Tableau Essential Training 2026

Course details

Tableau is a leading data visualization platform that helps organizations turn raw data into clear, actionable insights. In this course, instructor Tim Ngwena shows you how to build and manage Tableau workbooks from the ground up. Learn how to use Tableau's built-in calculations and write your own to shape and analyze information with confidence. Finally, combine your work into dashboards and stories that deliver clear summaries for managers and executives across your organization. By the end of this course, you’ll be equipped with the foundational skills to take on a Tableau workbook from scratch.

Learning objectives
Define data connections and create visualizations.
Create custom calculations and analyze data.
Sort and filter data.
Define groups, sets, and geographic layouts.
Summarize data on dashboards.

Concepts

Introduction

Welcome to the course
What you should know before starting

Understanding Tableau Concepts

Tableau workspace tour - Panes, shelves, and Show Me basics
Tableau dimensions vs. measures explained for beginners
How aggregation works in Tableau - Control default sums
Saving Tableau workbooks - TWB vs. TWBX file types explained

Connecting to Data

Connect to Excel and text files in Tableau
Connect Tableau to databases and cloud data sources
Tableau live connections vs extracts - When to use each
Create and refresh Tableau extracts
Connect to published data sources in Tableau - Step by step
Replace a data source in Tableau

The Data Model - Relationships, Joins, and Unions

Understanding the Tableau data model
Create relationships in Tableau
Create joins in Tableau
Create unions in Tableau
Multifact relationships in Tableau
Using data blends in Tableau to combine sources

Managing Data Properties

Rename fields and assign aliases
Change data types and default properties
Set default properties
Assign geographic roles
Organize fields into folders and hierarchies

Building Visualisations

Build a bar chart in Tableau
Build line and area charts in Tableau
Build scatter plots in Tableau
Build pie charts in Tableau
Build treemaps in Tableau
Dual axis and combo charts in Tableau
Build a highlight table in Tableau
Build a histogram in Tableau
Build Gantt charts in Tableau
Build a box plot in Tableau
Build Sankey charts in Tableau

Organising Data - Groups, Sets, and Hierarchies

Creating and editing groups in Tableau
Creating and combining sets in Tableau
Creating and managing hierarchies in Tableau

Sorting and Filtering

Sorting data in Tableau
Tableau dimensional filters
Filtering values and dates in Tableau
Tableau context filters
Apply Tableau filters across sheets and data sources

Calculated Fields

Tableau calculations - Row-level vs. aggregate
String calculations in Tableau
Tableau date functions
Logical and Boolean expressions in Tableau
Aggregate functions in Tableau
Type conversions in Tableau

Table Calculations

Understanding table calculations in Tableau
Tableau running totals and moving averages
Understanding Tableau window functions
Tableau INDEX and RANK functions

Level of Detail Expressions

Fixed Level of Detail (LOD) calculations in Tableau
Tableau INCLUDE function for LODs
Tableau EXCLUDE LOD function
Nested LODs in Tableau

Parameters for Interactivity

Create parameters in Tableau
Using parameters in Tableau
Parameter actions in Tableau
What-if analysis in Tableau

Mapping Geographic Data

Build a symbol map in Tableau
Create a filled map (choropleth) in Tableau
Create a density map in Tableau
Tableau map layers
Sync Tableau maps with viewport parameters

Building Interactive Dashboards and Formatting

Create a Tableau dashboard
Build Tableau dashboards with layout containers
Format a Tableau dashboard
Custom fonts and themes in Tableau
Tableau dashboard actions - Filter, highlight, and menu
Add parameter and create interactive selector
Tableau set actions
Tableau dashboard navigation buttons
Design Tableau dashboards for different devices

Tableau AI - Using Tableau Agent

Tableau web authoring and enabling Tableau AI features
Introduction to Tableau Agent
Generate Tableau calculations with AI
Using AI for Tableau metadata - Descriptions and data guides

Publishing and Working in Tableau Cloud and Server

Publish a Tableau workbook to Tableau Cloud or Server
Schedule an extract refresh in Tableau Cloud and Server
Create alerts and subscriptions in Tableau Cloud and Server
Save and share custom views in Tableau dashboards

Final Portfolio Project

Final Tableau project - Setting the stage

Conclusion

Additional resources and next steps