What is Tableau Public?

Tableau Public launched in 2010 with a mission to make data more accessible and a part of everyday conversations. It quickly enabled anyone with public data to not only see and understand it for themselves but also share those insights with others around the world. It was a bold new effort to offer a free online platform that anyone could use to explore, create, and publish interactive visualizations—democratizing data online by making it engaging, informative, and beautiful. 

In the beginning, the primary focus was simply to make data a first-class citizen on the web, as YouTube did for videos. Who remembers static PDFs with inaccessible data? Or how exciting it was anytime a journalist included any form of data analysis in a story? Now, of course, interactive data visualizations are commonplace. Sure, static data still happens, but the world of data analytics has come a long way. Twelve years later, Tableau Public remains the only free online visual analytics platform that allows you to learn data skills, create and explore data visualizations, discover data stories on topics of interest, create your own portfolio of work to share with your network, and even get you hired. 

Create custom maps, charts, and graphs in clicks

With the world's largest repository of data visualizations to browse and learn from and no cost barrier to getting started, Tableau Public makes developing data skills easy. You can connect to data in a variety of formats to build beautiful, interactive visualizations with drag-and-drop ease—no coding required.

Practice and improve your skills with peer learning activities 

The best part of learning on Tableau Public is you don’t have to do it alone. Practice your data visualization (“viz”) skills in fun challenges alongside others in the Tableau Community. Connect with the DataFam to learn new tricks and get helpful feedback to improve your Tableau skills. Not sure where to get started or who's out there to connect with? Read our Beginner’s Guide to Tableau Public for step-by-step instructions—everything from setting up your profile to quickly finding people in the DataFam who can help you on your data viz journey.

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Fred Najjar, Tableau Public Ambassador

"Tableau Public has been my main source of learning, inspiration, and a window into our amazing community. Because of Tableau Public, I had the chance to participate in many of the community challenges and collaborate with others within the community on different projects. My favorite thing about Tableau Public is that authors from all around the world publish visualizations about all different topics."

Explore visualizations to see how they were made

Discover the art of what's possible with data. Tableau Public helps foster and develop a data-informed culture by exploring and sharing publicly available data about everyday topics like sports, music, and health, making data social, relatable, and accessible. Visualizations can be discovered, downloaded, or explored in a browser. Quickly see how it was created, and copy it to make a version of your own. 

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Looking for something specific? Just click the magnifying glass in the top-right corner of the website, type what you’re looking for, and hit enter. With millions of interactive visualizations made by over 2+ million authors, Tableau Public is changing how people see and understand data globally. You can connect with a community of data enthusiasts and follow your favorites, or get a daily dose of inspiration delivered to your inbox by signing up for Viz of the Day.

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Idris Akilapa, Tableau Public Ambassador

“The way I felt when I got the gig through Tableau Public (using the “Hire Me” button) without having to go through any of the stress of applying for a job or writing proposals was great. It reassured me that I am doing the right thing with my life.” Read more about Idris' story.

 

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Elisa Davis, Tableau Public Ambassador

Elisa credits Tableau Public with finding a new job she loves. ”It’s not an understatement to say that Tableau Public and the DataFam changed the course of my career and my life.” Read more about Elisa's story.

Playing with data in Tableau Public helps you develop data skills and learn from a community of like-minded data enthusiasts. Whether it’s discovering data visualizations on the topics you're passionate about (neatly categorized on the homepage), advancing your career, or joining one of the Tableau Community Projects, Tableau Public has the resources to help you become a data rockstar.

Ready to get started or take your data viz skills to the next level with the DataFam? Check out the Tableau Public Beginner's Guide with step-by-step instructions for getting started and optimizing your experience.