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Tableau Prep for Data Analysis & Business Intelligence

Name: Tableau Prep for Data Analysis & Business Intelligence
Rating: 4.5 (1101 reviews)

Learn Tableau Prep + Prep Builder for data cleaning, analytics & business intelligence, w/ a top Tableau instructor!

Created byMaven Analytics (2,000,000+ Learners), Dustin Cabral | Tableau & Data Visualization Expert

Last updated 6/2026

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Build professional-quality data flows with Tableau Prep
Combine, shape, clean, and prepare raw data for analysis
Learn the same tools used by professional business intelligence analysts and data scientists
Showcase your skills with unique course projects & assignments (with step-by-step solutions)
Explore unique data sets and case studies (Retail, Restaurants, Banking & HR)
Learn from a best-selling instructor, featured author, and award-winning Tableau developer

Course content

8 sections • 73 lectures • 5h 38m total length

Course Structure & Outline2:04
READ ME: Important Notes for New Students2:13
DOWNLOAD: Course Resources0:31
Introducing The Course Project2:43
Setting Expectations1:17
Set clear expectations for mastering Tableau Prep Builder as a foundation for data cleansing and preparation, while noting course limits and that data visualization is covered in separate courses.

Meet Tableau Prep0:55
Tableau User Roles1:28
Downloading Tableau Prep2:04
Tableau Prep Workspace2:38
Explore the Tableau Prep workspace, including connections, flow, profile, and data grid panes; connect to local servers and publish data sources, profile data, and preview with instant feedback.
Visual Dictionary5:07
Example Flow Diagram2:04
PRO TIP: Data Design3:58
Learn a pro tip on data design for Tableau Prep, focusing on audience, use case, and performance to choose vertical, wide, or aggregated views for optimized analysis.
Introducing Tableau Prep

Connecting to Data1:04
Data Connection Types1:35
Explore Tableau Prep data connection types, linking to flat files, servers, and published data sources like Tableau Server and Tableau Online, enabling ingestion from Excel, CSV, SQL, Salesforce, and more.
Data Connection Examples13:29
Wildcard Unions8:23
Explore wild card unions in Tableau Prep to batch import files from a directory at the input stage, using matching patterns and subfolder options, with database limitations noted.
PRO TIP: Input Joins3:43
Learn how to use input joins in Tableau Prep by leveraging linked keys, including primary and foreign keys, to join related tables earlier in the data flow for faster analysis.
Input Cleaning6:46
Apply input cleaning up front to remove fields, set data types, rename fields, preserve leading zeros with string types, and apply boolean filters for faster, cleaner data flow.
Text Configuration4:02
configure text file inputs in tableau prep by setting headers, delimiters, qualifiers, encoding, and locale, with options to auto generate field names and post-input cleaning.
Data Sampling5:22
Explore data sampling in Tableau Prep to optimize performance by choosing sample size and method, balancing speed and representativeness, with options like random sample, quick select, and use all data.
Refreshing Data5:03
Learn how to refresh data in a Tableau Prep flow when data changes. Use refresh, edit connection, or, as a last resort, remove and re-add the input.
ASSIGNMENT: Connecting to Data0:51
Open Tableau Prep Builder and connect to the “World Happiness – 2020.csv”Union the 2020 – 2015 files together from the homework 1 folder INSIDE your input table
Note: Do you need to use a matching pattern for these csv files? Can this be done in multiple ways?
Update your sample settings to include all data in the datasets
Include ONLY those fieldslisted below in the flow:
Country
Region
Happiness Rank
Happiness Score
Overall Rank
Ladder Score
File Paths
Change “Happiness Rank” to String Type
Rename “Overall Rank” to “Overall Happiness Rank”
Filter the data to include only records where the “Happiness Score” is greater than 7
Refresh ALL data sets in the flow to ensure all data is up to date
SOLUTION: Connecting to Data4:14
Connect to data sources in Tableau Prep by importing text files, performing a wildcard union, selecting and renaming fields, applying a happiness score filter greater than seven.
Connecting to Data

Examining & Filtering1:19
Examine and filter data with Tableau Prep's visual interface after linking to sources. Profile distributions, review data types and size, and sort to reveal gaps and outliers before cleansing.
Data Types & Sizes6:26
Explore data types and sizes in Tableau Prep by adding a clean step to profile fields, row counts, and unique values. Adjust data types in the clean step for profiling.
Value Distribution4:48
Profile data distributions in Tableau Prep using summary and detail views to visualize bins, identify null values and outliers, and understand how view states shape data representation.
Finding Fields & Values3:43
Learn to find specific fields and values in Tableau Prep using search bars and field search options, then filter with keep only or exclude and use advanced search options.
Sorting & Moving Profile Cards3:28
Sort bins by count or domain and drag profile cards to reorder them, using the black line to drop without merging fields.
Highlighting3:37
Filtering Methods7:58
ASSIGNMENT: Examining & Filtering1:02
1) Open Tableau Prep Builder and connect to the “indian_food.csv”

