considering your intended audience and message objectives. You'll also gain insight into the strategic implementation of data visualization, including determining when visualization enhances communication and when alternative approaches might be more effective.

Raw data rarely arrives in the perfect format for analysis and visualization. Before analysts can visualize meaningful insights from their data in Tableau, they must first transform their data into a structured, reliable foundation.

In this course, you will prepare and load data into Tableau to construct your first data visualizations. You'll begin by exploring Tableau's interface and reviewing the requirements for analysis-ready data. To organize your data and workspace, you'll double-check data elements for proper formatting, connect multiple datasets, and identify and resolve common data preparation issues.

You will further develop these foundational skills by constructing basic plot and chart visualizations then build on these visuals by computing additional custom values from your data, called calculated fields, to represent key business metrics. By practicing these techniques on a fictional financial dataset, you'll gain the skills to construct strong visualizations that communicate clear business insights to your audiences.

System requirements:

To complete this course, you will need to install Tableau Desktop Public on your local device. While this software is free, you'll need to create an online Tableau Public account to download the Tableau Desktop Public package. You‘ll also need administrative privileges to install this software on your device.

Refer to Tableau's System Requirements for up-to-date information on supported devices to check your device compatibility.

You are required to have completed the following course or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

• Exploring Data Visualization Techniques

Advanced mapping techniques can unlock valuable insights, especially when you move beyond simple point-and-click mapping. From geographic visualizations showing regional sales performance and population distributions to tree maps and heat maps displaying data intensity patterns, the most compelling map visualizations combine multiple data layers with strategic enhancements to illuminate key patterns.

In this course, you will begin by examining geographic elements of data and creating map-based visualizations. You'll generate maps with multiple data layers and enhance your data visualizations using borders, backgrounds, and animation features. Through hands-on practice with tree maps and heat maps, you'll analyze data intensity patterns and relative relationships across different dimensions. You'll also evaluate the effectiveness of various map enhancements and implement best practices for creating insightful geographic visualizations that communicate complex data relationships clearly and effectively.

System requirements:

To complete this course, you will need to install Tableau Desktop Public on your local device. While this software is free, you'll need to create an online Tableau Public account to download the Tableau Desktop Public package. You‘ll also need administrative privileges to install this software on your device.

Refer to Tableau's System Requirements for up-to-date information on supported devices to check your device compatibility.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

• Exploring Data Visualization Techniques
• Creating Professional Data Visualizations

As you move beyond basic charts and graphs, a world of sophisticated visualization techniques opens up exciting new ways to illuminate your data. From showing performance distributions to illustrating intricate data flows, advanced visualization techniques help you create visualizations that stick with your audience.

In this course, you will use advanced visualizations to represent complex data relationships. You'll begin with visualizations that capture business performance, such as dot plots. Yet large or densely clustered datasets can make for congested dot plots, often obscuring key findings. To address this challenge, you'll review how applying sparklines and jittering techniques can help enhance and clarify your message.

You will also build bullet charts, lollipop charts, word clouds, and slope graphs to represent data trends. Beyond developing the technical skills to build these charts, you'll analyze the most appropriate use of each one depending on the visualization's tone along with your business needs and audience. You'll decide when to use pie charts and Gantt charts, considering when alternative visualizations better serve your data and needs.

System requirements:

To complete this course, you will need to install Tableau Desktop Public on your local device. While this software is free, you'll need to create an online Tableau Public account to download the Tableau Desktop Public package. You‘ll also need administrative privileges to install this software on your device.

Refer to Tableau's System Requirements for up-to-date information on supported devices to check your device compatibility.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

• Exploring Data Visualization Techniques
• Creating Professional Data Visualizations
• Creating Map-Based Visualizations

As an analyst, it's not always enough to create a visualization; sometimes, you need to weave together many elements to give your audience the whole picture. Whether it's creating an important presentation to persuade your clients or crafting a vital dashboard that enables decision making in real time, creating insightful and compelling data stories is essential to effective data visualization.

In this course, you will explore the art of combining visualizations into powerful dashboards and compelling data stories. Beginning with dashboard fundamentals, you'll identify essential components and evaluate their effectiveness for different audiences. You'll then create interactive dashboards incorporating filters, actions, and navigation elements to enhance user experience. You'll also apply styling techniques, including color schemes, spacing, and show/hide features, to improve dashboard quality and impact. Finally, you'll develop data stories that effectively communicate insights and guide audiences through complex analytical narratives.

System requirements:

To complete this course, you will need to install Tableau Desktop Public on your local device. While this software is free, you'll need to create an online Tableau Public account to download the Tableau Desktop Public package. You‘ll also need administrative privileges to install this software on your device.

Refer to Tableau's System Requirements for up-to-date information on supported devices to check your device compatibility.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

• Exploring Data Visualization Techniques
• Creating Professional Data Visualizations
• Creating Map-Based Visualizations
• Developing Advanced Visual Analytics