All Releases
Learn more about the features in past Tableau releases. Many of the features below were inspired by our very own Tableau Community. If you have an idea for a new feature, we'd love to hear it! Please post your thoughts to the Tableau Ideas Forum.
Tableau 2021.3
Tableau 2021.3 is here with new capabilities to bring efficiency to your workflows and organization at scale, so that you and your team can move faster and make more effective business decisions. Highlights include updates to Data management, Tableau notifications for Slack, and Personal Space on Tableau Server and Online.
Linked tasks with Tableau Prep Conductor
With Linked tasks in Tableau Prep Conductor, you can now schedule flows to run after one another on Tableau Server. Easily automate the orchestration of multiple flow jobs, ensuring they happen in sequence after each task completes successfully.
Generate rows with Tableau Prep
Generate a set of missing rows in a table with Tableau Prep based on dates, date times, or integers. Easily fill gaps in data to ensure downstream processes have full and complete datasets to work on, and build more accurate visualizations.
Data quality warnings in subscription emails
Get notified about potential issues with data through Data quality warnings (DQW) directly in email subscriptions. Simply click on the link in the email to go directly to the dashboard impacted by the warning, and see additional details right away within the Data Details panel.
Inherited descriptions in web authoring
With Tableau Catalog, you can now see inherited descriptions right within your web authoring flow. If a description for a field or a column exists upstream from that field or column in a data source or a workbook, you'll be able to see information about where the description is inherited from.
Tableau Notifications in Slack
With Tableau for Slack, you can stay up to date on all of your data from anywhere. With our new product integrations, you can now get notified directly in Slack for data-driven alerts, when you are @mentioned in a comment, or when someone shares content with you in Tableau.
Personal Space
Personal Space is a new, private location on Tableau Server and Online where users can save content before it’s ready to be shared with others. Users can feel comfortable exploring data and staging workbooks in their own dedicated space, and admins no longer need to create private projects for every individual to achieve this on their site. Personal Space is available to any user with an Explorer or above license.
Tableau 2021.2
Tableau 2021.2 brings the power of data to everyone across your organization so that anyone can ask questions and get answers from their data. Highlights include new experiences for Ask Data and Explain Data, Collections, and a connected Tableau Desktop experience for web authoring.
Ask Data for Viewers
We’ve broadened the reach of Ask Data by making it available to Viewers. Everyone with a Tableau license can now use Ask Data! We have a completely redefined natural language experience for business users, including seamless integration into dashboards with a new dashboard button. Additionally, a new content type, Ask Data Lenses, makes it easy to curate data with definition of column and value synonyms and suggested questions so you can better leverage existing published data sources.
Explain Data for Viewers
We’ve broadened the reach for Explain Data with a reimagined user interface optimized for deeper exploration and a wider business audience. Now available for Viewers, Explain Data makes it easier for anyone to explore and interact with data. When you select a mark and run Explain Data, Tableau proposes possible explanations for that mark based on statistical models. Explain Data gives you a jumping-off point to help you explore data more deeply and ask better questions.
Collections
Finding the data you need for your analysis has never been easier. Collections are a new way to gather the content from across your site on Tableau Online or Server and organize it to fit how you use it. Collections can contain items that span different projects and workbooks, allowing you to reuse content in multiple contexts without additional storage or resources. And, it’s easy to organize and share content around key topics such as curated resources for new users for onboarding or a center of excellence collection that includes dashboards showcasing best practices.
Connected Desktop for web authoring
Enjoy a more cohesive and flexible web authoring experience. Creators can now transition seamlessly from web authoring to Tableau Desktop with a click of a button. Start your workflow in web authoring and choose to transition to Desktop at any point in your analysis—without having to download the workbook. When you’re finished, simply save to Tableau Online or Server so your content reflects the latest changes for others in your organization.
Jumpstart your Salesforce Connection
You can now log into your Tableau Online account using Salesforce login credentials, and a newly enabled Integrations Tab makes it simple to tap into and analyze your Sales Cloud and Service Cloud data—all via a ready-to-go workbook that keeps your data fresh.
Native Datorama Connector
The Datorama Connector is now available natively out of the box in Tableau Desktop, Prep, Server, and Online. The Datorama Integration connects Tableau to Datorama, creating an easy way for customers to consume harmonized Datorama reports in Tableau.
Tableau 2021.1
Tableau 2021.1 brings exciting functionality to help your people make smarter, faster, business decisions. Highlights include Einstein Discovery in Tableau, quick LODs, and new unified notification experience.
