Clean Data With Tableau Agent
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Describe how to launch Tableau Agent.
- Identify the top transformations that Tableau Agent in Tableau Prep can do.
- Describe how to get the best results from Tableau Agent.
Connect to Your Data
Before Tableau Agent can work its magic, you need to get your data ready. Simply open Tableau Prep and connect to your data sources, bringing the necessary tables into the Flow canvas. This is where you start building your data flow.
Launch Tableau Agent
OK, your data’s all set–time to call in Tableau Agent. You can find the Tableau Agent icon in the toolbar in Tableau Prep Builder or Tableau Prep Web Authoring next to Alerts in the flow pane. Or you can launch it from the Calculation dialog by clicking on a clean step, selecting Create Calculated Field, and then choosing Create with Tableau Agent.
You won’t see the icon to launch Tableau Agent until you’ve signed into a Tableau Cloud site that has Tableau+ and Tableau Agent for Tableau Prep turned on by your admin.
Describe Your Task
Now for the really cool part–talking to Tableau Agent. Instead of wrestling with complex menus, you simply describe the data cleaning actions you want using natural language.
Tableau Agent simplifies those often tedious data cleaning tasks by allowing you to communicate the end result that you’re trying to achieve.
For example, say you have a dataset that has separate fields for Order year, month, and day and Ship year, month and day. What you really want is two fields, one for Order Date and one for Ship Date. Instead of creating calculations to concatenate the fields, then performing separate actions to remove the duplicate fields, you can simply type the following into the conversation pane: Can you help me create a field for “Order Date” and “Ship Date”?
Tableau Agent intelligently interprets your request and proposes a sequence of actions to achieve this. This natural language interaction makes data preparation more intuitive and accessible, even for users who might not be deeply familiar with the intricacies of data transformation functions.
Handle Complex Transformations
But wait, there's more! Tableau Agent isn't just for the simple stuff. It's got a whole toolkit of powerful transformations, including:
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Creating calculated fields: Creating new information from existing data.
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Filtering data: Focusing on a subset of your data.
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Removing fields: Removing unnecessary columns to simplify your dataset.
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Changing data types: Ensuring columns are formatted correctly for analysis by updating them when necessary (such as converting text to dates or numbers).
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Quick cleaning operations: Performing common data fixes like converting to uppercase/lowercase or trimming whitespace.
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Splitting values: Splitting combined values in a single column into separate columns.
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Resolving duplicates: Identifying and removing duplicates to make sure each value is unique, giving a true picture of your data.
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Filling in missing values: Filling in gaps in sequential data.
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Pivoting your data: Pivoting your data from columns to rows or rows to columns so that Tableau can evaluate it properly.
Iterative Refinement and Control
Think of working with Tableau Agent as having a conversation with your data. You make a suggestion, see the result in the Changes pane, and can easily say, 'Let's try it this way instead.' The power to tweak and refine is completely in your hands, thanks to the handy Undo and Redo buttons. This iterative approach encourages experimentation and ensures that your final dataset meets your exact requirements. Data preparation is rarely a linear process, and Tableau Agent supports this by allowing you to continuously refine the results until your data is structured just the way you want it for your analysis.
Getting the Most Out of Tableau Agent
To get the best results from Tableau Agent, here are a few pointers.
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Use Tableau Agent in a specific step: Tableau Agent focuses on the current step you've selected. If you need to clean data in different parts of your flow, you'll work with it one step at a time.
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Be explicit: The clearer you are with your requests, the better Tableau Agent can understand you. Starting with phrases like “Create a calculation that…” can really help in getting results that match what you’re looking to do.
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Hide irrelevant fields: Hide fields you don’t need to remove unnecessary clutter. Tableau Agent won’t use hidden fields. This helps Tableau Agent focus on the right data.
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Use specific terminology in your requests: The more descriptive you are in your request, the better Tableau Agent is at providing the right answer.
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Break down complex tasks: Break down your tasks into parts and iterate. For example:
- <Task 1> Split my Flight field into "Flight", "Date", "Price", and "Destination".
- <Task 2> Change the data type for "Price" to decimal and the "Date" field to Date and Time.
- <Task 1> Split my Flight field into "Flight", "Date", "Price", and "Destination".
Tableau Agent is your smart, helpful sidekick for data prep. It speaks your language, suggests smart actions to help you clean your data, and keeps your data safe. Tableau Agent transforms complex data tasks into simple, natural language requests, drastically cutting down data preparation time and making advanced data cleaning operations accessible to everyone. Get ready to take advantage of the power of natural language and make data prep smoother and more intuitive.