The NIH Library has Tableau Desktop installed on the Data Services workstation. Reservations are required. Reserve up to two hours daily for project work or demonstration. Tableau is an analytics tool for creating a wide variety of interactive data visualizations.
Tableau can be used to create a wide variety of interactive visualizations that allow users to better explore temporal, spatial, topical, and network data. The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to explore data without needing any advanced programming skills. Dashboards allow users to combine multiple views of their data into one analytics tool.
Tableau Desktop users can upload Excel, Access, TXT, and CSV files. Visualizations can be embedded into websites, hosted online, or exported as PDFs or image files. Tableau is available for both Windows and Mac.
Learn about Tableau
NIH Library Training Resources
Introduction to Biological Data Visualization with Tableau
- Class handout (.doc)
Information about where to get additional help with Tableau - Iris workbook (.twb)
Example using data about irises - Iris data file (.xlsx)
Data file (Excel format) used in the Iris Workbook examples - Coffee Chain workbook (.mdb)
Examples using data about coffee - Table formatting (.xlsx)
Sample Excel file explaining how to format data for Tableau - Homework (.twbx)
Packaged workbook walking you through the steps for the homework exercise with the iris data
Using Tableau for Analyzing Health and Policy Data
- Class outline (.pdf)
A brief outline going through the steps to create the workbook - Iris workbook (.twb)
Packaged workbook contains the three final visualizations, the story, and the dashboard demonstrated in the workshop. The workbook can be opened with Tableau Desktop or Tableau Reader. - Data file (.xlsx)
Excel worksheet containing the data used in the training session (Data source: Data.CDC.gov)
Online Resources
Tableau Training
Tableau's learning site includes free tutorials, white papers, and webinars on everything from connecting to data to creating visually appealing dashboards.
Tableau Community
Tableau's popular forum and conversation groups are a great resource for new and experienced users