Einstein Discovery in Tableau
Einstein Discovery in Tableau brings trusted, intuitive predictions and recommendations from Einstein Discovery to every Tableau user across your organization. Get smarter, guided decisions for every team with cutting-edge, augmented analytics in a no-code required, rapid iteration environment.
Einstein Discovery dashboard extension
Enjoy on-demand, interpretable ML predictions from Einstein Discovery natively integrated in Tableau dashboards. Users can click on one or more rows of data from a Tableau visualization to get dynamic predictions, see key drivers of predictions, and learn ways to improve predictions based on the model.
Einstein in Tableau Calcs
Feed Tableau analytics with dynamic predictive intelligence and connect Einstein predictions directly into Tableau calculated fields. Construct, share, and scale interactive visualizations and dashboards incorporating dynamic predictions using existing Tableau infrastructure, and test new scenarios using Tableau parameters. Note: Available in Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server.
Quick LODs
Create Level of Detail expressions more easily. Use context menus or drag-and-drop a measure onto a dimension to automatically create a Level of Detail expression with the default aggregation.
Unified notification experience
Manage all of your notifications in the newly redesigned notification center within Tableau Server and Online. This dedicated space shows your shares, comments, extracts, and prep flows all in one place, consolidating all of the important changes across your organization. You can also control where you receive these notifications via preferences—directly in Tableau, email notifications, or both—helping you to never miss an important alert to take action.
Microsoft Azure connectivity improvements
You can now connect to your data in Azure SQL Database (with Azure Active Directory) and Azure Data Lake Gen 2. In addition, we now have support for Azure Active Directory in two of our existing connectors in Azure Synapse and Azure Databricks. For guidance and best practices around optimizing Tableau and Azure together for analytics, read our updated Tableau Server on Microsoft Azure Whitepaper.
Read our WhitepaperTableau 2020.4
Tableau 2020.4 brings practical enhancements to make analytics in your organization more seamless and scalable. Highlights include Tableau Prep Builder in the browser, spatial improvements, and Resource Monitoring Tool for Tableau Server on Linux.
Tableau Prep Builder in the browser
Tableau Prep Builder in the browser allows you to prep your data from wherever you have access to a browser, bringing the data prep process into one integrated platform on the web. No need to manage individual desktops, IT admins can now upgrade the server to get everyone in the organization on the latest version.
Multiple marks layer support for maps
Enhance your geospatial analysis with multiple marks layer support for maps. You can now add unlimited marks layers from a single data source to your map visualizations, bringing multiple spatial layers and context together for better understanding and analysis.
Redshift spatial support
We’re expanding Tableau’s spatial database connections to make solving location-based questions easier than ever. You can now connect directly to tables in Redshift that contain spatial data, and instantly visualize that data in Tableau.
Spatial support in Tableau Prep
Tableau Prep Builder can now import, recognize, and export spatial data to extracts and published data sources, bringing spatial context into the data preparation flow for better analysis.
Offline map support for Tableau Server
We’re making it easier to access and analyze spatial data on Tableau Server with offline map support. You can now create maps using the offline map style in web authoring, ensuring that maps remain accessible to all users—especially in organizations with strict internet access requirements.
Resource Monitoring Tool for Tableau Server on Linux
Previously available for Windows only, Resource Monitoring Tool now provides agent-based monitoring of your Tableau Server on Linux deployment as part of the Server Management Add-on. Proactively monitor and troubleshoot server health with improved visibility into hardware and software performance.
Tableau 2020.3
Tableau 2020.3 brings powerful functionality to help scale your analytics, making trusted data more accessible to everyone. Highlights include write to external databases in Tableau Prep, grant license on sign in, and deeper integration with SAP.
Tableau Mobile for Workspace One (iOS)
Tableau Mobile for Workspace ONE is an update to the existing app that provides a quick and secure way to view, analyze and leverage the data in your organization. The new app, compatible with iOS13, includes a newer design that is faster and more intuitive, an improved search and browsing experience consistent with Tableau Server and Tableau Online, as well as enhanced offline capabilities that are quick to load and offer richness and interactivity for visualizations.
Support for Google BigQuery NUMERIC types
Take advantage of using Google BigQuery's NUMERIC data type without having to use CustomSQL, instead convert your NUMERIC type to DOUBLE.
Dashboard extension images
When you generate a .png or .pdf of a dashboard that you are viewing in Tableau Desktop, it will now render the Extension zone's image.
Relationship improvements
Create relationships between tables in your data source with more flexibility. You can now relate tables based on custom calculated fields, like concatenated fields or date truncation, and inequality operators. Additionally, we've improved the drag-and-drop experience in the data model.
