Tableau is a data visualization software that allows its user visualize any data set from almost any source (Excel, SQL, etc.) thus making sense of the available data and make informed decisions. The interface of the software is very easy and intuitive and makes it’s very easy for beginners to start using and be productive very quickly without a steep learning curve. The software is currently developed by Tableau Software.

There are five versions of Tableau, Tableau Desktop, Tableau Server, Tableau Online, Tableau Public and Tableau Reader. Tableau Reader and Tableau public (your projects on Tableau public, are publicly available) are available for free. Learning Tableau is useful for data analysts/scientists working in almost any industry or business, as it’s an extremely powerful tool in their toolbox, as it would allow them quickly and easily visualize the data and thus have a better insight and understanding of the business and thus take the proper decision.

The aim of this post is to present and compare between free online sources that beginners can rely on to learn Tableau, the sources stated here are full-structured courses that beginners can follow along.

If you just want the bottom line (the road map to learn Tableau) and you don’t wish to read the entire article then go to the “Bottom Line” section at the end of the article.

Getting Started with Tableau Online from Scratch

Tableau Website

Tableau Website is the first free online outlet where beginners can start learning Tableau online through video tutorials, you’ve to register in order to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 11 sections, each section is divided into video lessons (130 in total), each video lesson covers a certain aspect of the software.

Interface: The interface is very simple, click on the section you’re interested in and the available lessons will appear in a drop-down menu, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to a new page where the video lesson resides.

Now the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well structured and organized for complete beginners.
3. The training covers every aspect of the software.
4. The datasets used in the training are available for download, that is very useful for beginners to follow along.

Cons

1. There’s nothing to be noted here.

Verdict: This is the best free online outlet where beginners can start learning Tableau through video tutorials.

Udemy

Udemy is the second free online outlet where beginners can start learning Tableau through video tutorials, you’ve to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 3 sections, each section is divided into lessons ( 6 lessons in total) that give beginners an overview regarding data visualization as a whole and a simple Tableau introduction.

Interface: the interface is very simple just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the course playlist where the  playlist will start from that lesson.

Now the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.

Cons

1. The training is only an overview about Tableau and doesn’t cover every aspect of the software as the first outlet.

Verdict: This outlet is just a Tableau overview and it’s not suitable for beginners to start learning from.

Tutorials Point

Tutorials Point is the third free online outlet where beginners can start learning Tableau from scratch. This is a text-based course and you don’t have to register to have access to the course.

Structure: The training is divided into 7 main sections, and each section is divided into topics/lessons, and each lesson covers a certain aspect of Tableau.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the topic you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the topic’s window.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The course is well-organized for beginners.

Cons

1. The course is more structured towards revising certain topics in Tableau.

Verdict: This is the best outlet where beginners can start learning Tableau online through a text-based tutorial.

Tutorial Gateway

Tutorial Gateway is the fourth free online outlet where beginners can start learning Tableau through a text-based tutorial, you don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 3 sections, each section is divided into lessons ( 33 in total), each lesson covers a certain aspect of the software.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the page where lesson resides.

Now the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured for beginners

Cons

1. The training isn’t well-organized for beginners as the third outlet.
2. The training covers an old release of the software, but that won’t be a problem for complete beginners.

Verdict: This is a good free online outlet where beginners can start learning Tableau through a text tutorial.

Bottom Line

The recipe for learning Tableau:

1. Tableau Website is the best outlet for beginners to start learning Tableau through video tutorials.
2. Tutorials Point is the best outlet for beginners to start learning Tableau through text-based tutorials.

Remember that the first step is always the toughest step, and the aim of this post is to provide you with resources that will help you take your first step in learning Tableau.