Tableau is a Business Intelligence tool for visually analyzing the data:
Tableau Public is a free platform to explore, create and publicly share data visualizations online. It allows you to use the majority of the software functions. You can create visualizations and connect to Text and Excel documents. However, the largest difference is that Tableau Public does not allow you to save your workbooks locally. You have to save them on the publicly which means that everyone can see your data since it’s saved on the cloud.
Tableau desktop offers all the full features of software. Your workbooks can be shared locally. This version allows you the connect to different file types, create extracts of the data sources and save your Tableau workbooks locally and publicly.
Tableau Public | Tableau Desktop |
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Free | Requires license; Tableau offers a free one-year license for teachers and students |
Only Text and Excel files can be connected | All listed data files can be connected |
Does not allow you to save your workbooks locally; all your reports are public once they are published | Allows to save your Tableau workbooks locally and publicly; nobody can see your reports unless provided with an access |
1 Million Rows of data can be stored, processed and shared | Unlimited Rows of data can be stored, processed and shared |
Target audience: beginners in the field of data analysis and BI enthusiasts | Target audience: data scientists, BI developers, BI professionals |
If you would like to learn more about Tableau and data visualizations enroll for our Data and Visualization workshop series which covers a range of tools and methods for data-driven research. These workshops are free and open to the public. Check our schedule to learn more.