Tag External Assets in Tableau Catalog
Make it even easier to find the right data by tagging external assets, including databases, tables, and columns.
Include embedded files in External Assets list
See every asset in your environment via External Assets, including files and tables that are embedded in workbooks. This provides a holistic view of what data users are leveraging outside of published data or content.
Tableau 2020.2
Tableau 2020.2 brings significant enhancements to help organizations through their analytics journey. Highlights include Metrics, set control, and enhancements to Tableau's data model with relationships to help you elevate your relationship with data.
View recommendations on Tableau Mobile
View recommendations are now on Tableau Mobile. Get personalized suggestions that instantly connect you to relevant vizzes on the go. Powered by machine learning, these recommendations leverage users' preferences and surface vizzes that others with similar viewing habits found interesting, and that are popular on your site. With the home tab, you can find recommendations in a dedicated channel on your Tableau Mobile App.
Relationships
Combining data just got easier and more powerful. By visually creating logical relationships between tables, Tableau will only query the data relevant to your analysis at the right level of detail. Analyze complex data faster and with more confidence.
Activity feed improvements
See a viz in your activity feed you like? You can now add vizzes to your favorites directly from your Tableau Public activity feed.
Set actions improvements
Set actions just got even more powerful with two new selection modes. You can now incrementally add and remove values from a set by interacting with marks in the view, even after a selection is cleared.
Explore a viz in the browser
Want to see how a viz on Tableau Public was made? You can now explore a viz directly in a browser. Explore, make your own version, and save as a copy to your profile with automatic attribution to the original author.
SAP HANA connector improvements
We have improved our OData Connector which now supports S/4HANA. Additionally, users can now connect to an OData service URL to list all the feeds inside their service and can join those feeds together just as they would any other tables in a Tableau datasource.
Tableau 2020.1
Tableau 2020.1 includes exciting ways to add powerful interactivity to your data, bringing to life some of the most-requested features from the Tableau Community. Enjoy dynamic parameters, buffer calculations, and viz animations to tell even more powerful, moving stories behind your data.
Dashboard Extensions for Tableau Public
With extensions, you can create more customized visualizations. We are now supporting the Image Map Filter, Single Checkbox Parameters, and Filter Bookmarks extensions on Tableau Public. These extensions are available for download in our Tableau Exchange.
Dynamic parameters
Say goodbye to republishing workbooks with parameters every time the underlying data changes. Set your parameter once, and Tableau will automatically update the parameter’s list of values every time someone opens the workbook.
Customizable Discover Pane for Tableau Desktop
You can now customize the Discover Pane that appears on the start page in Tableau Desktop to show your own custom content instead of the content Tableau shows by default. Provide links and information specific to your organization to make it easier for your users to get started using Tableau quickly. Learn more about it here.
Buffer by distance calculations
Buffer calculations allow you to visualize the distance around point locations. Give Tableau three parameters—location, distance, and a unit of measure—and a buffer, or boundary is instantly created. Answering complex spatial questions becomes easier than ever before—visualize what properties are within 200 meters of a proposed transit site, or how many competitors’ stores are within 1 mile of their store, and more.
Play button in the browser
For workbooks using pages, press play directly in the browser to see how a given measure affects the rest of your data. Combine with Viz Animations for smooth, coherent transitions showing changes between states or over time.
Map improvements in the browser
Control more aspects of your map in the browser. Change background map styles, repeat backgrounds, map layers, and demographic data layers. In addition, the style picker dropdown makes it easier to find and distinguish between map styles.
Tableau 2019.4
2019.4 brings functionality to make it easier for customers to find, connect to, and analyze their data. Highlight features this release include significant table improvements, view recommendations for Tableau Server and Online, and Webhooks support to help further integrate and extend the Tableau platform.
Alibaba Connectors
Now, through a partnership with Alibaba, Tableau customers will be able to natively connect and analyze data in MaxCompute, AnalyticDB, or Data Lake Analytics.
Read more about this partnership
Go to where a sheet is used
We’re making it faster to navigate larger, complex workbooks that contain multiple sheets. Easily view and jump to all locations in a workbook (dashboards, stories) where a worksheet is used.
Activity feed improvements
Filter your personalized Tableau Public activity feed by toggling between activity type. Favorites are now grouped together for the same viz.
SAP HANA connector improvements
Now when you connect to SAP HANA, leveled hierarchies utilized in calculation views will automatically be available in Tableau.
Kyvos Connector
For customers using Kyvos, you can now natively connect and start analyzing your data. Available for Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server.
