Don't get me wrong, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE supporting people in the Tableau community.  I love doing the podcast, I love learning from people, I love networking, but I'm not sure it's enough for me. While being a data viz cheerleader is fun, what technical skill can I point at to say, "Yep, that's my thing!" I think people can appreciate good design and a good story, but I'm not Kelly Martin, Anya A'Hearn, Matt Francis, or Ramon Martinez.   And I'm not trying to be them per se. But I think it raises the question...I'm okay at design and storytelling, but not stellar, and I'm definitely weak on the data side, so, what' my thing? And while I think it's a romantic notion to think that being a data viz cheerleader is my thing, let's face it, in this community, technical skills rule.  I feel like I talk around Tableau and not about technical aspects of Tableau. And if you're honest, wouldn't you be more interested/likely to read about how to do reference lines behind bars, how to format story points correctly, how to select a color palette, how to [insert topic] versus observations or commentary that might be interesting, but isn't going to help you do a visualization (better)? I want to be a resource for others, beginners in particular, and I'm just not sure that putting out commentary is enough. 

I look back over the past year and feel like I've been treading water.  I still struggle with the basics of data blending/joins and have made some improvements in the world of table calculations.  I'm not trying to be a Joe Mako, Jonathan Drummey or any other zen.  And while I might be able to craft the bones of a story, there actually isn't a story to design if there's no data in it. Using the DV Data Dive as an example, I was able to explore some of the data and focused on one potential story that I thought was there.  The problem...several data sets that required blending/joining/unicorn magic.  Given the time constraints, I gave up on trying to figure how to make the data work and basically made a story points template of what my data story might entail. Note: The viz below is how I left it from the data dive (meaning, it needs to be cleaned up in addition to having data behind it). 

On a recent podcast, Jonathan talked about how if he wanted to get good at Tableau, he needed to put in the time and practice, practice, practice, using Malcom Gladwell's 10,000 hours as the basis.  He also stated that Tableau was his hobby. That's a comment I've heard from a couple other zen masters too; when they're not using Tableau, they're dreaming about Tableau. So I think about how I might apply the practice, practice, practice rule for me. Basically what it comes down to is that I tried to have data viz study hours from 4:30-5am on non-running mornings to study Tableau/data viz topics.  But then, I slept in...until 5am (slacker, I know). But even at 30 minutes at time, it would take me forever to get good at Tableau.  Tableau/data viz is not my only hobby. I have two young kids, I work full time with a round trip commute of about 2.5 hours, and I love fitness and want (and need) to dedicate my time to that as well...Tableau can't be my everything. And, I'm left wondering, do I need to get good at Tableau?

I'm tired of having this conversation with myself...of feeling like I'm essentially in the same place as I was a year ago.  I'd have to give up something else I love to get better at Tableau (specifically the data wrangling in Tableau). So, is the juice worth the squeeze?  Tableau is touted as being quick and easy.  And it is, once you understand all of your data and understand the nuances of the tool (including major functionality like table calcs). Is it quick and easy to create a visualization? Absolutely. You can select two data items, click show me (or throw them up on the row/column shelf) and create something.  That something might be totally inaccurate, but you were able to quickly create a visualization. 

So, I'm frustrated and wondering if I need to take a hiatus from being actively involved in the Tableau community.  What will this hiatus get me? Quite frankly, I don't know.  Maybe I'll find a little peace with not thinking about how I can get out of the remedial data class. Maybe it will reinforce that even though I have issues with using the tool, that being a cheerleader is at least being in the stadium, if I can't be in the game.  It's heart-wrenching to think about taking a break from Tableau since I have fallen in love with visual analytics as a result of using Tableau. Heck, I did two podcast recordings while I was on vacation! I want people to have information to make well-informed decisions.  I love participating in hackathons for good causes. But I do wonder if I'm really the person to use the tool as it is currently. Are there other roles for me in the data viz community? All questions to ponder.  

For someone who loves to plan, I don't really know what's next.  My current thought is to continue to try to improve my data skills through year-end and then assess how I feel about it to see whether I should take a hiatus or keep on keepin' on.  I'm in the middle of doing a strengths assessment, so maybe that will help me figure out the next steps in my data viz/Tableau journey.

So for the few people who read this, my questions to you are: 
What are your thoughts?  Have you been in a similar situation and what did you do?  

I was at a blogging conference the weekend before #data14 and the organizer said we'd have an information hangover. I didn't feel the hangover the next day from the blogging conference but boy, did it hit me the next few days after data14. I must have booted and rallied between conferences...or something like that (since that kinda makes me sound well versed in the ways of drinking). Anyway...I found my head swimming with ideas and just the sheer magnitude of a conference this size. I want to give a massive shout out to the folks who organized the conference! There are always going to be hiccups but the positives totally outweighed the negatives. I'll touch briefly on the challenges I had during the conference, which were primarily logistical. I was surprised by how much I was impacted by having an unstructured lunch break. I didn't want to miss any of the sessions and I always seemed to miss the items in grab & go. I had the expectation to fill every slot. However, then reality set in I was super bummed that I couldn't attend Joe Mako's session on Flowing with Tableau. So that was a day I actually ate lunch and tried to put pen to paper with the ideas that were swimming through my head. I was bummed when I couldn't get in to sessions that filled up even before keynotes were finished. At least there are session recordings so I won't miss the content.