2) Add a clean step to the flow using the automatic prompt (manual if version does not support)

3) Find the exact number of rows and fields in the data set. (answer – 255 rows, 9 fields)

4) Find the number of states that the dishes originate from. (answer – 25 States)

5)Examine the field types found in the dataset. How many string fields are there? (answer – 7 Fields)

6) Look at the Prep Time and Cook Time value distributions. Using the detail view, what is the most common prep time and cook time? (answer – Prep Time: 10 Minutes, Cook Time: 30 Minutes)

7)Using the search function, find the dish that has lime in it (Sai’s favorite is lime). Which dish is it? (answer – Petha)

8)Sort region field descending – which is the region with the most dishes? (answer – West)

9) Move the Prep Time and Cook Time fields to the right-most fields in the dataset.
10) Using highlighting, which state has the most “sweet” flavor profile dishes? (answer – West Bengal)
11)Filter the data down to Sai’s preferences based on the below:
Use Keep Only to limit the data to desserts only
Use Select Values filter to limit the data to Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal states only
Use a calculation filter to limit the data to dishes that take 25 minutes or less to cook
What are the remaining dishes that Sai will use for his initial foodtruck menu? (answer – Balu shahi, Cheera Doi, Phirni, Sandesh)
SOLUTION: Examining & Filtering5:23
Explore examining and filtering in tableau prep by connecting to the Indian food csv, inspecting fields, and applying dessert and state filters, cook time under 25 minutes.
Examining & Filtering

Operations & Calculations1:21
Explore operations and calculations in Tableau Prep to clean and transform data using value and field operations, calculated fields, and level-of-detail calculations such as rank across tables and partitions.
Value & Field Operations1:58
Master value and field operations in Tableau Prep for data analysis and business intelligence. Learn to manipulate records, fields, and values with filters, keep and remove, rename, and clean steps.
Clean Step Layouts3:34
Explore the clean step layout in Tableau Prep, learning where to apply cleaning and calculation operations via the profile pane, data grid, or top toolbar.
PRO TIP: Pausing Data Updates3:13
Pause data updates with the cylinder icon to optimize Tableau Prep flows, switching to list view and avoiding recalculation until you resume.
Value Operations1:15
Explore Tableau Prep value operations to filter, clean, group, and split values in your fields, with recommendations for automatic data preparation.
Value Operations | Clean4:30
Apply cleaning value operations in Tableau Prep to change text case, remove characters, and trim spaces for fields like school name to create a clean, unique list before unions.
Value Operations | Manual Grouping6:41
Learn to manually group text values in Tableau Prep with multi-select or checkbox selections, and pre-add new values marked by a red asterisk for future data.
Value Operations | Automatic Grouping7:23
Value Operations | Split Values5:25
Master split values in Tableau Prep by applying automatic or custom delimiters to fields, generating calculations with trim, and preparing district and school name splits for clean joins and unions.
Value Operations | Edit5:38
Learn to edit values directly in Tableau Prep using double click, right click, and grouping to correct inaccuracies, standardize variations, alias values, and replace with nulls when needed.
Value Operations | Convert Dates4:55
Convert dates in Tableau Prep to standardize formats and extract date parts without calculated fields, including year, quarter, month, week, day, and custom fiscal year options.
Field Operations | Field Types3:48
Explore how to customize field types in Tableau Prep, choosing number decimal, number whole, date and time, date, or string, and understand their impact on calculations, joins, and downstream visuals.
Field Operations | Data Roles4:25
Field Operations | Cleaning11:39
Calculated Fields9:20
Learn to create calculated fields in Tableau Prep using standard and visual editors, including fixed lod calculations and rank calculations, with examples like district name and FTE count bins.
Level of Detail Calculations10:46
Master level of detail calculations in Tableau Prep by fixing on a grain such as year or district to compute aggregates, using either calculated fields or the visual editor.
Analytic Calculations | Rank7:00
PRO TIP: Copy & Paste4:13
PRO TIP: Reusable Flow Steps3:08
Learn to create, save as a flow or package, and import reusable flow steps in Tableau Prep, publish to server with publisher credentials, and insert flows from files or workspace.
ASSIGNMENT: Operations & Calculations0:53
1) Open Tableau Prep Builder and connect to the “OSMI 2019 Mental Health in Tech Survey Results” dataset (CSV File)

2) Add clean step to the flow > Swap to list view to review the column names (questions) and their responses and swap back to the profile pane once complete.

3) Update the “What country do you *live*” in to be uppercase format.

