Using an extract filter is an effective way to reduce the amount of data in a Tableau extract. Extract filters allow you to specify a subset of the data to include, which can significantly decrease the size of the extract by excluding unnecessary data. This is particularly useful when you only need partial data from a larger SQL Server data source.

For modeling shipping costs based on varying vendor contracts and ensuring speed in dashboard performance, the suggested approach involves:

Calculated Field with Parameter: Utilize a calculated field that dynamically references a user-selected parameter for the shipping vendor. This parameter adjusts the cost calculations based on selected vendor characteristics (like volume and speed).

Aggregate Results: After calculating individual shipping costs, aggregate these costs to provide a concise, summarized view of potential expenses for the upcoming week. This method ensures the dashboard remains performant by reducing the load of processing individual line items in real-time.

Why This Works: By using parameters and calculated fields, the dashboard can quickly adapt to user inputs without needing to re-query the entire dataset. Aggregating the results further improves performance and user experience by simplifying the output.

References

This strategy leverages Tableau's capability to handle dynamic calculations with parameters and is recommended for scenarios where performance and user-driven interaction are priorities. Tableau’s performance optimization resources and dashboard design guidelines detail these techniques.

To visualize the path students take as they change majors across different grade levels, a Sankey Diagram is highly effective. This type of visualization illustrates the flow and quantity between different stages or categories:

Sankey Diagram: It allows for a visual representation of students' movements between majors over time. Each flow's thickness is proportional to the number of students moving from one major to another, giving a clear, immediate visual cue of major popularity and student migration patterns.

To create a Sankey Diagram in Tableau, you typically need to prepare the data specifically for this type of chart. The data must include source (starting major), target (ending major), and the value (number of students). It often requires custom calculations and data reshaping to get the data in a format that a Sankey can use.

Once the data is prepared, you can use a combination of calculated fields, path binning, and line charts to simulate the flow effect in Tableau. External plugins or web-based integrations might also be employed for more direct implementations.

References

Sankey Diagrams are not natively supported in Tableau but can be implemented through creative use of data preparation and calculations, as suggested in advanced Tableau user communities and demonstrated in various Tableau public galleries.

To shape the data in the "US Population Estimates" data source and enter the total number of records into the "Total Records" parameter in Tableau Desktop, follow these steps:

Open the CC Workbook and Access the Worksheet:

From the desktop, double-click on the CC workbook to open it in Tableau Desktop.

Navigate to the Population worksheet by selecting its tab at the bottom of the window.

Format and Shape the Data:

Ensure the data types match those specified in the requirements: Sex, Origin, Race as strings; Year, Age, Population as whole numbers.

To verify or change the data type, click on the dropdown arrow next to each field name in the Data pane and select "Change Data Type" if necessary.

Calculate Total Number of Records:

Create a new calculated field named "Total Records". To do this, right-click in the Data pane and select "Create Calculated Field".

Enter the formula COUNT([Record ID]) or SUM([Number of Records]) depending on how the data source identifies each row uniquely.

Drag this new calculated field onto the worksheet to display the total number of records.

Enter the Value into the Total Records Parameter:

Locate the "Total Records" parameter in the Data pane. Right-click on the parameter and select "Edit".

Manually enter the number displayed from the calculated field into the parameter, ensuring accuracy to meet the data shaping requirement.

Save Your Changes:

From the File menu, click 'Save' to ensure all your changes are stored.

To compute the required calculations and update the worksheet in Tableau Desktop, follow these steps:

Compute Average Sales by Segment for Each Category and Year:

Open the CC workbook and navigate to the Categorical Sales worksheet.

Drag the 'Sales' field to the Rows shelf if it's not already there.

Drag the 'Segment' field to the Rows shelf as well, placing it next to 'Category' and 'Year'.

Right-click on the 'Sales' field in the Rows shelf and select 'Quick Table Calculation' > 'Average'. This will compute the average sales for each segment within each category and year.

Create a Calculation for Year-over-Year Percentage Change:

Right-click in the data pane and select 'Create Calculated Field'.

Name the calculated field something descriptive, e.g., "YoY Sales Change".

Enter the formula to calculate the year-over-year percentage change:

(ZN(SUM([Sales])) - LOOKUP(ZN(SUM([Sales])), -1)) / ABS(LOOKUP(ZN(SUM([Sales])), -1))

Click 'OK' to save the calculated field.