For customers using Presto, you can now take full advantage of the innovation of Qubole as a native connector. Available for Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server.
Tableau 2019.3
2019.3 brings new capabilities to help you and your organization do more with your data. Understand the “why” behind outliers with Explain Data, build trust in your data with Tableau Catalog, and operate at even greater scale with our new Tableau Server Management Add-on offering. Also enjoy enhancements such as encryption at rest, the ability to embed Ask Data, and the ability to connect to published data sources in Prep Builder.
Favorite from gallery
You now have the ability to save vizzes from the Tableau Public gallery to your personal collection of favorites, making them easily accessible when searching for inspiration.
Web editing
Edit and save any of your Tableau Public vizzes directly in your browser. Any changes will be automatically updated in all embedded locations.
Spatial calculations: Distance
You can now easily measure the distance between two points, perfect for measuring the length of flight or shipping routes or driving proximity analysis around a store or hub.
Spatial calculations: MakePoint improvements
You can now convert projected coordinates for locations, which might be in feet or meters, into latitudes and longitudes that Tableau can visualize and use in spatial joins. For instance, the Seattle Police Department logs location data using a local projection in US Feet, and can now use MakePoint to convert it directly into useable lat/long coordinates.
ISO-8601 calendar default
You can now set the ISO-8601 calendar so your date parts default to the iso-equivalent of year, quarter, week, and weekday for better calendar-based analysis.
Parameter actions improvements
Parameter actions just got more powerful with three new aggregation functions: first quartile, third quartile, and concatenation. You also now have the option to create new parameters directly from the parameter action dialog.
Tableau 2019.2
2019.2 includes exciting new ways to interact with your data and new dashboarding capabilities that come together to make a big difference for a more precise, streamlined authoring experience. Enjoy parameter actions, vector maps, and a new way to browse your content on Tableau Server and Online.
Customizable reference line tooltips
You now have the option to customize tooltips for reference lines, bands, and distributions. Edit the tooltip text, or choose to disable the tooltip altogether.
Spatial calculations: MakePoint
You can now turn latitude/longitude values from text files, excel, or any data source into spatial fields and use them in spatial joins. With MakePoint, you can spatially enable text files and excel spreadsheets, making it easer to spatially aggregate your data.
Spatial calculations: MakeLine
You can now easily create two-point origin-destination maps, perfect for making flight maps of airline routes.
Parameter actions
You now have the ability to visually change a parameter’s value. Use parameter actions to drive reference lines, calculations, filters, and SQL queries simply by interacting with marks on a viz, bringing visual interactivity to your data like never before.
PostgreSQL+PostGIS Spatial support
You will now be able to use spatial data directly from a PostgreSQL or Pivotal Greenplum database with the PostGIS extension. No need to export or pre-process the data before diving into it in Tableau. And perform more advanced spatial analysis with the ability to now leverage the spatial operations supported by the database.
Show/hide dashboard containers
Maximize screen real estate with the flexibility to toggle between visible or hidden for any floating container on your dashboard. Streamline what content viewers see, such as customizing instructions, filters, or legends to be hidden when they are no longer useful.
Tableau 2019.1
2019.1 includes the launch of Ask Data, an entirely new way to interact with your data in Tableau, as well as Tableau Prep Conductor, a new add-on to Tableau Online and Server that enables data preparation at scale by automating processes and flows. Also enjoy data-driven alert views, dashboard zone names, and URL action improvements.
Dashboard zone names
You now have the ability to assign a name to any item on a dashboard, helping to better organize multiple zones when looking at the layout tree.
Nested sorting improvements
Sorting just got more intuitive. You can now sort within multiple dimensions, making it easy to spot trends in your categorical data.
Url action improvements
Url actions can now target specific web zones in a dashboard, allowing authors the control to more seamlessly link to information that is hosted outside of their data source. Better integrate and add more meaningful content to your dashboard, and design more sophisticated app-like experiences.
Automatic dashboard phone layouts
Authoring mobile dashboard layouts just got easier. Tableau will now automatically add phone layouts to new dashboards, with ability to further customize them for specific use cases.
OAuth enabled for Snowflake Connector
We’ve significantly improved the Snowflake connection experience. The Snowflake Connector is now available across our entire platform and we have added native OAuth integration for both security and convenience.
Device layout preview on the web
Device dashboard design just got easier. You can now preview what your laptop, tablet, and phone layouts will look like directly in the desktop browser. Make any necessary formatting or content adjustments to your dashboards, and save knowing your mobile layouts are pixel perfect.