Adrian, you are incredibly active in the Tableau Community Forums - earning over 125,000 points to date - what is the secret to your success?
Thank you for recognizing my contributions to the Tableau Community Forums. I believe the secret to my success is a combination of my passion for data visualization and my commitment to helping others. By answering questions and sharing my knowledge, I am able to not only assist others in their Tableau journey, but also continue to learn and improve my own skills.
Additionally, I make sure to always strive to provide the best and most accurate answers possible, which has helped me earn many Best Answer points.
As a Tableau Ambassador, I am dedicated to helping others in the community by sharing my knowledge and expertise.
When did you first start learning Tableau?
I have been working with Tableau for over 10 years and have developed a deep understanding of the software through my experience and continuous learning. My first experience was developing the entire reporting ecosystem in three months and migrating from the old reporting business intelligence tool. By the way this was version 6.0 and I kept haunting Tableau Servers admins to install version 7.0.!
Which resources helped you the most on the early part of that learning journey? What advice would you have for newbies to Tableau Desktop?
When I first started learning Tableau, the resources that helped me the most were the official Tableau documentation and tutorials, in addition to the Tableau Community Forums. The Forums in particular were a great resource for finding answers to specific questions and learning from the experiences of other users.
My advice for newbies to Tableau Desktop would be to start with the basics and work your way up. Take the time to learn the interface and understand the different types of visualizations you can create. Then, start experimenting with your own data and try to recreate the examples you’ve learned from tutorials and documentation.
As you progress, look for more advanced tutorials and start exploring more complex use cases. Also don’t be afraid to ask questions in the Tableau Community Forums, there are a lot of helpful people there.
Lastly, practice, practice, practice. The more you use Tableau, the more comfortable and proficient you will become with it.
What does being a Tableau Ambassador mean to you?
Being a Tableau Ambassador means a lot to me, as it represents a significant accomplishment and recognition of my contributions to the Tableau Community. It is a great opportunity for me to
give back to the Community by sharing my knowledge and expertise with others. As a Tableau Ambassador, I am committed to promoting and supporting the use of Tableau software, as well as helping others to become proficient in using it. I am dedicated to sharing my skills and knowledge with the Community, and helping others to learn, grow, and succeed with Tableau.
Additionally, being a Tableau Ambassador is a great opportunity for me to connect with other Tableau experts, and to stay up-to-date with the latest developments and best practices in the field. It’s a great way to build a network of peers, and to be part of something bigger than myself.
In short, being a Tableau Ambassador is a source of pride and fulfillment, as it allows me to make a positive impact on the community and to continue to learn and grow as a Tableau expert.
Tell us about the Blogs and websites you often reference from the Tableau DataFam?
There are several blogs and websites within the Tableau Community (known as the ‘DataFam’) that I often reference for inspiration and information. Some of the ones that come to mind include:
Tableau Public Blog | This is the official blog of Tableau and it contains a wealth of information on new features, best practices, and case studies.
The Data School | A great website for learning Tableau from scratch and for staying up to date with the latest tips and tricks.
Playfair Data | A website run by Ryan Sleeper, a Tableau Visionary, which features a lot of great tutorials and resources on data visualization and storytelling.
Data + Science | A website run by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, author of the book ‘Storytelling with Data’. It offers a lot of great resources on data visualization and storytelling.
Data Viz Today | A website run by Data Viz enthusiasts and it has a lot of great tutorials and resources on data visualization and storytelling, it also features interviews with experts in the field.
VizWiz | A website run by Tableau Visionary Andy Kriebel, which features a lot of great tutorials and resources on data visualization and storytelling.
Data + Design: A website run by Robert Kosara, which offers a lot of great resources on data visualization and design.
These are just a few examples of the many great resources available within the Tableau Community. There are many more blogs, websites, and experts that inspire me and that I learn from on a regular basis.
Your Iron Viz submission on Leonardo DaVinci was incredible! How was your Iron Vix experience, and how long did it take you to create your viz?
I’m glad you enjoyed my Iron Viz submission on Leonardo Da Vinci! Participating in an Iron Viz competition was a great experience for me. It was challenging, but also very rewarding. The competition pushed me to think creatively and to develop my skills as a Tableau user. As for the time it took me to create my viz, it was a relatively long process. I spent several months researching and gathering data on Leonardo Da Vinci, and then several more weeks designing and building the final visualization. The process was a lot of work, but I also had a lot of fun along the way.
In the end, I’m happy with how the visualization turned out, and I’m proud to have been a part of such a great competition. I would recommend Iron Viz to other Tableau users as a great way to challenge yourself and to showcase your skills.
For anyone new to the Tableau Community Forums, what tips would you give them?
Be active and engage with the community: The Tableau Community Forums are a great place to learn and connect with other Tableau users. To get the most out of the Community, I recommend being active and engaging with others. Ask questions, share your work, and participate in discussions. This will help you to learn from others and to build relationships with other Tableau users.
Be helpful and respectful: The Tableau Community is made up of users at all skill levels, and everyone is here to learn and help others. So, be helpful and respectful when engaging with others. This includes being patient with those who may not have the same level of expertise as you, and being willing to help others when they have questions.
Search before you post: Before you post a question, check to see if there is already an answer or a similar question on the Forums. This will save you time and help to keep the Forums organized. And if you do find a similar question, consider adding your own insights or information to the existing thread rather than creating a new one.
Be open-minded and take constructive criticism: The Tableau Community is a great place to get feedback on your work, and to learn from others. Be open to constructive criticism, and use to improve your skills.
Take the initiative and give back: The Tableau Community is a great place to share your expertise and help others. Take the initiative to answer questions and share your knowledge, this will help you to build your reputation and to give back to the Community.
One of the Community Ideas you submitted is Parameter Interval Dates with Multiple Values output. Tell us why you would love to see this feature in the product?
I was trying to solve a complex problem for HR data which required to have an array of variable and not only one variable. To be honest, based on the knowledge acquired in the past years, there are other factors that need to be kept in mind like performance and simplicity and that’s why this Idea may require too many resources from the tool. I’d rather challenge the Tableau development team to find a way to use Date Scaffold without the data multiplication. This part is hard to explain to the business side why we have millions of rows instead of thousands.
Initially published on Tableau Community Website.