4) Group the “Do you *currently* have a mental disorder*” field values “Yes” and “Possibly” into “Probably” and “Don’t Know” and “Know” into “Probably Not”.

5) Split the “How many employees does your company or organization have?” into two columns. Rename the split 1 to “Min Employees” and split 2 to “Max Employees”.

6) Edit the values with “N/A” in them in the “Were you aware of the options for mental health care provided by your previous employers?” column to be“NA – Not Aware” and “NA – Not Offered”.

7) Update the “Overall, how much importance does your employer place on physical health?” column to be String Type.

8) Assign a Country/Region data role to the “What country do you *work* in?” field. Which entry does not match the data role? (Hint – Other)

9) Remove the “What is your race?” field.
SOLUTION: Operations & Calculations7:24
Operations & Calculations

Combining & Pivoting1:21
Combine Data | Union6:37
Master combining data in Tableau Prep using unions to stack records from multiple tables, create a unique school district year data set, and prepare data for joins.
Union Results & Common Issues9:21
Combine Data | Aggregate6:47
Combine data with the aggregate step to change granularity by grouping fields and aggregating measures. Create a cleaner and fuller data set by unioning datasets and joining them for analysis.
Combine Data | Join17:36
Explore how to create and configure joins in Tableau Prep, using inner, left, right, and outer join types to combine school and district data, and prepare fields for aggregation.
Join Results & Common Issues20:36
Explore how to review join results in Tableau Prep, resolve common join issues, fix data type and value mismatches, and clean duplicates by managing join clauses and types.
Pivot7:24
PRO TIP: Organize Your Flow4:18
ASSIGNMENT: Combining & Pivoting0:51
1. Open flow named “Combining and Pivoting_Homework_Start”

2. Union results_1, results_2, results_3 using the union step

Merge any mismatched field(s)

3. Join Races table to the union using Race ID so that all data from the union remains and only data where the Race IDs match from the races table are brought in (hint – it’s the one of the most common joins)

Fix any mismatches so that the join executes (hint, look at the Field Type of your join clauses and look for any extra letters/characters in mismatches)
Remove any fields with “-1” as they are duplicates

4. Join Drivers table to the latest join in the flow using Driver ID where only matching results are returned from both tables. (hint – this is the default join Tableau Prep uses)

Remove any fields with “-1” as they are duplicates
Add a clean step (this will be for the main consolidated source)

5. Add a columns-to-rows Pivot Step after the Drivers Table join (not the clean step) using the wildcard pivot option. Use the search term “fast” to bring in all measures with “fast in the name and perform the pivot. Rename the pivot fields to be “Fastest Measure Name” and “Fastest Measure Value”

Convert Fastest Lap to DateTime
Convert Fastest Lap speed to Number (decimal)
Convert Fastest Lap Time to DateTime

6. Add an Aggregate Step that will group the driver surname and aggregate the fastest lap speed (max type aggregation).

Hint: You may need to filter to a particular metric because of the pivot that we’ve added in the prior step
We are trying to answer the question “What is the fastest lap ever by driver?”

7. Make all of the joins and union steps “Gray” in color. Add a description to the pivot step that says “Pivot Fastest Measures”. Add a description to the clean step that says “Master consolidated source”. Group steps from “Results Union” all the way through “Drivers Join” and compress the group (enable groups if warning appears).
SOLUTION: Combining & Pivoting7:22
Combine and pivot data in Tableau Prep by uniting results, left-joining race and driver data, cleaning race-id types, and aggregating the fastest lap metrics into a master consolidated dataset.
Combining & Pivoting

Sharing & Updating0:48
Configure sharing outputs, publish data sources or updated tables in databases, preview data in Tableau Desktop, refresh flows with incremental updates, use Tableau Prep conductor to automate and save workflows.
Saving Flows2:46
Save Tableau Prep flows locally to preserve steps and data sources, using standard TFL files or package flows that bundle local extracts; export a package flow for sharing.
PRO TIP: Preview in Desktop2:02
Creating Local Extracts5:59
Create local extracts with Tableau Prep in hyper or csv formats, configure file outputs, choose write options (create table or append), and run the flow to generate named outputs.
Saving to External Databases6:20
Learn how Tableau Prep saves data to external databases as new tables or by appending or replacing existing ones, with configurable connections, schemas, and write options.
Creating Published Data Flows2:02
PREVIEW: Tableau Prep Conductor1:35
Preview how Tableau Prep Conductor automates and optimizes flows on Tableau Server and Tableau Online, enabling scheduling, browser-based editing, on-demand runs, performance monitoring, and alert notifications.
ASSIGNMENT: Sharing & Updating0:48
1) Open flow “Sharing and Updating_Homework_Start”

2) Save the flow as an unpackaged flow file (.tfl). Save the flow as a packaged flow file (.tflx).

