Now in beta: Vector maps, parameter actions, and new Ask Data functionality

The newest version of Tableau (2019.2) is now in beta! We’re revving up the way you interact and tell stories with your data. Here’s a quick overview of the highlights:

• Vector maps—Across the Tableau platform, enjoy a smoother and sharper maps experience, as well as new map styles and layers right out of the box.
• Parameter actions—You asked, and we delivered! You now have the ability to visually change a parameter’s value by simply interacting with marks on a viz. We can’t wait to see how you’ll use it to add new levels of interactivity to your dashboards.
• New Ask Data functionality—Ask Data gets significant updates in Tableau 2019.2. Get to your answers faster by adding calculations on the fly, or create heat maps simply through the power of natural language!

Let’s take a deeper look at some of our biggest features.

With vector maps, your mapping experience in Tableau will feel even smoother and look even sharper as you pan, zoom in, and zoom out to explore your geospatial data. Enjoy updates to our Dark, Normal, and Light default map styles, along with brand new Street, Satellite, and Outdoor styles. We’re also introducing new background mapping layers to bring even more life and context to your geospatial data, including subway and train stations, building footprints, terrain, and water labels. Lastly, we’ve updated Tableau with American Community Survey (ACS) census data to make it easier to bring demographic data into your analyses. We can’t wait for you all to try mapping in this beta!

Unlock your analytical creativity, and let your viewers choose how they want to look at your data. With parameter actions, you now have the ability to visually change a parameter’s value. It’s simple, but powerful. By interacting with marks on a viz, you can drive reference lines, calculations, filters, and even SQL queries. In the example below, a date parameter is used to determine a reference date—in this case, the day of purchase. When applied in a parameter action, clicking along different points on the timeline determines the percentage change of stock prices we see in the view. This is just one example of the interactivity you can enable with parameter actions.

Finding the content you care about on Tableau Server and Online just got easier. Arrive to a new homepage that displays personally-relevant content when you sign in. Quickly access your favorite and recently-viewed dashboards in the new left navigation, and discover new content through popular views to stay on top of what’s trending on your Tableau Server. Try out the left navigation for yourself in beta, and expect the full new homepage coming soon.

We’ve heard your ideas and in this release, we’ve added the following improvements to the authoring experience so you can spend less time on the mechanics of building dashboards, and more time finding insights.

Customize reference line tooltips
You can now customize reference line tooltips—edit the tooltip text, or choose to disable the tooltip altogether.

Show or hide dashboard containers
We’ve also added the ability to toggle between “visible” or “hidden” for any floating container on your dashboard. Maximize screen real estate and streamline what content viewers see by allowing instructions, filters, or legends to be hidden when they are no longer useful.

Replace worksheets with a single click
Finally, say goodbye to time-consuming dashboard adjustments and repairs. In Tableau 2019.2 you can replace an existing worksheet in a dashboard with a new worksheet from the sheet list with a single click. Dashboard spacing, dimensions, and aspect ratios all carry over for a faster, more precise authoring experience.

You’ve barely gotten your hands on Ask Data but it already keeps getting better and better, with significant updates coming in Tableau 2019.2. You can now add calculations on the fly. No need to build them into the data source. For example, type “Avg Sales/Avg Profit”, hit enter, and Ask Data automatically divides the measures for you.

In the beta, you’ll also notice a new user interface, allowing for more conversational interactions as you dig into your data. For example, you can replace a statement from an existing question by simply typing the request. To change “average sales by state” to “average profit by state”, all you need to type is “replace sales with profit” and Ask Data takes care of the rest, making it easier to iterate as you think of new questions. Together these enhancements make it easier to ask sophisticated questions in a natural, ad-hoc manner.

With all the incredible capabilities that are included in Tableau Server, we’re updating our minimum machine specifications to deploy a Tableau Server 2018.2 or later proof of concept, from a 2-cores and 8 GB of ram to 4-cores and 16 GB of ram. For more information, check out this blog post.

We’re working hard to get Tableau 2019.2 out the door, but we need your input first! We invite you to give us feedback so we can identify any issues and ensure the highest quality for these new features. Features included in beta and in the final version of Tableau 2019.2 may change over time as we complete beta testing.

Join the Tableau pre-release community to:

• Participate in alpha and beta programs for early access to new features, versions, and products.
• Engage directly with the Tableau development team through user research, product discussions, and feedback activities around topics you care about.

Explore the Ideas forum to see how your feedback has shaped the product, and continue to add feature requests to inspire our development team! We couldn’t do it without you.

Not all functionality described above is available in the beta program today. Some features will be added in the coming weeks. The beta program is available for existing Tableau customers. Customers with an active subscription or maintenance license can upgrade for free when Tableau 2019.2 is released.