Replace the Original Measure with the Year-over-Year Percentage Change in the Crosstab:

Remove the original 'Sales' measure from the view by dragging it off the Rows shelf.

Drag the newly created "YoY Sales Change" calculated field to the Rows shelf where the 'Sales' field was originally.

Format the "YoY Sales Change" field to display as a percentage. Right-click on the field in the Rows shelf, select 'Format', and adjust the number format to percentage.

Save Your Changes:

From the File menu, click 'Save' to ensure all your changes are stored.

To complete the Pareto chart in the "City Pareto" worksheet of your Tableau Desktop and add reference lines to illustrate how the data compares to the Pareto principle, follow these steps:

Open the CC Workbook and Access the Worksheet:

From the desktop, double-click on the CC workbook to open it in Tableau Desktop.

Navigate to the City Pareto worksheet by selecting its tab at the bottom of the window.

Construct the Pareto Chart:

Ensure that sales data is aggregated by city. If not, drag the 'City' dimension to the Columns shelf and the 'Sales' measure to the Rows shelf.

Sort the sales data in descending order to properly align the cities according to their sales contribution.

To create a running total of sales, right-click on the 'Sales' measure on the Rows shelf, select 'Quick Table Calculation', and choose 'Running Total'.

Drag the 'Number of Records' field to the Rows shelf next to the Sales running total. Right-click on it, select 'Quick Table Calculation', and choose 'Running Total'. Set its calculation to 'Percent of Total' from the 'Edit Table Calculation' option to represent the percentage of cities.

Add Reference Lines for the Pareto Principle:

Click on the Analytics tab in the sidebar.

Drag a 'Reference Line' element and drop it onto the chart area.

Set the Reference Line for the Sales axis at 80% to represent the typical Pareto cutoff where 80% of effects come from 20% of causes.

Add another Reference Line on the axis representing the percentage of cities, set at 20%, to visually assess the Pareto principle.

Adjust the Appearance of the Chart:

Format the reference lines by right-clicking on them, selecting 'Edit', and choosing a distinct style or color to make them stand out.

Ensure the chart is clear and labels are appropriately adjusted for easy understanding of the data visualization.

Save Your Changes:

From the File menu, click 'Save' to ensure all your changes are stored.

To record the performance of the Property Transactions dashboard in the NYC Property Transactions.twbx workbook and analyze it using a bar chart, follow these detailed steps:

Open the NYC Property Transactions Workbook:

From the desktop, double-click the NYC Property Transactions.twbx workbook to open it in Tableau Desktop.

Start Performance Recording:

Before doing anything else, navigate to the 'Help' menu in Tableau Desktop.

Select 'Settings and Performance', then choose 'Start Performance Recording'.

Open the Property Transactions Dashboard and Reset Filters:

Navigate to the Property Transactions dashboard within the workbook.

Reset all filters to show all values. This usually involves selecting the dropdown on each filter and choosing 'All' or using a 'Reset' button if available.

Stop the Performance Recording:

Go back to the 'Help' menu.

Choose 'Settings and Performance', then select 'Stop Performance Recording'.

Tableau will automatically open a new tab displaying the performance recording results.

Save the Performance Recording:

In the performance recording results tab, go to the 'File' menu.

Click 'Save As' and navigate to the C:\CC\Data\ directory.

Save the file, ensuring it is stored in the desired location.

Create a New Worksheet for Performance Analysis:

Return to the NYC Property Transactions workbook and create a new worksheet by clicking on the 'New Worksheet' icon.

Drag the 'Command Name' field to the Columns shelf.

Drag the 'Elapsed Time' field to the Rows shelf.

Ensure that the 'Worksheet' field is also included in the analysis to break down the time by individual sheets within the dashboard.

Choose 'Bar Chart' from the 'Show Me' options to display the data as a bar chart.

Customize and Finalize the Bar Chart:

Adjust the axes and labels to clearly display the information.

Format the chart to enhance readability, applying color coding or sorting as needed to emphasize sheets with longer load times.

Save Your Work:

Once the new worksheet and the performance recording are complete, ensure all work is saved.

Navigate to the 'File' menu and click 'Save', confirming that changes are stored in the workbook.