Best of Tableau Web: October 2022

A highlight of tips, tricks, and inspiration for Tableau and data visualization.

What were you doing in November 2012?

Me? I thought it would be fun to write a blog curating content created by the Tableau community. I thought I’d call it Best of Tableau Web. Here’s a look at the very first Best of Tableau Web from a decade ago.

Now, 120 posts later, let’s take a moment to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of those monthly roundups. Thank you to everyone who has blogged about Tableau, whether it’s been featured in Best of Tableau Web or not. You’ve inspired thousands with your advice.

Even back when I started the series, the Tableau Community was an incredible group. Nobody else in the business intelligence world had, or has, a platform that generated so much excitement and collaboration. I wanted to share what I was seeing with the world as a way of expressing gratitude to the contributors. I also saw it as an opportunity to show Tableau to those who didn’t know it yet, and say, “Hey! When you’re choosing your data analytics platform, wouldn’t it make sense to choose one that people actually enjoy using?”

Here are five things I’ve learned since that first post a decade ago:

The community’s imagination is boundless. From crazy data storytelling hacks to visual extravagance, you continue to amaze us at Tableau.
“Trivial” tips are anything but trivial. I love the posts about the little things in Tableau, like formatting an axis or editing a tooltip. Success in data visualization comes from paying attention to the small details as well as the big.
Content is evolving. Ten years ago, everything was a blog post. Today, we’ve got podcasts, YouTube, TikTok, and more. Who knows what we’ll see ten years from now?
As Tableau develops new features, you find new opportunities. I remember in 2010 when I created the “Chart in a Tooltip” hack. Eventually, we added a native viz in Tooltip. That meant my hack was no longer useful, but it was fine, because there’s always something else to chip away at. I’ve seen that happen countless times over the years.
Finally, Andy Kriebel’s energy is boundless. Many people featured in my first post are still active in the field, but Andy is still prolifically publishing tips and tricks. Where does he get his energy?

You might have seen that I’m on sabbatical, and will return in February. I’m taking time to recharge and work on a few new projects.

In the meantime, keep amazing us with all you create. I look forward to seeing your content while I’m away. As for the Best of Tableau Web, I’m excited that we’ve extended our author lineup, and I leave you in their capable hands. Here’s to ten more years of the best Tableau content anywhere on the web. Let’s get to it.