Step 1: Install Tableau

When people say that they created something using "Tableau," they are using a nickname to refer to one of the many tools created by the Tableau software company. These tools generally have the same functionality, but are scaled for different purposes (i.e. there is a desktop version for personal use and a server version for large companies). The two most common tools are Tableau Desktop and Tableau Public.

Tableau Desktop

Tableau Desktop is the preferred tool for personal use and is a pay-to-use software for which Northeastern does not currently have a university-wide license. However, as a student or instructor at an academic institution, you can apply for a free one-year license from Tableau using the buttons below.

Apply for Tableau Desktop as a student OR Apply for Tableau Desktop as an instructor

After applying, you should receive an email from Tableau with further instructions for downloading and installing the software. If you are not granted a free license for Tableau Desktop, you can consider using Tableau Public instead. If you don't receive an email right away, you can still proceed with the tutorial by downloading a temporary free trial using the button below.

  Download Tableau Desktop free trial  

Tableau Public

Tableau Public is a free-to-use tool that is widely considered a good alternative to the pay-to-use Tableau Desktop. However, please note that Tableau Public has the word “public” in the name because any work conducted in the tool is saved to Tableau Public’s server and is publicly accessible by anyone on the internet. This means that you should only use Tableau Public for non-sensitive, public-facing data. To use Tableau Public, click the button below and follow Tableau's instructions for creating an account and setting up the software.

  Create an account for Tableau Public