3) From the aggregation step, preview the flow results in Tableau Desktop.

4) Output the data to the following (each output should have its own branch)

Hyper extract with create setting (name output “Hyper Create”)
Hyper extract with append setting (name output “Hyper Append”)
CSV with create setting (name output “CSV Create”)
SOLUTION: Sharing & Updating4:01
Master sharing and updating workflows in Tableau Prep by saving flows, exporting package flows, and producing hyper, csv, and database outputs for publishing to Tableau Server.
Sharing & Updating

Requirements

Tableau Prep (free 14-day trial, then $70/mo)
We'll walk through the download & installation process (you do NOT need to have Tableau Prep already installed)
Prior experience with Tableau Desktop is helpful, but not required

Description

Tableau Prep is an industry-leading data prep tool, with intuitive tools for combining, shaping, and cleaning raw data for analysis. With data prep often accounting for >80% of the data analytics workflow, these skills are critical for any analyst or business intelligence pro!

This course is a practical, hands-on, and project-based introduction to Tableau Prep and Tableau Prep Builder, designed to teach you how to connect to sources, examine and filter data, apply operations and custom calculations, join and pivot tables, and share data outputs. As always, we’ll be applying these tools to real-world business intelligence use cases every step of the way.

Throughout the course, you’ll be playing the role of Data Analyst for Maven Charter Schools, an up-and-coming private institution. Your mission? Use Tableau Prep, and the skills you learn throughout the course, to prepare data from a variety of sources, including teacher pay, SAT scores, graduation rates, and more.

But don't worry, we'll be guiding you each step of the way, with crystal clear explanations and helpful pro tips to help you build your Tableau Prep skills.

We'll start with how to connect and configure sources, and apply operations for grouping, splitting and cleaning data. From there, we'll create custom LOD and analytic calculations, and use tools to join, aggregate and transform tables. Finally, we'll review options for saving, updating, and publishing data outputs, along with tools to automate and share flows built with Tableau Prep.

COURSE OUTLINE:

Introducing Tableau Prep
- Tableau Prep download, user roles, workspace, visual dictionary, data design, etc.
Connecting to Data
- Connection types, unions & joins, data sampling, refreshing data, etc.
Examining & Filtering
- Data types & sizes, value distribution, highlighting, filtering methods, etc.
Operations & Calculations
- Value & field operations, clean step layouts, calculated fields, LOD calculations, etc.
Combining & Pivoting
- Union & join, aggregate, pivot, organize your flow, etc.
Sharing & Updating
- Desktop preview, local extracts, published data sources, external databases, etc.

Throughout the course, you’ll come across unique opportunities to put your Tableau data prep and analysis skills to the test, like consolidating World Happiness data, profiling Indian dish recipes, cleaning survey response data, exploring F1 race results, and more.

Whether you’re an aspiring data analyst, business intelligence professional or data scientist, or just looking to take your Tableau Prep skills to the next level, this is the course for you!

__________

Join today and get immediate, lifetime access to the following:

5+ hours of high-quality video
Tableau Prep for Business Intelligence ebook
Downloadable Tableau project files & solutions
Homework assignments & quizzes
Course Q&A forum
30-day money-back guarantee

See you in the course!

-Dustin (Featured Tableau Author & Lead Tableau Instructor, Maven Analytics)

__________

Looking for our full course library? Search "Maven Analytics" to browse our full collection of Excel, Power BI, SQL, Tableau, Python, Alteryx & Machine Learning courses!

See why our courses are among the TOP-RATED on Udemy:

"Some of the BEST courses I've ever taken. I've studied several programming languages, Excel, VBA and web dev, and Maven is among the very best I've seen!" Russ C.

"This is my fourth course from Maven Analytics and my fourth 5-star review, so I'm running out of things to say. I wish Maven was in my life earlier!" Tatsiana M.

"Maven Analytics should become the new standard for all courses taught on Udemy!" Jonah M.

Who this course is for:

Anyone looking for a hands-on, project-based introduction to Tableau Prep
Analytics or BI professionals who need to clean and prepare raw data
Aspiring data professionals looking to add Tableau skills to the resume
Anyone seeking to learn one of the industry's most popular data prep tools
Students who want a comprehensive, engaging, and highly interactive approach to training

Tableau Prep for Data Analysis & Business Intelligence

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Getting Started5 lectures • 9min

Introducing Tableau Prep7 lectures • 18min

Connecting to Data11 lectures • 55min

Examining & Filtering9 lectures • 38min

Operations & Calculations21 lectures • 1hr 48min

Combining & Pivoting10 lectures • 1hr 22min

Sharing & Updating9 lectures • 26min

Wrapping Up1 lecture • 2min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: