14 Best Tableau Courses Online (December 2024)

Choosing the right Tableau course is important. You need a well-structured course that’s broad in scope, engaging, and requires a reasonable time commitment. In this guide, I ranked and reviewed the 15 best Tableau courses, as well as our top 5 picks so you can choose the one that’s best for you.

Are you looking for a Tableau course that’s quick, practical, and engaging? I spent several years learning Tableau on the job and went through several courses. It’s important to get the right one, because the learning curve is steep.

When it comes to Tableau courses, it’s not as simple as picking the first one you find. As a beginner, you need a structured course that teaches the fundamentals and how to properly leverage Tableau’s many technical and design functionalities. As an advanced learner, you need a course that helps you upskill on specific concepts that often fundamentally differ from Excel.

This guide covers the best options based on price, trial period, certificate issuance, schedule flexibility, content quality, content engagement, applicability of skills, time required to complete, scope of curriculum, and overall relevance to using Tableau on the job.

If you want a quick way to compare all the courses on our list by these ranking factors, jump to our comparison table.

Get Tableau Free

If you haven’t already, you can download the free version of Tableau (called Tableau public), at this link.

Tableau Course Requirements

Not all online courses are made the same, and there are 8 important criteria to consider (and we review for each course in this article). Some of them are must-haves, while others will depend on your preference.

Hard criteria for a Tableau course:

• Certificate: certificates are nice, but short-form courses focused on skill acquisition aren’t designed to “certify” you. In practice, most potential employers and colleagues will not see value in them — incremental skills don’t merit a badge. A good rule of thumb is any course longer than 8 hours (1 day), a certificate is useful.
• Schedule flexibility: online courses are designed to be flexible. A course that requires your availability for any reason other than a test should not get your money. There are better options.
• Applicability of skills: curriculum should be highly practical for a Tableau course. We rank each course in this article for real-world applicability. If you’re just looking for data theory, you can get a free copy of Intro to Data Analysis.
• Time Commitment: time requirements vary with scope of curriculum (more information = more time). That said, I recommend starting with a short course. This will help you get a quick grasp of the tool as a beginner, or learn a specific functionality you need as an advanced user.
• Scope of Curriculum: The scope of the curriculum should be either focused on one skill, or broad enough to the whole tool. Some courses try to focus on something in between. While it can work, in many cases the result is confusion rather than learning.

Criteria based on preference:

• Engagement (text, videos, quizzes, projects): Most courses today include videos and text to improve student experience. However, this depends on your personal preference. For example, I learn well through reading, but some people do better with video.
• Availability of Free Trail: it’s nice to have a free trial, but trials are rarely sufficient to determine the quality of a course. That’s why we’ve reviewed them for you!
• Learning Platform: if you don’t already have a preference, then focus on LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, PluralSight, or Udemy. These are the platforms we cover in this article. While Tableau offers courses of its own, it is not specialized in teaching software like these sites. You can use the courses on our list, however, to pass Tableau official certifications.

How to Make the Most of This List

This list includes courses from LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, Udemy, and PluralSight. Some courses can be purchased individually, while others are accessible through subscription only. In some cases, you can get two courses with a subscription for the same price as purchasing 1 course individually, such as with Tableau 10 Essential Training and Using Tableau to Discover Powerful Business Insights. Once you find a course you like, check to see if a subscription is the best route!

What is the best Tableau course?

Here are my top picks for the best Tableau course:

1. Tableau 10 Essential Training – LinkedIn Learning
2. Data Visualization with Tableau Specialization – Coursera
3. Tableau 2022 A-Z – Udemy
4. Big Data Analytics with Tableau – PluralSight
5. Cleaning, Transforming and Prepping Your Data With Tableau Prep – LinkedIn Learning
6. Data Visualization and Communication with Tableau – Coursera
7. Using Tableau to Discover Powerful Business Insights – LinkedIn Learning
8. Master Course in Tableau for Business Intelligence – Udemy
9. Tableau for Data Scientists – LinkedIn Learning
10. Data Analytics: Dashboards vs. Data Stories – LinkedIn Learning
11. Manipulating Data in Tableau Desktop – PluralSight
12. Tableau Desktop Specialist – Connecting to and Preparing Data – PluralSight
13. Tableau for Beginners: Get DA Certified, Grow Your Career – Udemy
14. Tableau 20 Advanced Training: Master Tableau in Data Science – Udemy

Tableau 10 Essential Training via LinkedIn Learning (Beginner – Intermediary)

Best Overall Tableau Course

It’s easy to skip over Tableau 10 Essential Training because it’s a few years old (2017), but the course stands the test of time and is our top pick. Its curriculum is the well balanced between theory and practice, taking you from initial download, connecting data sources, and simple graphs to using statistical tools and custom-merging data. That may sound Greek to you, but these are essential skills that you rarely find in one course.

Our rating: 9.5 / 10

Key Features

• One-time purchase possible with no subscription required
• Lifetime access
• Mobile and desktop compatible
• 94 videos
• 14 quizzes to test your understanding
• Wholistic curriculum (from download to advanced data source connections)

Hard Criteria

• Certificate: Yes, the course comes with a shareable certificate that seamlessly integrates into your LinkedIn profile. However, because this is a short form course, you should not expect it to carry a lot of weight. The focus is on learning.
• Schedule Flexibility: Tableau 10 Essential Training is fully flexible — you decide when and where you want to complete the course.
• Applicability of Skills: Tableau 10 Essential Training focuses on working directly in the Tableau, so the skills you learn apply directly to the real world.
• Time Commitment: The course is 4 hours and 41 minutes start to finish, but you should expect more time to allow for processing the information and practicing on your own.
• Scope of curriculum: The course shows you all you need to know to begin producing insightful visualizations — you will only need to improve the fundamentals afterwards.

Preferential Criteria

• Engagement: Videos (with transcript), text, and quizzes
• Availability of Free Trial: There is a one-month free trial if you’re not already subscribed to LinkedIn Learning, but you can also purchase the course outright, which is not the case for all the courses on our list.
• Platform: LinkedIn Learning.

Platform Concerns

LinkedIn Learning is integrated with LinkedIn, which most professionals and students use. It has a great user interface and uses videos, text, and quizzes. You can purchase Tableau 10 Essentials à la carte or subscribe, making it economically flexible. See the platform comparison table here.

Pricing

Tableau 10 Essentials is priced at about $40, depending on your IP location. The monthly subscription is $29.99, with the first month free, or $19.99 per month for a yearly subscription.

What I Like and Dislike

Like

• Good mix of depth and breadth of curriculum.
• With a subscription, you can benefit from all other courses on LinkedIn Learning, such as Using Tableau to Discover Powerful Business Insights or Cleaning, Transforming and Prepping Your Data With Tableau Prep.

Dislike

• The course uses an older version of Tableau, so some of the functionalities differ from the most recent version of Tableau.

All in all, Tableau 10 Essentials is our top pick because it’s a course you can do in one weekend that provides an introduction that will get you comfortable with the tool but won’t overwhelm you with advanced techniques. It’s priced competitively compared to other courses (see the comparative table for all information), and provides video, text, and quiz learning mediums.

Data Visualization with Tableau Specialization via Coursera (Beginner)

Best Tableau Course on Coursera

The UC Davis Data Visualization with Tableau Specialization on Coursera is not only our pick for best program on Coursera, but also our second pick overall. It requires a total of 72 hours to complete (recommended 3 hours/week for 6 months), making it the second largest time commitment on our list (after intermediate level Data Visualization and Communication). This comes with the advantage of a credible certificate, and you’ll complete a capstone project to round out your skills.

This program is called a “specialization,” which means you will complete 5 courses that combine to produce the certificate. Note that this course is focused on visualization, however, so the curriculum does not attack the analytical and statistical uses of Tableau.

Our rating: 9.4 / 10

Key Features

• 5 course “specialization” that dives deep into visualization
• Graded assignments with peer feedback
• Practice quizzes
• Capstone project

Hard Criteria

• Certificate: Yes, a credible certificate of completion that you can share on LinkedIn.
• Schedule Flexibility: Coursera uses a “flexible session-based” format, which means you complete work with a group of peers but can always fall back into a later session if you get too far behind. This helps maintain accountability while not eliminating you from the course due to other obligations.
• Applicability of Skills: The Coursera specialization does a good job of taking you from theory to practice. That said, it uses a good amount of theoretical jargon. My advice is to spend less time understanding the theory and focus on retaining the practical elements.
• Time Commitment: This program is a Specialization that requires roughly 72 hours to complete, so you could learn it in one week. However, because you will work in peer groups, you should expect to complete it over 6 months at 3 hours per week (though this is optional).
• Scope: The scope is limited to data visualization, rather than extensive analysis.

Preferential Criteria

• Engagement: this specialization includes text, video, transcripts, and quizzes. it also has a capstone project.
• Availability of Free Trial: Coursera has a 7 day free trial.
• Platform: Coursera

Platform Concerns

Coursera has a great use interface and provides University-led courses that carry a lot of credibility. The major downside is it often lacks a one-time purchase option. For specializations like this one, you cannot purchase individually. Instead, you can subscribe for the duration of the course, then cancel. See the platform comparison table here.

Pricing

Coursera’s subscription is $49/month. If you take this course with the cohort for six months, that comes out to $294. However, if you complete it faster on your own, you can cancel the subscription earlier. For example, if you knock out the 72 hours by doing 18 hours a week for one month, you’ll pay only $49.

What I Like and Dislike

Like

• I like the theory-practice approach this course takes. It does a good job of setting you up for good visualization and design practices.
• The peer-edited nature of the course provides feedback that works wonders for learning.

Dislike

• Personally, I learn best studying alone, so the added value of working in a peer group (even though there are no penalties for falling behind) does not apply to me.
• Cannot purchase the course with a one-time fee.

All in all, this Coursera Specialization from UC Davis a a great way to dig deep into Tableau visualization and Communication. It may be too simple for regular advanced users, though it never hurts to revisit the fundamentals. If you have the time to commit to it, we recommend.

Tableau 2022 A-Z via Udemy (Beginner)

Best Tableau Course on Udemy

Developed by a marketing team, this course is designed to be highly practical. It’s a good way to get operational in Tableau quickly but comes at the cost of fundamental theory. For most people, the presentation style and video-centric curriculum is easily accessible, and the focus on visualization is engaging. Unlike Coursera, however, Udemy is not organized in peer groups, so those who struggle to self-motivate may find this course harder to stick with.

Our rating: 9.4 / 10

Key Features

• Strong overview of visualizations (bar charts, maps, piecharts)
• One-time purchase, available for life
• Covers basic data wrangling techniques that are important for more advanced courses

Hard Criteria

• Certificate: Yes, a certificate of completion is available and easily sharable on LinkedIn.
• Schedule Flexibility: 100% flexible.
• Applicability of Skills: This course is designed to be highly practical. It uses videos to show examples you can apply elsewhere.
• Time Commitment: ~10 hours.
• Scope: From download to visualizations, data blends, and calculated fields, the scope is comprehensive for beginners.

Preferential Criteria

• Engagement: Tableau 2022 A-Z includes text, videos, and quizzes
• Availability of Free Trial: None, this course is a one-time fee
• Platform: Udemy

Platform Concerns

Udemy is a leading online learning platform with a strong track record. Though focused on one-time fee courses, it also provides a subscription service. The trouble is this service not well developed and not everyone can sign up. If you’re looking for a longer-term learning platform, I recommend LinkedIn Learning. See the platform comparison table here.

Pricing

Tableau 2022 A-Z costs $119, or €99 in Europe.

What I Like and Dislike

Like

• Instructors with marketing background make the course engaging and practical.
• The focus on video content, as with other courses, is an advantage.

Dislike

• Could incorporate theory more into the course.
• Lack of thorough subscription model with Udemy is a limitation for those who want a long-term platform.

All in all, Tableau 2022 A-Z is a good crash course to get started with Tableau. If you can dedicate 10 hours to getting though it fast, you can get develop compelling dashboards within the next two weeks.

Data Visualization with Tableau Specialization via Coursera (Beginner)

Best Tableau Course for Certification

When it comes to certificates, our top pick is Data Visualization with Tableau Specialization. It’s our second pick overall for a reason! You can read the review above (opens in new tab).

Certificates for short courses are less useful because they just don’t require enough effort. That’s why longer courses like Data Visualization with Tableau (72 hours) are a better choice. Imagine you’re hiring someone who lists a certificate on their CV. You look it up, only to find a 6 hour course. Not so compelling, right?

If you’re in the market for a credible certificate, we recommend Coursera’s Data Visualization with Tableau Specialization.

Tableau 10 Essential Training via LinkedIn Learning (Beginner – Intermediary)

Best for Beginners

There’s a reason Tableau 10 Essential Training is our top pick overall — it’s also our top pick for beginners. Read the review here.

Big Data Analytics with Tableau via PluralSight (Advanced)

Best Tableau Course on PluralSight

This one is for more advanced Tableau users. Once you’ve got he basics, Tableau is only as useful as the data that feeds it, and finding sources of advanced datasets is tough. PluralSight’s Big Data Analytics course provides an overview to the vast world of Big Data sources (as well as some history) and how to access them. It digs into visualizing data from those sources, which is more complicated than it may seem.

Our rating: 9.4 / 10

Key Features

• Less than 4 hours to complete
• Focus on big data locations such as Amazon Redshift and Google BigQuery
• Explores angles on pretreating data before upload to Tableau

Hard Criteria

• Certificate: PluralSight does not provide certificates. Instead, it’s designed to help students pass 3rd party exams.
• Schedule Flexibility: 100% flexible,
• Applicability of Skills: Though narrow in scope, you’ll be able to use Amazon Redshift and Google BigQuery data sources.
• Time Commitment: Less than 4 hours.
• Scope: Narrow, focuses on connecting to and leveraging big data warehouses.

Preferential Criteria

• Engagement: Video and text.
• Availability of Free Trial: Yes, PluralSight allows a 10 day free trial (more than enough time to complete this course).
• Platform: PluralSight.

Platform Concerns

Most people are familiar with LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, and Udemy, which are great for beginner level training. PluralSight is a learning platform specifically designed for upskiling to more advanced levels on data machine learning, IT Ops, Cloud Computing, and more. See the platform comparison table here.

Pricing

PluralSight is $25/month for individuals (though it focuses on business partnerships).

What I Like and Dislike

Like

• Narrow focus provides much needed depth for one specific skill: connecting to big data tools and extracting into Tableau.

Dislike

• The course is slightly outdated.

Overall, the biggest skill for advanced Tableau users is working with advanced data sources. PluralSight’s Big Data Analytics with Tableau shows you how to do just that.

Cleaning, Transforming and Prepping Your Data With Tableau Prep via LinkedIn Learning (Intermediate)

Best Course for Preparing Data for Analysis (Data Cleaning)

As a beginner, it’s easy to overlook the work required to prepare data for analysis. We’re accustomed to the sexier visualizations in the media and at shareholder meetings, but behind every sexy visualization is someone cleaning and preparing the data. This course shows you how to use Tableau Prep to set your analysis up for success, and under just 2.5 hours it’s a great addition to your LinkedIn Leaning subscription (but you can buy it individually as well).

Although it’s not a top five pick due to the narrow focus of its curriculum, we rate this course at 9.5/10, making it one of the highest ranked.

Our rating: 9.5 / 10

Key Features

• 9-chapter course outlining the justifications for Tableau Prep all the way to showing you how it benefits your work
• Project file included

Hard Criteria

• Certificate: Yes, a LinkedIn Learning certificate of completion is available.
• Schedule Flexibility: 100% flexible.
• Applicability of Skills: Due to its narrow focus, the curriculum is highly actionable.
• Time Commitment: Just under 2.5 hours.
• Scope: the scope is narrow and focuses on preparing data.

