Getting Started with Tableau Prep Builder

The whole reason why Jonathan and I created Preppin’ Data was to give people more experience with Tableau Prep Builder and Data Preparation more generally. But what if you have no experience at all? How do you start? Read on to find a simple roadmap to get started with Tableau Prep Builder.

So what is Tableau Prep Builder?
Available for Windows and Mac Operating Systems, Tableau Prep Builder is designed to allow you clean, join and transform data so it is easier to analyse (probably in Tableau). Like any data preparation, you will transform the data in a step-by-step approach. Often data preparation feels like a logic puzzle and we have designed Preppin’ Data to recreate that approach. 

Have you got step-by-step instructions to follow? 
Sure: 
1. Read Tableau’s description of Prep Builder


Go to: https://www.tableau.com/products/prep to get an overview of what Tableau Prep Builder is designed to enable you to do.

2. Download the latest version of Prep Builder
This is available on the same site. Just click on any of the ‘Free Trial’ links or go to here to get the latest version: https://www.tableau.com/products/prep/download

If you are not sure which is the latest version, then go to https://www.tableau.com/support/releases/prep to get the latest version for you.

3. Training Videos

The 67 minutes of training videos are absolutely invaluable: https://www.tableau.com/learn/training#prep
They will help you to get started, walk you through the interface and then use the different features of Prep. You can watch these in bitesize chunks so don’t worry if you haven’t got just over an hour to get started.

4. Latest updates
The Tableau Prep development team are somehow releasing new magic each month. Functionality is being added in to the tool as quickly as we can learn to use it (which is pretty quick thankfully). Stay tuned by keeping an eye on Tableau’s blog to see when new functionality is added.

If you have other questions then feel free to comment here and I will add to this guide as required. Happy Preppin’!

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