7.1 Introduction and Free Student Version



To perform the Data Undestanding Phase (a.k.a. exploratory data analysis [EDA]), you need some level of skill with basic statistics and data visualization. In this book, I assume you have at least a beginner-level understanding of statistics--although I'll give you a reminder of the most relevant details. You might have some experience with data visualization in Microsoft Excel or similar, but you should also learn some higher-end tools. Therefore, this chapter will help you get started with Tableau; a modern, popular visualization tool.

Tableau Desktop has many more advanced features for data visualization as well as limited support (relative to other tools) for basic statistics. It also has its own scripting language to build your own metrics. The image at the top of this page is a screenshot of a dashboard created in Tableau (click the image link to see the live version).

Tableau Prep is another popular Tableau product that you might appreciate after learning Tableau Desktop. It offers advanced data cleaning and integration features. In this book, we will use Azure ML Studio to create a machine learning pipeline for data preparation. So we will skip Tableau Prep for brevity.

Let's start by getting you a free 1-year student subscription to Tableau Desktop.

Download a free version of Tableau Desktop

Tableau is free for all students from academic institutions around the world, as long as they are using it as part of their course or for a personal project. In order to request a free one-year license, you will need to prove that you are enrolled in a program within an academic institution.  Do not go to the website and download the free version with a 14-day license. Instead, follow the steps below to get a one-year license. . As noted below, you may find it easier to complete this form using your mobile device.

  1. Go to the following URL: http://www.tableau.com/academic/students.

  2. Select the [Get Tableau for Free] link.

  3. Fill out and submit the form. Select your university. Use a ".edu" email address or else your account may not be approved.

    • When you go to complete the form, you will verify your student status. Tableau uses a service, called SheerID, for verification. If your school has Single-Sign On capabilities, you will likely be able to log into your account to verify that you are a student. Otherwise, you may need to upload a student ID or a document that shows your anticipated graduation date.

  4. Check your email. Tableau will send you an email so that you can use the license. Sometimes this email comes within minutes, but Tableau has been known to take a few days to respond depending on the form of documentation you send them to prove you are a student.

If you have any issues, then follow along with this video to see how I get my account:

Lab License

Instructors may also request a lab license from Tableau. These provide a single license key that can be used by all students in the class. However, they are only active for the duration of the course as opposed to the individual student license keys above which are active for a full year.

Request a lab license here: https://www.tableau.com/academic/teaching/course-licenses

By the way, Microsoft offers a strong competitor to Tableau: Power BI. Power BI has some cool capabilities as well and is gaining popularity. However, for our purposes, either of these tools will suffice. There are many other popular cloud-based alternatives that do not require any installation like Domo and Sisense.

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