How to Know if Tableau Prep is a Good Fit for Your Business

By: Gina Bamonti | August 1, 2022

Data has never been as available or important for organizations as it is in today’s uncertain and ever-changing climate.

Across industries, the ability to capture, observe, and leverage data is more readily available and sought after than ever before. Business users and analysts are eager to get their hands on data visualizations for critical business decisions, meaning efficiency and accuracy are a key focus for those working with data.

Once monotonous and trying, creating visually descriptive dashboards for business now begins with the ETL (Extract, Transform, and Load). With many organizations strapped for time and resources, users are looking to intuitive and effective tools for accurately cleaning, shaping, and combining data collection, to make the ETL process less labor intensive.

A Data Tool for All

In 2018, Tableau introduced Prep Builder which changed how traditional data prep was performed in an organization by unveiling simplified functionality that gave more users in an organization access to completing the ETL process. Prep Builder appeals to a broad range of users, contrary to its more senior counterpart, Alteryx Designer, which is known for providing more complex options and tools. Prep Builder was not created as a competitor to Alteryx Designer, but as a simplified alternative that could be more widely adopted with users of varying comfort levels across an organization.

Self Service + Smart Features = Greater Accuracy

The flexibility and simplicity of Tableau’s data prep tool enables you, regardless of skill level, to be self-sufficient and limit the reliance on other people or departments for basic data needs such as prepping, cleansing, and blending. Smart features automatically fix common data prep challenges and the use of fuzzy clustering turns repetitive tasks into one click operations. You’ll be able to prep data with more efficiency due to limiting the manual parts of the process.

When it comes to utilization, odds are you won’t require many of the 157+ tools available with Alteryx Designer for your ETL needs. With Prep, you’ll value being able to see your data, directly interact with values to fix issues, and see the results of changes made with confidence prior to pushing it to a Tableau workbook or server.

The ROI Factor

If you’re considering migrating from Alteryx to Tableau Prep Builder you should also take into account the positive impact it will have on ROI. The cost for a Tableau Prep license on its own is $840 per user per year compared to that of an Alteryx Designer license which is approximately $5,000 per user per year. In fact, many current Tableau users already have Prep Builder as it comes bundled with the Tableau Creator license.

Having the confidence in your ability to efficiently prep data for analysis is critical in today’s climate. With Tableau’s intuitive interface for preparing data, you’ll be able to make the transition from raw data to high quality visualizations with ease.