Preferential Criteria

• Engagement: Video, transcript, text, and project.
• Availability of Free Trial: 1-month free trial available for subscriptions.
• Platform: LinkedIn Learning.

Platform Concerns

LinkedIn Learning is integrated with LinkedIn, which most professionals and students use. It has a great user interface and uses videos, text, and quizzes across subscription courses (excluding this course). You can purchase Cleaning, Transforming, and Prepping Data à la carte or subscribe, making it economically flexible. See the platform comparison table here.

Pricing

Cleaning, Transforming, and Prepping Data costs about $38 alone. The subscription to LinkedIn Learning is $39.99/month, or $19.99/month with a one-year commitment.

What I Like and Dislike

Like

• I like the focus on data prep. Cleaning data is important, but because it’s not as fun as data visualization, many students ignore it.

Dislike

• The price for this course is quite high for 2.5 hours of content. If you decide to go forward with it, I recommend subscribing for 1 – 2 months and combining it with Tableau 10 Essentials (opens in new tab) to get the most bang for your buck.

If you have a decent amount of experience with Tableau, this course can help you take your knowledge to the next level. That said, I recommend combining it with a more general course if you’re new. All in all, the narrow focus on Tableau Prep is something everyone who’s serious about Tableau will need to learn.

Data Visualization and Communication with Tableau via Coursera (Advanced)

Best Course for Evolving from Excel to SQL and Leveraging Tableau

Most analysts start their learning journey with Excel because it is intuitive and provides and accessible entry into the world of data analysis. Tableau is fully integrated with Excel, but more advanced users will need to make the switch to SQL. This course is part of a Coursera specialization (but we don’t recommend the full program) and provides a gateway into leveraging Tableau with SQL.

Our rating: 9.4 / 10

Key Features

• 4-week course
• Starts with important concepts such as good question-asking and leads to visualizations, logic, and stories
• Part of a broader specialization from Duke University

Hard Criteria

• Certificate: Yes, shareable certificate of completion.
• Schedule Flexibility: 100% flexible, unless you’re doing the Specialization that requires working in cohorts (though we don’t recommend this specialization for Tableau).
• Applicability of Skills: This course is heavily theoretical.
• Time Commitment: Approximately 25 hours to complete.
• Scope: The scope of this course is applying advanced statistical analyses and visualizations in practice for business.

Preferential Criteria

• Engagement: Video, text, and quizzes.
• Availability of Free Trial: Coursera allows a a 7-day free trial.
• Platform: Coursera.

Platform Concerns

Coursera has a great user interface and provides University-led courses that carry a lot of credibility. The major downside is it often lacks a one-time purchase option. For courses that are part of a specialization like this one, you cannot purchase individually. Instead, you can subscribe for the duration of the course, then cancel. If you follow the course planning, this will require a one-month subscription. See the platform comparison table here.

Pricing

This cost of subscription is $49 (end of 2022).

What I Like and Dislike

Like

• I think this course does a good job bring theory into focus, especially for more advanced learners who started Tableau without a strong hold of abstract data concepts.
• The duration is well aligned to the course materials, and justifies sharing the certificate.

Dislike

• I think the materials could be more actionable in some cases.
• The quizzes are sometimes too difficult, but since you are not graded this can also be considered a good thing.

Altogether, this course is a good step for advanced learns who feel to advanced for the other courses on this list. You can even try this course and complete the whole specialization for no extra cost.

Using Tableau to Discover Powerful Business Insights via LinkedIn Learning (Beginner)

Best Tableau Course for Introductory Business Application

Using Tableau to Discover Powerful Business Insights is another good intro level course for students who want to quickly understand the components of Tableau’s interface and get started learning on their own. This course cannot be purchased alone, but that shouldn’t stop you. You can easily subscribe for one month to LinkedIn Learning for the same price as purchasing Tableau 10 Essentials, getting you two courses for the price of one!

Our rating: 9.3 / 10

Key Features

• Applied course that explores connecting to Tableau and exploring visualizations, which is similar to other courses but in only 2 hours
• 6 chapters, including sharing, theoretical concepts, and expanding skills
• Project file included

Hard Criteria

• Certificate: Yes, shareable LikedIn Learning certificate included.
• Schedule Flexibility: 100% flexible.
• Applicability of Skills: With practice, you can apply these skills to produce introductory level yet impactful visualizations.
• Time Commitment: 2 hours.
• Scope: download to dashboarding to improving with additional resources.

Preferential Criteria

• Engagement: Video, text, quizzes, and a project.
• Availability of Free Trial: Yes, one month free trial available.
• Platform: LinkedIn Learning

Platform Concerns

LinkedIn Learning is the e-learning arm of LinkedIn, which most professionals and students use. It has a top tier user interface and uses videos, text, and quizzes. You can purchase some courses such as Tableau 10 Essentials à la carte or subscribe, but this course requires a subscription. See the platform comparison table here.

Pricing

After your free month, the LinkedIn Learning subscription is $39.99/month or $19.99 with a full year commitment.

What I Like and Dislike

Like

• I like that this course is straightforward and easily accessible.
• At only 2 hours, you can easily process this course to get an idea, then jump into a more thorough course to dive deeper, such as Tableau 10 Essentials.

