Using Tableau Software for Financial Analysis

Robert RouseAnalytics Consultant, InterWorks, Inc.

Agenda

• What is Visual Analytics?

• Tableau Overview and Demo

• Comparing Values: KPIs, Prior Period, Plan, Budget, etc.

• Checking Data Quality

“Visual analytics is the representation and presentation of data that exploits our visual perception abilities in order to amplify cognition”

– Andy Kirk, author of “Data Visualization: a successful design process”

• Sharing data in meaningful and insightful ways

• Using knowledge of human understanding to show the ‘best’ view for users

• Creating informative yet concise visualizations

What is Visual Analytics?

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How Many 9s?

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Now?

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Pre-Attentive Visual Attributes

Source: Stephen Few, Tapping the Power of Visual Perception https://www.perceptualedge.com/articles/ie/visual_perception.pdf

Let’s Use Visual Analytics!

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When we use visual analytics, it is easy to see we have 10nines.

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Visual Analytics in PracticeA Sample Case Study

Can you answer?

• Which Product Type has the highest Profit?

• Which State has the highest Budget Profit?

• What percent of Profit in each Region is over budget?

• What is the trend of Profit over time?

NOT REAL DATA

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Visualization Makes It Clear

Which Product Type has the highest Profit?

NOT REAL DATA

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TableauDemo

Comparing Values

See Chapter 8

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© InterWorks

© InterWorks

Data Quality

CAPEX and O&M Projection Variances – Old Way

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CAPEX and O&M Projection Variances, Visualized

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