Summary

Tableau provides an extensive set of features to add value to your analysis. Trend lines allow you to more precisely identify outliers, determine which values fall within the predictions of certain models, and even make predictions of where measurements are expected. Tableau gives you extensive visibility into the trend models and even allows you to export data containing trend model predictions and residuals. Distributions are useful to understand how measurements are distributed. Forecasting allows a complex model of trends and seasonality to predict future results. Having a good understanding of these tools will give you the ability to clarify and validate your initial visual analyses.

Next, we'll turn our attention back to the data. We considered very early on how to connect to data, and we've been working with data ever since. However, we've spent most of our time working with clean, well-structured data. In the next chapter, we'll consider how to deal with messy data.