Dislike

• The flip side of a short course is that it lacks bredth of curriculum.
• The course presupposes familiarity with data and data sources, which is slightly misleading given the simple chapter headings.

Using Tableau to Discover Powerful Business Insights is a good crash course for Tableau. That said, it’s probably not enough material to merit the subscription. Instead, I recommend subscribing to LinkedIn Learning, then combining this course with Tableau 10 Essentials.

Master Course in Tableau for Business Intelligence via Udemy (Beginner – Intermediate)

Best Tableau Course for Business Intelligence

Here is a special course designed to accommodate beginner and experienced Tableau users with a course broken into chapters that you can skip as needed. Beginners start from 1, and experienced users from 2. The course is primarily video based but includes 32 + written resources. It’s also competitively priced for a Udemy course (~$60). This course is good for those who want a pragmatic, thorough intro/review of Tableau. The only downside is that it’s slightly outdated.

Our rating: 9.3 / 10

Key Features

• 9 hours of video material
• 32+ articles and resources
• 3 chapter, or “stage” structure with bonus lectures
• NOT INCLUDED: APIs and Tableau Server

Hard Criteria

• Certificate: Yes, the course comes with a certificate of completion.
• Schedule Flexibility: 100% flexible.
• Applicability of Skills: The instructor is well known for his pragmatic approach.
• Time Commitment: ~10 hours
• Scope: Thorough, from download to charts and extended Tableau functionalities.

Preferential Criteria

• Engagement: Video and text
• Availability of Free Trial: No, the course is available for a one-time fee.
• Platform: Udemy

Platform Concerns

Udemy is a leading online learning platform with a strong track record. It’s focused on one-time fee courses, so if you’re looking for a longer-term learning platform, I recommend LinkedIn Learning. See the platform comparison table here.

Pricing

The course costs about $60, though it depends on your location.

What I Like and Dislike

Like

• Pragmatic approach
• Thorough
• Flexible for beginners and advanced users

Dislike

• It’s slightly outdated
• The extreme focus on real-world use cases can leave fundamental theory to the side.

This course provides more material than many others on the list, and for roughly $60 it’s competitively priced for Udemy. That said, I think you could get more use out of a two month subscription to another platform like Coursera (if you have enough time to dedicate).

Tableau for Data Scientists via LinkedIn Learning (Beginner)

Best Tableau Course for Data Scientists

Of all the courses on our list, this one stands out as the best option for experienced data scientists looking for tips and tricks to improve their skills in Tableau. At just under 6 hours, this is an excellent way to quickly upskill into more powerful usage. That said, some of the early curriculum, such as “understanding the difference between green and blue fields” may be too simple, and you’ll have to skip over it.

Our rating: 9.3 / 10

Key Features

• 10 chapters and a conclusion
• 10 chapter quizzes
• 1 project file
• Available for individual purchase

Hard Criteria

• Certificate: Yes, a shareable certificate of completion.
• Schedule Flexibility: 100% flexible
• Applicability of Skills: The curriculum is designed to be directly applied and avoids theoretical asides
• Time Commitment: About 6 hours
• Scope: Assumes an elementary understanding of Tableau and explores everything from levels of detail, joins, and dashboards

Preferential Criteria

• Engagement: Video, text, quizzes, and a project
• Availability of Free Trial: 1-month LinkedIn Learning trial available
• Platform: LinkedIn Learning

Platform Concerns

LinkedIn Learning is the e-learning arm of LinkedIn, which most professionals and students use. It has a top tier user interface and uses videos, text, and quizzes. You can purchase Tableau for Data Scientists à la carte or subscribe, making it economically flexible. See the platform comparison table here.

Pricing

At only $20 individually, this course is one of the best deals on our list. You can also subscribe for $39.99/month or $19.99 with a full year commitment.

What I Like and Dislike

Like

• Very high value for price
• Highly practical coursework

Dislike

• Some advanced users may find the material elementary at times, so if you’re experienced with Tableau consider taking the LinkedIn subscription to maximize the benefit.

This is the best deal on our list for advanced Tableau users. If you have time to dedicate 6 hours (at your own pace), we highly recommend this course.

Data Analytics: Dashboards vs. Data Stories via LinkedIn Learning (Advanced)

Best Speed Course for Understanding Tableau Dashboards vs Data Stories

At just under 20 minutes, this course is best consumed as a part of a LinkedIn Learning subscription. It describes the difference between two often misunderstood functions of Tableau: dashboards and data stories. This course is best for intermediate to advanced users of Tableau.

Our rating: 9.3 / 10

Key Features

• 2 chapters, one introduction and one expository
• 2 chapter quizzes

Hard Criteria

• Certificate: Yes, a shareable certificate is available, although we do not recommend it because the course is not designed to show mastery of a significant topic.
• Schedule Flexibility: 100% flexible
• Applicability of Skills: Given the narrow focus, the knowledge of dashboards and data stories is highly practical.
• Time Commitment: Less than 30 minutes
• Scope: Narrow, focusing on only two functions of Tableau

Preferential Criteria

• Engagement: Video, text, quizzes
• Availability of Free Trial: The LinkedIn Learning 1-month free trial is available
• Platform: LinkedIn Learning

Platform Concerns

LinkedIn Learning is the e-learning arm of LinkedIn. It has a top tier user interface and uses videos, text, and quizzes. While you can purchase many courses à la carte, we recommend using this course as part of a subscription because it’s pricy for such a short course. See the platform comparison table here.

