Even though since you’ve clicked on this article you probably know what is Tableau, we’ll quickly remind you. Tableau is an advanced analytics and data visualization platform for data analysts, data-driven enterprises and Big Data companies who live and breathe data analysis.
Data visualization is a process of turning data into a visual representation, usually in the form of charts, graphs, and various shaped diagrams. Find out how to connect data sources in Tableau below in order to then create your Tableau sales dashboards.
To get easy-to-read information on data visualization, its types, tasks it resolves, what makes data visualization effective and more review our free, thorough article here – What is Data Visualization and Its Role for Business Growth.
Why Measure Expenses & Sales using Tableau?
Here’s a Tableau data visualization question you might wonder. Why is it important to have info about the profit, revenue, and expenses of a given company in a convenient, appropriate arrangement?
Because a company’s profitability is the main way to measure business effectiveness. Information on how to manage your profit and your expenses allows you to estimate how much money you can invest in growth. It helps business owners determine which areas require extra finances and which should be discontinued.
Without proper Tableau data visualizations of measured sales and expenses, it is close to impossible to understand if launching an ad campaign is actually effective, which of the ad campaigns are bringing the most customers and which – the least.
Advantages of using Tableau Data Visualization
Of course, you can use old methods of data visualization like Excel, or Google spreadsheets, but in this case, you will have to:
- perform a lot of manual actions in order to receive the required data and build sales and expenses charts
- regularly check if formulas in your spreadsheet are working properly and not broken
- gather information from different sources on your own and combine all collected data into a single spreadsheet
By using Tableau data visualization software you are able to easily connect data from different sources, create calculated fields in a comfortable way, and change the view of your data visualization dashboards without much effort. Any Tableau sales dashboard is then created with ease.
Getting overwhelmed?
Breathe out, contact InsightWhale and we’ll take care of all the set up for you 😉
How to Connect Data Sources – Google Ads, Google Spreadsheets, Quickbooks – to Tableau?
Before measuring your sales and expenses in the Tableau data visualization tool, it’s crucial to connect data sources and import the necessary financial data into your Tableau sales dashboard.
Here are the data sources you may have with instructions on how to connect data sources in Tableau:
Google Ads
Start Tableau > Connect > Google Ads > enter an email address > Next > enter your password > Allow > select Filter relevant to you and Campaign Report Type > select the date you want to analyze > Segment > Day > Connect.
Then go to Data source pane > Performance Trends > Sample > Google Ads Data > Replace Data Source.
Done!
Google Spreadsheets
Start Tableau > Connect > Google Sheets > Sign in > Next > to enter your password > select account > Allow > close the browser window > select a Google Sheet > Connect.
To continue connecting Google Spreadsheets data source to Tableau sales analytics, go to Go to Data source page > select the default data source name > enter a unique data source name for use in Tableau. In case your Google Sheets file has only one table > Sheet. All complete.
Quickbooks or another similar system
To connect Quickbooks data source to Tableau sales analytics, go to Tableau > Connect > Intuit QuickBooks Online > enter your email address/user ID and QuickBooks password > Sign In > Authorise.
Go to Data source page > select the default data source name > enter a unique data source name for use in Tableau. In case your Google Sheets file has only one table > Sheet.
Go to Table > select & drag table to the top of the canvas > select Sheet 1 > According to Tableau itself, Tableau Desktop only supports data extracts for QuickBooks Online.
All 3 Tableau connectors are now set up – Good job!
Conclusion
Congratulations! Now you know how to connect data sources – Google Ads, Google Spreadsheets, and Quickbooks – to Tableau data visualizations platform.
Tableau best practices are other data visualization software comparisons are also described in our other articles you should definitely check out here:
