The document outlines how to drive insights using Tableau, emphasizing the differentiation between executive and operational roles in data analysis. It presents principles for effective data visualization and highlights the importance of design principles, such as showing comparisons and causality, to engage stakeholders. Key takeaways for adopting Tableau include identifying goals, simplifying presentations, and documenting visualizations.

1. Driving Insights With Tableau
Blast Analytics & Marketing
Sacramento Tableau User Group
João Correia
@joaocorreia

2. Visual Insights
Change The Brain
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• Many complex problems requires them
• Learning: Insights are more memorable than linear solutions
• Engagement: Insights activate deep engagement
• Systemic change: Insights change the brain
BlastAM | Driving Insights With Tableau

3. 3BlastAM | Driving Insights With Tableau

4. 4BlastAM | Driving Insights With Tableau

5. Visual Insights
Haha Moments
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“Holy crap. This is the motherlode. This is going to be extraordinarily valuable in lots of
ways.
But after 5 minutes I can see that people who come to the 1-page guide want information
about and . People on our income/household page need information on
deductions.
This is a real breakthrough for us. Thanks so much for doing this, Joao!
I will share this with the rest of the content team.”
BlastAM | Driving Insights With Tableau

6. 6
Executive ≠ Operational
BlastAM | Driving Insights With Tableau

7. Driving Tableau Adoption
BlastAM | Tableau & Data Analysis DTA
Data Analysis
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EXECUTIVE

8. Executive
Driving Strategy
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70,000 ft
• Broader Questions
• Monthly/Quarterly/Yearly resolution (drive strategy)
• Longer Range (identify medium/long term trends)
• Lower Granularity (high level metrics, less detail)
Observation & Strategic Role
BlastAM | Driving Insights With Tableau

9. Driving Tableau Adoption
BlastAM | Tableau & Data Analysis DTA
Data Analysis
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OPERATIONAL

10. Operational
Driving Action
10
15,000 ft
Operational Role
• More Specific Questions
• Weekly and Daily time resolution (drive action through hypothesis)
• Shorter Range (identify what works and what doesn’t)
• Higher Granularity (more detail)
0 ft
BlastAM | Driving Insights With Tableau

11. Executive ≠ Operational
Driving Action with Tableau
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Information should only be shared to whoever is
relevant and can take action.
Identify homogeneous groups, their questions and their goals. Where can they take action?
• Understand the company business and high-level goals
• Current reporting structure
• Company organizational chart
• Stakeholder interviews or informal conversations
BlastAM | Driving Insights With Tableau

12. The foundation: Questions
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Driving Action with Tableau
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• The most important thing in Data Science is the question
• Often data will limit or enable questions
• Having data can’t save you if you don’t have a question
"The data may not contain the answer. The combination of some data
and an aching desire for an answer does not ensure that a reasonable
answer can be extracted from a given body of data."
John Tukey

13. 13
How are we doing on {metric}?
How fast is {metric} growing?
Is {metric} growing equally across regions?
Which regions most contributed to {metric}?
Which product categories most contributed to {metric}?
Which channels drive more/less {metric}?
Which campaigns drive less {metric}?
Which emails drive most {metric}?
70,000 ft
15,000 ft
0 ft
BlastAM | Driving Insights With Tableau

14. 14
Do more of what works
and less of what doesn’t
BlastAM | Driving Insights With Tableau

15. BlastAM | Tableau & Data Analysis DTA 15
Drive Action

16. 16
Design Principles
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17. Edward Tufte 6 Principles
Facilitate Insights
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• Principle 1: Show Comparison
Show comparisons. Ask compared to what? Relativize. e.g. to WNV to Population, etc
• Principle 2: Show Causality
Use causal logic to reason a probable cause for what you are observing.
• Principle 3: Show Multivariate Data
Explore data across the multiple variables and dimensions. This helps you get a better picture and
uncover relationships between variables. e.g. Measuring heart rate, Co2 level and blood pressure over
time.
BlastAM | Driving Insights With Tableau

18. Edward Tufte 6 Principles
Facilitate Insights
18
• Principle 4: Integrate the Evidence
Integrate words, numbers, images. Data graphics should make use of many modes of data
presentation. e.g. The patient monitor provides not only a snapshot, in the form of summary data but
also trend over time. Other medical exams may help a correct diagnostic.
• Principle 5: Documentation
Document the process, observations, relevant facts and data. e.g. Doctors keep a registry of their
patients exams results and other meaningful information. This provides context needed to understand
the patient.
• Principle 6: Content Count Most of All
"Analytical presentations ultimately stand or fall depending on the quality, relevance, and integrity of their
content" (1). The most effective way to create a compelling presentation is through content, design and
pretty graphs can only take you so far.

19. Document & Educate
BlastAM | Tableau & Data Analysis DTA
Driving Action with Tableau
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20. Takeaways
Driving Tableau Adoption
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1. Get an executive sponsor
2. Identify executive and operational stakeholders
3. Identify goals and questions for each stakeholder
4. Relate questions to main goals
5. Get data
6. Create dashboards
7. Present insights as opportunities
8. Simplify Simplify Simplify
9. Document your visualizations
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21. Phone (888) 252-7866 Email sales@blastam.comWeb www.blastam.com
Rocklin Office
6020 West Oaks Blvd., Ste. 260
Rocklin, CA 95765
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San Francisco, CA 94107
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New York, NY 10016
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Seattle, WA 98109
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7083 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028
@joaocorreia