Publishing to Tableau Public - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a data analyst at a small retail company.

📋 Request: Your manager wants you to share the monthly sales dashboard with the public to showcase company performance.

📊 Data: You have a dataset with monthly sales data by product category and region for the past year.

🎯 Deliverable: Publish the completed Tableau dashboard to Tableau Public so anyone can view it online.

Sample Data

Month	Region	Category	Sales
Jan	North	Electronics	12000
Jan	South	Furniture	8000
Feb	North	Electronics	15000
Feb	South	Furniture	9000
Mar	North	Electronics	13000
Mar	South	Furniture	8500
Apr	North	Electronics	16000
Apr	South	Furniture	9500
May	North	Electronics	17000
May	South	Furniture	10000

1

Step 1: Open Tableau Desktop and connect to the sales data source.

Connect to the Excel or CSV file containing the sales data.

Expected Result

Data is loaded and visible in Tableau's Data pane.

2

Step 2: Create a new worksheet to build the monthly sales trend chart.

Drag 'Month' to Columns, 'Sales' to Rows, and 'Category' to Color.

Expected Result

A line chart showing sales trends by category over months appears.

3

Step 3: Create a dashboard and add the sales trend worksheet.

Click 'New Dashboard', then drag the worksheet onto the dashboard area.

Expected Result

Dashboard displays the sales trend chart.

4

Step 4: Sign in to your Tableau Public account from Tableau Desktop.

Go to 'Server' menu > 'Tableau Public' > 'Sign In' and enter your credentials.

Expected Result

You are signed in to Tableau Public within Tableau Desktop.

5

Step 5: Publish the dashboard to Tableau Public.

Go to 'Server' > 'Publish Workbook', choose Tableau Public, name your workbook, and click 'Save'.

Expected Result

Dashboard is uploaded and published to your Tableau Public profile.

6

Step 6: Verify the published dashboard by opening the Tableau Public URL.

Open the link provided after publishing in a web browser.

Expected Result

Dashboard is visible and interactive online for anyone to view.

Final Result

-----------------------------------------
|           Monthly Sales Trend          |
|---------------------------------------|
| Month | Electronics | Furniture        |
|---------------------------------------|
| Jan   | 12000       | 8000            |
| Feb   | 15000       | 9000            |
| Mar   | 13000       | 8500            |
| Apr   | 16000       | 9500            |
| May   | 17000       | 10000           |
-----------------------------------------

Dashboard published to Tableau Public URL: https://public.tableau.com/profile/yourprofile

✓Electronics sales show a steady increase from January to May.

✓Furniture sales also increase but at a slower pace.

✓Publishing to Tableau Public allows sharing insights with a wide audience easily.

Bonus Challenge

Add interactive filters for Region and Category on the dashboard before publishing.

Show Hint

Use Tableau's filter feature to add dropdown filters and show them on the dashboard for user interaction.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of publishing a dashboard to Tableau Public?

easy

A. To create backups of your dashboards on your local computer

B. To share your dashboards online for free and make them visible to everyone

C. To export dashboards as PDF files for offline use

D. To keep your dashboards private and only accessible to you

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Tableau Public's sharing feature

   Tableau Public allows users to share dashboards online for free, making them accessible to anyone with internet access.

2. Step 2: Compare options with this feature

   Options A, B, and C describe private use, exporting, or backups, which are not the main purpose of Tableau Public.

3. Final Answer:

   To share your dashboards online for free and make them visible to everyone -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Publishing to Tableau Public = Free public sharing [OK]

Hint: Remember: Tableau Public dashboards are always visible to all [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking Tableau Public keeps dashboards private
• Confusing publishing with exporting files
• Assuming publishing creates local backups

2. Which of the following is the correct first step to publish a workbook to Tableau Public?

easy

A. Sign in to your Tableau Public account within Tableau Desktop

B. Export the workbook as a PDF file

C. Save the workbook on your local computer without signing in

D. Create a new Tableau Server project

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the publishing process

   Publishing to Tableau Public requires signing in to your Tableau Public account inside Tableau Desktop.

2. Step 2: Eliminate incorrect options

   Exporting as PDF, saving locally without signing in, or creating Tableau Server projects are unrelated to publishing on Tableau Public.

3. Final Answer:

   Sign in to your Tableau Public account within Tableau Desktop -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Sign in first to publish [OK]

Hint: Always sign in to Tableau Public before publishing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to publish without signing in
• Confusing Tableau Public with Tableau Server
• Exporting instead of publishing

3. After signing in and naming your workbook, what happens when you click Save to Tableau Public?

medium

A. Your workbook is saved locally but not shared online

B. Your workbook is saved privately and only you can access it

C. Your workbook is emailed to your Tableau Public contacts

D. Your workbook is uploaded and becomes publicly visible on Tableau Public

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the save action in Tableau Public

   Clicking 'Save to Tableau Public' uploads your workbook to the Tableau Public website, making it publicly accessible.

2. Step 2: Review other options

   Options A, C, and D describe local saving, emailing, or private saving, which do not happen when publishing to Tableau Public.

3. Final Answer:

   Your workbook is uploaded and becomes publicly visible on Tableau Public -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Save to Tableau Public = Upload and public visibility [OK]

Hint: Save to Tableau Public means upload and share publicly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming saving only stores locally
• Thinking the workbook is emailed automatically
• Believing the workbook remains private

4. You tried to publish your workbook to Tableau Public but received an error saying you are not signed in. What should you do to fix this?

medium

A. Export the workbook as an image instead

B. Restart your computer and try publishing without signing in

C. Sign in to your Tableau Public account inside Tableau Desktop and try publishing again

D. Delete the workbook and create a new one

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the cause of the error

   The error indicates you are not signed in, which is required to publish to Tableau Public.

2. Step 2: Correct the issue by signing in

   Signing in inside Tableau Desktop allows you to authenticate and publish your workbook successfully.

3. Final Answer:

   Sign in to your Tableau Public account inside Tableau Desktop and try publishing again -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Sign in to fix publishing errors [OK]

Hint: Always sign in before publishing to avoid errors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring the sign-in requirement
• Restarting without signing in
• Trying unrelated export options

5. You want to publish a dashboard to Tableau Public but keep some data private. Which approach is best?

hard

A. Remove or anonymize sensitive data before publishing the workbook

B. Publish normally and trust Tableau Public to hide private data

C. Publish the workbook and then delete it immediately

D. Publish the workbook but set a password to restrict access

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Tableau Public's privacy model

   Tableau Public makes all published content visible to everyone; it does not support private or password-protected workbooks.

2. Step 2: Choose a method to protect sensitive data

   Removing or anonymizing sensitive data before publishing ensures private information is not exposed.

3. Final Answer:

   Remove or anonymize sensitive data before publishing the workbook -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Protect privacy by cleaning data before publishing [OK]

Hint: Clean sensitive data before publishing to keep it private [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming Tableau Public hides private data automatically
• Trying to password-protect Tableau Public workbooks
• Publishing then deleting to hide data