Integrating Advanced Features: Extensions, Scripts, and AI

So far, everything we’ve covered in this book has been focused on features of Tableau that work “out of the box.” And these features are very powerful! However, Tableau is also incredibly flexible, and you can extend the functionality greatly through extensions, custom scripts (such as Python or R), and even by integrating AI through Tableau CRM Analytics (formerly Einstein Analytics) in Tableau!

As in other chapters, we’ll cover both concepts and practical examples. Many of the more advanced examples will require setting up your environment to run external repositories, services, and platforms such as a web server or SDK (Software Development Kit). It is outside the scope of this book to provide in-depth instructions on how to set up these components and the exact steps may change over time.

Instead, you will be directed to the appropriate resources and documentation to set up any additional...

Tableau Dashboard Extensions

In Chapter 8, Telling a Data Story with Dashboards, we observed that the Dashboard Extension object was one of many objects that can be added to a dashboard. Now we’ll consider the details of what an extension is, how to use extensions, and even how to create a dashboard extension.

What Is a Dashboard Extension?

A Tableau Dashboard Extension, also known simply as a Dashboard Extension, is a web application that integrates into a dashboard, providing extended capabilities beyond the built-in features of Tableau. Extensions can perform many functions on a dashboard, such as providing an interface for user input, rendering graphical feedback, and integrating external applications.

Whether you will simply be using extensions or are interested in developing your own, it is important to understand how dashboard extensions work. Obviously, if you will be developing extensions, you will need a deeper understanding! Take a moment to examine the...

Tableau analytics extensions

Tableau analytics extensions allow you to use a connection from Tableau to an external analytics service or platform to perform complex operations and use the results in calculations, visualizations, and dashboards. Tableau analytics extensions allow you to connect to analytics services, such as:

• TabPy: Tableau’s Python server
• RServe: An open-source R server
• Einstein Discovery: Salesforce’s predictive/AI analytics engine
• Analytics Extensions API: An application programming interface allowing you to connect to numerous analytics tools and platforms. This allows you to use connectors you create programmatically or prebuilt connectors. For example, you can connect to MATLAB using the Analytics Extensions API.
• Much like dashboard extensions required a separate web server to host the extension, analytics extensions will require a separate service or platform. For example, to run Python scripts in Tableau, you...

AI with CRM Analytics (Einstein Discovery)

Nearly every dataset contains historical records that could be used to make future predictions. For example, let’s say you:

• Have a dataset of customer purchases for the last two years and you want to identify factors that predict which customers will make repeat purchases.
• Have every service record for every part you’ve manufactured, and you want to predict which parts are most likely to fail most often and you also want to understand why.
• Have a dataset that matches customer satisfaction scores with details of their transactions and you want to understand the factors that lead to low satisfaction or high satisfaction.

In each of these cases, and countless more, you could leverage the capabilities of machine learning and AI to make predictions based on your data and your goals.

CRM Analytics (formerly Einstein Analytics) from Salesforce is AI-enabled analytics that identifies patterns in your...

Summary

The ability to extend Tableau is amazing! With dashboard extensions, you have an ever-growing library of Tableau/Salesforce and third-party extensions. These can extend the user interface, provide integration with backend systems and platforms, and enhance the user experience in many ways. We even looked at an example of writing your own dashboard extensions. The ability to write custom code and host it on your own servers gives you the ultimate flexibility and control as you extend Tableau’s capabilities.

Analytics extensions give you the ability to run R and Python scripts and connect to other analytics engines. You are also able to leverage the amazing predictive capabilities of CRM Analytics / Einstein Discovery and use AI to detect patterns, uncover insights, and guide your decisions and actions based on your data!

In the next chapter, we’ll turn our attention to relating various datasets together in Tableau using the data model, joins, and blends...