Pricing

This course costs about $25 individually. The LinkedIn Learning subscription is $39.99/month or $19.99 with a full year commitment.

What I Like and Dislike

Like

• I like that the course is simple and straightforward.
• The breakdown of concepts is well designed into two chapters and 9 videos.

Dislike

• The course is too expensive to purchase alone.

If you’re a LinkedIn Learning subscriber, or you plan to subscribe for other courses on our list, then I definitely recommend carving out a half hour from your day to learn the differnece between dashboards and data stories.

Manipulating Data in Tableau Desktop via PluralSight (Beginner)

Best Tableau Course for Manipulating Data before Visualizing

True to its nature, PluralSight developed this course as a way to investigate the backend of Tableau. Most data enthusiasts love the data visualization process, but before data becomes a graphic it must be organized and explored. While you can prepare data at the source in Excel or SQL, Tableau provides data pane. Learn it to save time and produce quality insights.

Our rating: 9.2 / 10

Key Features

• 5-part course
• Former Tableau Zen Master instructor

Hard Criteria

• Certificate: PluralSight does not provide certificates. Instead, it is designed to train for skills to pass 3rd party exams.
• Schedule Flexibility: 100% flexible
• Applicability of Skills: Due to its short form structure and narrow focus, the skills taught are easy to apply.
• Time Commitment: Less than 2 hours
• Scope: Narrow focus on data pane and Tableau’s order of operations.

Preferential Criteria

• Engagement: Video, text
• Availability of Free Trial: 10 day free trial
• Platform: PluralSight

Platform Concerns

PluralSight is a more advanced, narrow-focused alternative to LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, and Udemy. PluralSight targets upskilling to more advanced levels on data machine learning, IT Ops, Cloud Computing, and more. See the platform comparison table here.

Pricing

After the 10 day free trial, PluralSight is $25/month for individuals. With the yearly plan you can shave off $3 per month.

What I Like and Dislike

Like

• As with most PluralSight courses, I like that this course is narrowly focused. It allows you to quickly pick up a definitive skill (in this case, preparing data and correctly applying Tableau’s Order of Operations).

Dislike

• The price is probably too expensive for a single course, so you should combine it with other short form courses such as a Big Data Analytics with Tableau (opens in new tab).

For quickly upskiling on Tableau’s data pane and understanding the often neglected order of operations, this course will work well as part of your PluralSight subscription.

Tableau Desktop Specialist – Connecting to and Preparing Data via PluralSight (Beginner)

Best Tableau Course for Connecting to Various Data Sources

Another short form course from PluralSight, Connecting to and Preparing Data tackles the ominous live connection, extract, and saved data source. Even some of the most experienced Tableau users don’t understand these differences, leaving it to data engineers. Get a step up on the competition by understand and leveraging them to properly prepare data — whether it’s for yourself or your colleagues.

Our rating: 9.2 / 10

Key Features

• Mini course composed of 3 sections.
• Learning videos and demos across the 3 sections.

Hard Criteria

• Certificate: PluralSight does not provide shareable certificates. Instead, it’s coureswork is designed to help you pass 3rd party exams and certifications.
• Schedule Flexibility: 100% flexible
• Applicability of Skills: Given the short format and narrow focus, you can apply what you learn immediately.
• Time Commitment: Less than 30 minutes
• Scope: Narrow scope centered on understanding live connections, extracts, and saved data sources.

Preferential Criteria

• Engagement: Video and text
• Availability of Free Trial: PluralSight offers a 10-day free trial
• Platform: PluralSight

Platform Concerns

As mentioned above, PluralSight is a narrow-focused alternative to LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, and Udemy. PluralSight targets upskilling to more advanced levels on data machine learning, IT Ops, Cloud Computing, and more. See the platform comparison table here.

Pricing

After a 10-day free trial, PluralSight costs $25/month for individuals.

What I Like and Dislike

Like

• One of few courses that address types of data sources in Tableau as a primary topic.
• As with all PluralSight courses, the limited scope allows you to retain and apply your learning.

Dislike

• The PluralSight subscription is too expensive for one course, so you’ll need to select several to get your money’s worth.

All in all, if you have a PluralSight subscription already or you’re planning to invest in an e-learning platform, this course is a great way to learn a skill that will set you apart from your peers.

Tableau for Beginners: Get DA Certified, Grow Your Career via Udemy (Beginner)

Best Course to Prepare for the Tableau Certified Data Analyst Exam

For those who want a course that will help them prepare for the Tableau Certified Data Analyst exam, this one on Udemy is designed for it. While this course is for beginners, you should have a minimal understanding of data and Excel to reap all the benefits.

Our rating: 9.1 / 10

Key Features

• 10 course sections focused on the content of the exam
• 2 full-length practice exams

Hard Criteria

• Certificate: Certificate available, but the real value of this course is passing the exam.
• Schedule Flexibility: 100% flexible
• Applicability of Skills: Because it is designed for an exam, the materials do not focus on application in the “real world”
• Time Commitment: 9 – 10 hours
• Scope: Spreadsheet functionalities such as sorting and filtering, creating visualizations, aggregating, using calculated fields, and data set joining.

