New in Tableau 8: Javascript API

The upcoming release of Tableau 8.0 includes an expansive Javascript API for taking viz interactivity beyond the dashboard. Clients will integrate Tableau content with custom business logic and other scriptable web parts to offer powerful new ways for users to consume rich analytic applications. For example, an analyst will be able to seamlessly integrate Tableau dashboards, visualizations and reports into their applications and portals – automatically changing and updating the Tableau content as people progress through their analytical questions.

The assorted interactions include adjusting filters, manipulating axes, drawing marks, switching workbooks and individual sheets, and extracting data - to list just a few of the programmable modifications.

Today’s example just brushes the surface of what is possible with the Javascript API. In this sample we are adding two years to the filter every few seconds to create a slideshow like play-through of the story. At the end the viewer is left with a complete set of data and can adjust the viz to make their own discoveries.

This visualization is based on figures from The World Bank, showing the number of cellphone subscriptions per 100 people by country. Pressing a button gives the viewer a time-lapse view of the spread of cellphone usage, beginning in Europe and culminating with near worldwide adoption - and several countries achieving rates of nearly 2.5 cellphone subscriptions per person.

At the end of the time-lapse the user is able to use the filters to drill down and explore data for a particular year, region and country.

Press the "Paused" button below to animate the visualization, slower connections may experience a delay.