What I knew before visiting Tableau
Intro and Expectations
I, along with many of my fellow peers, had never heard of Tableau prior to our meeting there. Upon doing some brief research, I saw that they were a data storage company, but aside from that I knew very little of Tableau. Whatever I bore witness to on this visit would be the entirety of my impression upon Tableau.
Visit
Tableau had a beautiful, new-wave building made almost entirely of marble. Upon receiving some fancy name tags and a bite to eat at their very large downstairs kitchen area and gaming room, we watched a presentation about the importance of data.
Tableau is a company that sells data programs and data-grouping services to companies across the globe. Some of their most high-profile work comes via government contractors as well, for they work with the DOJ and DOD to prevent emergencies. This information surprised the class.
The class was given some cool swag, such as a fanny pack, bottle opener, and sunglasses, but the most beneficial part of the tour lied in the content. The presenter, Jenny Olsen, showed us an organization template similar to that of Microsoft Excel that companies often use to sort data. Although I know that this template is mighty complex, the presenters did a good job simplifying the program to make sure fresh faces could adjust. They examined car data samples and how a car company might go about utilizing such samples in the future. Then, in a fun twist, the presenters used the data program to decipher something all millennials are familiar with: Facebook posts.
Tableau is all about capturing data and presenting it in an easy-to-understand fashion. The company prides itself on that fact that they, "use their own products", which must strengthen their stance in the realm of the city, for they clearly trust that their product is superior. For a company that works for government contractors and start-ups, they have an acute culture of their own, one that must attract employees that are socially savvy and familiar with technology in today's society.
One of the presenters ran the software on his Facebook posts, and used a variety of graphs to track things such as times he was mentioned, likes, and times he liked another person’s post. From these graphs, we could see trends regarding activity on his account. The presentation was not only informative but humorous, as jokes were made claiming that he “peaked in high school”.
Post Visit Actions
Upon leaving Tableau, I found myself impressed with the company. This was a place that I had barely ever heard of, but was nonetheless an essential part of so many high-profile companies. Data can be a tough thing for companies to grasp, and Tableau makes it easy. They even made it easy for me, someone who is terrible at technology and numbers. Although I have no intention of pursuing a data-based career, I still connected with both presenters on LinkedIn. I think that getting outsiders, such as myself, on board with a product such as this must be one of Tableau's biggest challenges. Data can often get bogged down with too much details and needless decimals and percentages, Tableau has succeeded because they can successfully frame this data to be more understandable for corporations, government agencies, and even students. If Tableau can continue simplifying data, they will remain successful.
Key Takeaways
- I did not know much about Tableau prior to the visit. I did some light research and saw that they were a data-organization based company.
Intro and Expectations
I, along with many of my fellow peers, had never heard of Tableau prior to our meeting there. Upon doing some brief research, I saw that they were a data storage company, but aside from that I knew very little of Tableau. Whatever I bore witness to on this visit would be the entirety of my impression upon Tableau.
Visit
Tableau had a beautiful, new-wave building made almost entirely of marble. Upon receiving some fancy name tags and a bite to eat at their very large downstairs kitchen area and gaming room, we watched a presentation about the importance of data.
Tableau is a company that sells data programs and data-grouping services to companies across the globe. Some of their most high-profile work comes via government contractors as well, for they work with the DOJ and DOD to prevent emergencies. This information surprised the class.
The class was given some cool swag, such as a fanny pack, bottle opener, and sunglasses, but the most beneficial part of the tour lied in the content. The presenter, Jenny Olsen, showed us an organization template similar to that of Microsoft Excel that companies often use to sort data. Although I know that this template is mighty complex, the presenters did a good job simplifying the program to make sure fresh faces could adjust. They examined car data samples and how a car company might go about utilizing such samples in the future. Then, in a fun twist, the presenters used the data program to decipher something all millennials are familiar with: Facebook posts.
Tableau is all about capturing data and presenting it in an easy-to-understand fashion. The company prides itself on that fact that they, "use their own products", which must strengthen their stance in the realm of the city, for they clearly trust that their product is superior. For a company that works for government contractors and start-ups, they have an acute culture of their own, one that must attract employees that are socially savvy and familiar with technology in today's society.
One of the presenters ran the software on his Facebook posts, and used a variety of graphs to track things such as times he was mentioned, likes, and times he liked another person’s post. From these graphs, we could see trends regarding activity on his account. The presentation was not only informative but humorous, as jokes were made claiming that he “peaked in high school”.
Post Visit Actions
Upon leaving Tableau, I found myself impressed with the company. This was a place that I had barely ever heard of, but was nonetheless an essential part of so many high-profile companies. Data can be a tough thing for companies to grasp, and Tableau makes it easy. They even made it easy for me, someone who is terrible at technology and numbers. Although I have no intention of pursuing a data-based career, I still connected with both presenters on LinkedIn. I think that getting outsiders, such as myself, on board with a product such as this must be one of Tableau's biggest challenges. Data can often get bogged down with too much details and needless decimals and percentages, Tableau has succeeded because they can successfully frame this data to be more understandable for corporations, government agencies, and even students. If Tableau can continue simplifying data, they will remain successful.
Key Takeaways
- Tableau is behind the scenes of so many company’s research
- The organization of data is essential to a company’s success
- Tableau prides itself on "using their own products"