Preferential Criteria

• Engagement: Video, text, quizzes, and exams
• Availability of Free Trial: No free trial available
• Platform: Udemy

Platform Concerns

Udemy is a leading online learning platform with a strong track record. If you want individual courses, Udemy works well. However, you’ll have to look elsewhere for a subscription service. See the platform comparison table here.

Pricing

The course costs about $40.

What I Like and Dislike

Like

• The course does its job by preparring you for the Tableau exam.

Dislike

• It is slightly outdated.
• The costs of the course is on top of the exam price (~$250).
• The skills can be applied, but the focus is on passing the exam. This means it’s not as efficient as others on the list.

As far as exam prep goes, Get DA Certified is a great option for beginners to Tableau.

Tableau 20 Advanced Training: Master Tableau in Data Science

Best Advanced Course on Udemy

On the opposite end of the spectrum from Get DA Certified is Tableau 20 Advanced Training. With over 10 hours of videos and several written resources, this course explores advanced functionalities and shows you how to prepare presentations to executives using Tableau storylines.

Our rating: 9.1 / 10

Key Features

• 8 part course with over 10 hours of video
• Several written articles to reinforce your understanding
• Flexible structure that lets pick up where you see fit

Hard Criteria

• Certificate: Yes, a shareable certificate of completion is available.
• Schedule Flexibility: 100% flexible
• Applicability of Skills: Coursework designed to be immediately applied to the real world.
• Time Commitment: Slightly more than 10 hours
• Scope: Advanced functionalities such as Groups, quick table calculations, levels of detail, and sets, as well as presentation techniques for executive level meetings.

Preferential Criteria

• Engagement: Video, text
• Availability of Free Trial: Udemy does not provide free trials
• Platform: Udemy

Platform Concerns

Udemy is good for single courses, but if you’re looking for a subscription platform where you can continue your learning, I recommend LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, or PluralSight. See the platform comparison table here.

Pricing

Tableau 2022 Advanced: Master Tableau in Data Science costs $110.

What I Like and Dislike

Like

• This course is good for students who want a non-beginner course.
• The team at Ligency marketing are good instructors.

Dislike

• While it’s titled “Master,” this is not a master level course, and you can easily access it after complete a beginner course earlier on the list

The curriculum is good for someone with minimum 3 months experience using Tableau on a regular basis. The coursework and focus are well structured and will give you confidence working with advanced functionalities in Tableau.

Best Tableau Courses Complete Comparison Table

In the table below, you’ll find all the critical factors you need to choose the right Tableau course for you.

Course	Our Rating (Out of 10)	Rank	Price (USD)	Certificate	Flexibility	Applicability of Skills	Weekly Hours Commitment	Total Months	Scope of Curriculum	Engagement Rating (Videos, Text, Project)	Platform	Free Trial/Money Back Guarantee
Type				Hard Criteria	Hard Criteria	Hard Criteria	Hard Criteria	Hard Criteria	Hard Criteria	Based on Preference	Based on Preference	Based on Preference
Tableau 10 Essential Training	9.5	1	38	Yes	Learn at own pace	Medium	4:40	1 day	Introductory – Intermediate	Medium	LinkedIn Learning	Yes
Data Visualization with Tableau Specialization	9.4	2	49/month	Yes	Learn at own pace	High	3	6	Introductory	High	Coursera	Yes
Tableau 2022 A-Z	9.3	3	120	Yes	Learn at own pace	High	3	1.5	Introductory	Medium	Udemy	Yes
Using Tableau to Discover Powerful Business Insights	9.3	4	38/month	Yes	Learn at own pace	High	2:00	1 day	Introductory	Medium	LinkedIn Learning	Yes
Master Course in Tableau for Business Intelligence	9.3	5	60	Yes	Learn at own pace	High	3	1.25	Introductory – Intermediate	Medium	Udemy	Yes
Creating Dashboards and Storytelling with Tableau	9.1	6	49/month	Yes	Learn at own pace	Medium	3	1.25	Intermediate	Medium	Coursera	Yes
Tableau for Data Scientists	9.3	7	20	Yes	Learn at own pace	High	3	2	Introductory	Medium	LinkedIn Learning	Yes
Cleaning, Transforming and Prepping Your Data With Tableau Prep	9.5	8	38	Yes	Learn at own pace	Very High	2:30	1 day	Introductory – Intermediate	High	LinkedIn Learning	Yes
Data Analytics: Dashboards vs. Data Stories	9.3	9	25	Yes	Learn at own pace	Medium	0:20	1 day	Advanced	Medium	LinkedIn Learning	Yes
Big Data Analytics with Tableau	9.4	10	25/month	No	Learn at own pace	High	3:40	1 day	Advanced	Low	PluralSight	Yes
Manipulating Data in Tableau Desktop	9.2	11	25/month	No	Learn at own pace	High	1:38	1 day	Introductory	Low	PluralSight	Yes
Tableau Desktop Specialist – Connecting to and Preparing Data	9.2	12	25/month	No	Learn at own pace	Medium	0:27	1 day	Introductory	Low	PluralSight	Yes
Data Visualization and Communication with Tableau	9.4	13	49/month	Yes	Learn at own pace	Medium	3	8.5	Intermediate	Medium	Coursera	Yes
Tableau for Beginners: Get DA Certified, Grow Your Career	9.1	14	40	Yes	Learn at own pace	High	3	2	Introductory	High	Udemy	Yes
Tableau 20 Advanced Training: Master Tableau in Data Science	9.1	15	110	Yes	Learn at own pace	High	3	1	Advanced	Medium	Udemy	Yes

Best Learning Platform for Data Analysis

This table shows an overview of the pros and cons with LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, Udemy, and PluralSight.

