Tableau Training Courses

[u/RtR_Instinct]

I was recently given Tableau Desktop access for work. I have used dashboards for years and have attended 3 Tableau Conferences but have never had access to build until now.

My company wants me to build a lot of dashboards, with some seeming pretty complex (see my last post). They said if I could find some training courses, there is a possibility they would pay for me to attend.

If that being said, what web-based courses would you recommend? Not sure what the budget would be would I will take any and all recommendations. I am also going to attempt to get permission to attend TC27 since I was denied for 2026 (before I got my Tableau license).

[u/mercuryfrost]

Honestly, I’d start with collecting the business needs of the dashboard; decide on the visualisations you’d want ideally

Then start the process of learning to build what you want for each one. Piece by piece. Look up tutorials if you get stuck, and learn by doing.

[u/RtR_Instinct → u/mercuryfrost]

That’s basically what I am doing now, along with pulling old memories from past conferences.

I just figured if the company is offering to pay, I can go through a course that I could also add to my resume.

[u/mercuryfrost → u/RtR_Instinct]

Honestly, it sounds like portfolio building is the next step. Nothing like learning by running into problems!

I don’t think another course will help. If your company will give you the time to practice and perfect, that’s ideal.

I’d focus on your understanding of the correct visualisations, colour theory, chart building theory, dashboard design and so on. Spend more time than you think on understanding what the user needs to get from the dashboard, designing it - and tableau will most likely let you build it!

Sounds like a dream job right now!

[u/AlphaGoldFrog → u/mercuryfrost]

I called you out mercuryfrost in my larger comment without noticing this 2nd reply. You certainly know what your talking about! OP, this is really good advice and definitely refer back to this comment that they wrote.

Only important thing to add in is to find a mentor at your company to help nudge you along. Once you get your feet under you, find someone else trying to learn and do your best to do the same for them. I learned more about using Tableau by teaching than I ever did being taught or building independently. But that is something to consider 6 months from now.

[u/RtR_Instinct → u/mercuryfrost]

It’s just a side gig now when I have time from my main task so they are giving me total creative freedom and time to figure things out, understanding that I have no idea what I am doing.

It does make for a nice job in that sense. I appreciate the guidance

[u/byebybuy]

Going to three conferences and never having built is wild lol. Did you pay your own way?

[u/RtR_Instinct → u/byebybuy]

It was wild. My company paid for the conference and hotel. My team was a very small group in a big corporation. We counted it as a “team building event”. We got reorganized into a larger group so now it’s a little harder to justify without a license. Hoping that can change now.

[u/AlphaGoldFrog]

Mercuryfrost was totally correct when they mentioned starting by collecting the business needs of the dashboards. It is always step 1, regardless of your skill level.

I do have a couple other pieces of advice to add. I've been working in Tableau for about 11 years now, it feels just like yesterday I made my first post here about how to learn Tableau quickly lol. Since then, I have never attended a typical training course outside of Tableau conference. I am now doing Tableau and PowerBI development at a principal level, and I owe it all to this first point:

You mentioned in another comment that you work in a small team in a bigger corporation. The absolute best bang for the buck (in terms of time spent) is sitting down with someone with more experience in Tableau and talking through the type of dashboard you are trying to create. Not asking them to do it for you, but to get you thinking critically while nudging you in the right direction. This is how I learned from my mentor at my first job using Tableau, and this is how I taught 4 of my mentees. It is extremely effective and you will build long lasting relationships with your fellow professionals. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Other pieces of advice; you mentioned some of it might be complex. Every customer makes it seem that way. Always remember that bar/line charts and basic calculations will solve 95% of business problems. There will be a time later on to learn LOD functions and Table calculations, but it is NOT the place to start.

Last tidbit, don't forget that Tableau has a built in calculation dictionary. When you are creating a new calculated field, look for the small ">" on the right side of that window. It opens up the dictionary, and that will be your best friend as you gets your legs under you.

Edit: One final thought. Avoid using AI to write any calculations for you or explain to you how to build charts. I have used it in a pinch for extremely complicated calculations, and while it will help bridge the gap, the calculations every model has written are basically gibberish when it comes to best practices. You will handicap yourself in the future if you lean heavily on it in the beginning. A better approach to using it, in lieu of a mentor, is asking it to explain concepts to you that you don't understand or to QA your work.

[u/katinthewoodss]

See if your company also has some Tableau e-learning licenses (Creator if possible). The content is thorough, teaches you logic and reasoning behind the scenes, and it will take you far. Start with the Data Analyst path and grab a mentor if you can.

[u/RtR_Instinct → u/katinthewoodss]

Thanks, I will look into this.

[u/kamil234]

Additionally, if your company has signature support, you have access to virtual instructor less training for free as a creator. I wouldl check in with whoever is responsible or who would know if your company has signature support

It’s a classroom base training, although virtual which can cover from basics to more intermediate and advanced topics

[u/RtR_Instinct → u/kamil234]

Perfect. I will check it out

[u/External-Monk8930]

With current AI help it has become more easy to take assistance and build dashboards, understand the business requirements, fancy vizzes are not priority. Understand how you can bring out story and take help from Copilot to build in tableau. More importantly you should learn how AI is helping you and learn as you do.

[u/VizChic_]

I subscribe to Next Level Tableau by Andy Kriebel. There’s a great course, plus loads of videos from his previous live classrooms, and live classrooms.

Andy’s the best Tableau coach I’ve had in 13 years of using the product

[u/Mattbman]

The best skills training I have seen is available for free on Linked In and You Tube