Fundamentals of Visualization with Tableau (Coursera)

Fundamentals of Visualization with Tableau (Coursera)

In this first course of the specialization, you will discover just what data visualization is, and how we can use it to better see and understand data. Using Tableau, we’ll examine the fundamental concepts of data visualization and explore the Tableau interface, identifying and applying the various tools Tableau has to offer.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

By the end of the course you will be able to prepare and import data into Tableau and explain the relationship between data analytics and data visualization. This course is designed for the learner who has never used Tableau before, or who may need a refresher or want to explore Tableau in more depth. No prior technical or analytical background is required. The course will guide you through the steps necessary to create your first visualization story from the beginning based on data context, setting the stage for you to advance to the next course in the Specialization.

What You Will Learn

  • Install Tableau Public Software and create a visualization
  • Examine and navigate the Tableau Public workspace
  • Practice and connect to different data sources
  • Examine ways to define your project

Course 1 of 5 in the Data Visualization with Tableau Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Getting Started & Introduction to Data Visualization
Welcome to this first module, where you will begin to discover the power of data visualization. You will define the meaning and purpose of data visualization and explore the various types of data visualization tools, beyond Tableau. You will install Tableau on your own device and create your first visualization.

WEEK 2
Exploring and Navigating Tableau
With the last module, you were able to create your first visualization through guided practice. The secret to doing visualizations is really knowing the tool you will be using. For this module, you will explore and navigate the Tableau interface and be able to use specific tools as you begin your visualization journey.

WEEK 3
Making Data Connections
Creating visualizations require data and in this module, you will discuss the various data sources for visualization and specifically what can be used in Tableau. You will prepare your data and identify the types of data connections possible with Tableau. You will be able to connect and merge to multiple data sources which can help make your visualizations more powerful.

WEEK 4
Context of Data Visualization & Course Wrap-Up
Data visualization is about telling a story using data. However, before you can be successful at data visualization, you must understand the "who", "what", and "how" of data context. In this final module, you will be able to determine who your audience will be and what your relationship to them is. You will analyze a real world application of data context and be able to write out a visualization story based on data context.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Visualization for Data Journalism (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Visualization for Data Journalism (Coursera)

While telling stories with data has been part of the news practice since its earliest days, it is in the midst of a renaissance. Graphics desks which used to be deemed as “the art department,” a subfield outside the work of newsrooms, are becoming a core part of newsrooms’ operation. Those people (they often have various titles: data journalists, news artists, graphic reporters, developers, etc.) who design news graphics are expected to be full-fledged journalists and work closely with reporters and editors.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Visualización de Datos con Python (Coursera) Coursera
IBM

Visualización de Datos con Python (Coursera)

"Una imagen vale mas que mil palabras". Todos estamos familiarizados con esta expresión. Se aplica especialmente cuando se trata de explicar la información obtenida del análisis de conjuntos de datos cada vez más grandes. La visualización de datos juega un papel esencial en la representación de datos tanto a pequeña como a gran escala. Una de las habilidades clave de un científico de datos es la capacidad de contar una historia convincente, visualizando datos y hallazgos de una manera accesible y estimulante

Aug 3rd 2026
3 Weeks
Introduction to Business Analytics: Communicating with Data (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Introduction to Business Analytics: Communicating with Data (Coursera)

This course introduces students to the science of business analytics while casting a keen eye toward the artful use of numbers found in the digital space. The goal is to provide businesses and managers with the foundation needed to apply data analytics to real-world challenges they confront daily in their professional lives.

Jul 27th 2026
4 Weeks
Social Media Data Analytics (Coursera) Coursera
University of Washington

Social Media Data Analytics (Coursera)

Learner Outcomes: After taking this course, you will be able to: utilize various Application Programming Interface (API) services to collect data from different social media sources such as YouTube, Twitter, and Flickr; process the collected data - primarily structured - using methods involving correlation, regression, and classification to derive insights about the sources and people who generated that data; analyze unstructured data - primarily textual comments - for sentiments expressed in them; use different tools for collecting, analyzing, and exploring social media data for research and development purposes.

Jul 27th 2026
4 Weeks
Business intelligence and data analytics: Generate insights (Coursera) Coursera
Macquarie University

Business intelligence and data analytics: Generate insights (Coursera)

‘Megatrends’ heavily influence today’s organisations, industries and societies, and your ability to generate insights in this area is crucial to your organisation’s success into the future. This course will introduce you to analytical tools and skills you can use to understand, analyse and evaluate the challenges and opportunities ‘megatrends’ will inevitably bring to your organisation.

Jul 27th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Data intelligence for businesses and managers (Coursera) Coursera
Institut Mines-Telecom

Data intelligence for businesses and managers (Coursera)

With the proliferation of connected objects (computers, tablets, watches, etc.), huge masses of data are generated every second. This Big Data has led to the emergence of a data economy, where data is the main source of competitive advantage for companies. In this sense, data and its processing tools have become a strategic priority for companies, and the main gas pedal of their digital transformation.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Python Data Visualization (Coursera) Coursera
Rice University

Python Data Visualization (Coursera)

This if the final course in the specialization which builds upon the knowledge learned in Python Programming Essentials, Python Data Representations, and Python Data Analysis. We will learn how to install external packages for use within Python, acquire data from sources on the Web, and then we will clean, process, analyze, and visualize that data. This course will combine the skills learned throughout the specialization to enable you to write interesting, practical, and useful programs.

Aug 7th 2026
4 Weeks
Ethical Social Media (Coursera) Coursera
The University of Sydney

Ethical Social Media (Coursera)

Social media connects us across space and time, allowing us to find like-minded communities and participate creatively in public life as never before. We may often use social media without thinking much about the possible consequences. But there is a shadow side associated with social media use, which takes the form of hate speech, increased surveillance, lack of anonymity and questionable use of our data. What do we need to know to use social media spaces effectively, in a way that is safe and productive for all?

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Spatial Data Science and Applications (Coursera) Coursera
Yonsei University

Spatial Data Science and Applications (Coursera)

Spatial (map) is considered as a core infrastructure of modern IT world, which is substantiated by business transactions of major IT companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Intel, and Uber, and even motor companies such as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes. Consequently, they are bound to hire more and more spatial data scientists. Based on such business trend, this course is designed to present a firm understanding of spatial data science to the learners, who would have a basic knowledge of data science and data analysis, and eventually to make their expertise differentiated from other nominal data scientists and data analysts.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Analyzing and Visualizing Data in Looker (Coursera) Coursera
Google Cloud

Analyzing and Visualizing Data in Looker (Coursera)

In this course, you learn how to do the kind of data exploration and analysis in Looker that would formerly be done primarily by SQL developers or analysts. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to leverage Looker's modern analytics platform to find and explore relevant content in your organization’s Looker instance, ask questions of your data, create new metrics as needed, and build and share visualizations and dashboards to facilitate data-driven decision making.

Aug 3rd 2026
2 Weeks