	LinkedIn Learning	Coursera	Udemy	PluralSight
Pricing Plan	Free trial subscription available, in addition to one-time purchase on many courses	Free trial subscription available, in addition to one-time purchase on courses not part of so-called “Specializations”	One-time fee courses only (subscription model is still in beta)	Subscription model only, free trial available
Subscription Price	$29,99 monthly subscription ($19.99/month with yearly subscription)	$49/month for courses and specializations (or $399 annually)	No subscription model	$25/month
Licence Duration	Lifetime access on purchased courses	One-time fee courses are available only 180 days	Lifetime access on purchased courses	No one-time purchase available
Types of Course Material	Video, text, quizzes, and projects	Video, text, quizzes, and projects	Video, text, quizzes, and projects	Primarily video & text (some quizzes and projects available)
Curriculum Focus	Beginner to advanced, mid-duration courses (usually under 12 hours)	Longer courses, usually lasting several months working with peers	Beginner to advanced mid-duration courses	Short-form courses focused on niche skills

Tableau Course FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions About Tableau Courses

Should I learn Tableau in 2023?

Tableau is the leading data visualization software for business. If you work as a data professional (or would like to), most companies will either expect you to know Tableau or have the ability to learn it or another data visualization software such as Power BI.

Can Tableau be self-taught?

Yes, Tableau can be self-taught. I learned it slowly over 1 year on a self-taught basis. However, your best beet is to take an intro course, then learn by doing on your own. This will prevent you from making amateur mistakes and set the theoretical groundwork for future progress.

Can I learn Tableau in 2 weeks?

You can learn the interface, basic functionalities, and data source connections in a matter of days. Within two weeks, you can create basic visualizations. However, to have a professional level of Tableau, you should expect to work for at least 3 months. That said, your ability to learn Tableau depends on your previous exposure to data tools. Someone highly familiar with SQL and Excel, for example, will pick up Tableau more quickly than a beginner.

Can I learn Tableau in a day?

It’s unrealistic to try learning Tableau in 1 day. With previous knowledge of data visualization software such as Power BI, you could get an understanding of its components, but the different functionalities and conceptual treatment of underlying data are too different. To be proficient in Tableau, you should expect to work 60 hours (intensive study for one month).

Does Tableau Require Coding?

Tableau does not require coding. Some advanced functions such as calculated fields and blends/joins require SQL-style coding and concepts, but the syntax is intuitive and does not require extended study.

Is Tableau like SQL?

Tableau’s backend is based in SQL and advanced functions such as calculated fields use a similar syntax; however, as a tool Tableau is not a programming language and does not require the same skillset a SQL.

Do you need SQL for Tableau?

No, SQL is not required for Tableau. That said, advanced functions such as calculated fields use a similar syntax. SQL knowledge is therefore an advantage for Tableau.

Does Tableau use Python?

No, Tableau does not use Python.

Is Tableau harder than Excel?

For beginners, Tableau is less intuitive and likely more difficult than Excel. This is primarily because Excel can be “played with” and modified at the level of each individual cell, whereas Tableau requires the application of changes to the entire underlying data set. The logical learning progression is to start with Excel and work your way into Tableau.

Is Tableau easy?

Tableau is easy to use. It does not require technical knowledge such as a programming language to begin using. That said, to produce progressional grade results, Tableau requires the user have a good understanding of data tables and how multiple tables interrelate. We teach this information is the free Intro to Data Analysis eBook.

Which Tableau certification is in demand?

The most demanded Tableau certification is the Tableau Certified Associate, followed by Tableau Certified Data Analyst and Tableau Desktop Specialist. There is also a special, nomination-only title for Tableau users that demonstrate mastery of Tableau, active teaching in their community, and collaboration with others–Tableau Visionary (formerly Tableau Zen Master).

Is Tableau and IT Skill?

IT stands for information technology. Strictly speaking, Tableau is an IT skill because it is a technology that deals with information (data). However, IT has come to be associated with backend skills such as systems administrators and IT operations.

Is PowerBI better than Tableau?

Tableau is more intuitive and powerful than PowerBI; however, PowerBI has the advantage of being part of the Microsoft suite of tools. Many organizations prefer PowerBI because it can be included in their enterprise package.

Summary

Choosing a course for Tableau requires thorough investigation of all the options. You have to consider whether a subscription to an e-Learning platform is more valuable than purchasing an individual course, and determine what level (beginner, intermediate, advanced) is most appropriate for you.

Tableau is usually considered a visualization tool, so most courses focus on charts and graphs. However, I recommend choosing something that exposes you to the more advanced and backend functionalities, as these will be the bedrock to your continued progress in the future. In most cases, it’s better to at least sign up for a free trial and make a decision later, unless you really want a one-time purchase.

Conclusion

For more free content, visit the AnalystAnswers.com homepage, or check out our free Intro To Data Analysis eBook.