Every session I attended was very good! It was so hard to choose which sessions to go to. I think my hardest decision was between Facebook Jeorpardy: Hack Edition and Making a Viz that Stops Traffic. In the end, I chose to stop traffic. It was such a great session and reinforced some of the principals I employ and gave me new ones too. Plus, anytime you have Lt. Jim Dangle and Godzilla, you know it's going to be good.

I loved the Zen Master Tips & Tricks! A couple of takeaways from this session were:

• How to filter without losing context (Mark Jackson)
• Google interface shapes when adding custom shapes

It was also the first time I heard Craig Bloodworth speak. He presented tips on using server API. He sounded a bit like Charlie Brown's teacher to me. Maybe it was his accent. Joking! Actually, what he was presenting was interesting and it's amazing that there are folks that just figure this stuff out. For now, I have the reference in the event I need it.

Another session I loved was presented by Marc Reuter called 10 Tips to Becoming a Jedi or 5 things that Mark really likes. A two major takeaways for me from this presentation:

• The summary card is underutilized. Personally, I'd like to see how we can incorporate it where it makes sense as I think it gives people a better sense of the data.
• The trellis chart. This looks difficult, but I can see how we could incorporate it into our work products. Plus, I think it's neat, so I want to try it at home.

I also went to the Tableau Like a Sith session. It was a major production. Over my head, but there were a few things that I thought I might try at home/work.

• A hack to downgrade the version.

• Mapping images to IDs and using table calcs to set the images.

• Though this isn't really sith-like, the helper calc of '1'.

I'll probably watch this recording again just so I get a better sense of what's going on and to see dancing bobba fetts.

I found Robert Kosara's talk interesting as well. There are a few points that I recall from his talk.

• Stories are a way to engage the reader further.
• There are three layers when it comes to data storytelling.

In an effort to make progress on my goals, I attended a session by Bethany Lyons on table calcs. It was Jedi level and it hurt my head (though to be fair, that was her objective). A couple of key takeaways from this one:

• Graph the intermediate calculation to see what's actually happening
• Base table calculations on the data item versus table down/across/etc
• Restarting the sort was magical too, I just don't know how to describe it (but I'll look it up later).

Then there was the light and fun Iron Viz. I 💗 this session so much because you can see the various headlines that come out of the same data set and you really get to see the contestant's analytical or creative nature. Preparation is also key! The contestants have the opportunity to look at the data set in advance. They can sketch it out, practice building it, but when it's game time, it's just them, the data, & their sous vizzers. It really exemplifies the many ways that Tableau can be used.

In addition to the great sessions, the keynotes were awesome. Dr. Tyson was funny but Tableau definitely saved the best for last, in my opinion. Dr. Rosling was fantastic! If you didn't think or say,"Yes!! Using data to make a meaningful global impact! Using data for good, that's what it's about!" or something similar, I'm not sure we can be friends anymore. Kidding. It takes all kinds of people to make the world go round. Least that's what I'll tell myself as I ponder our friendship. I love fun vizzes, but I get super excited when I see folks using visualizations to make the world a better place. I didn't want Dr. Rosling's talk to end. And I love his sense of humor!

Another fantastic aspect of the conference was the networking. That's where you get to put bodies to headshots. I finally met the Pauls, Jonathan Drummey, Chuck Hooper, & others in person. And I have to mention the #womenindata meet-up. It was great to hear from women & Jonathan about opportunities and experiences about women in data. I really hope we can continue the conversations post-conference! It was also a great networking opportunity, which was one of my goals for the conference.

While I could go on forever about the conference, even I'd get bored with hearing about it! So I suppose I'll write down my goals for the upcoming year.

1. Be a newbie advocate. This was borne out of the newbie session that Matt & I presented at conference. So anything I can do to help folks out as they use the tool is a win win. It helps them and I also solidify my understanding of whatever the topic may be. I've already got some things in the works, so stay tuned! I am so super excited about it that everytime I think about it, I want to work on it.
2. Similar to being a newbie advocate, I also want to help people become data viz leaders.
3. Continue to build my social media presence in other channels, such as video.
4. Make progress on understanding data blending and table calculations.
5. Publish four visualizations per year on Tableau Public, with one-two being focused on health or social issues.

I've got my work cut out for me and I wouldn't have it any other way! I love the energy of the tableau and data viz community and I hope to make meaningful contributions. You'd make me the happiest girl in the world if you engage with me over twitter, hangouts, my blog, or on the Tableau Wannabe Podcast!

Oh and while I'm getting to work on these goals, check out my little scrapbook I created with photos from Destination Data!

I can't believe how time has flown! It's almost time for the this year's Tableau conference. I looked back on my posts throughout the course of the year and think hot damn, I'm good at goals! Kind of. Here's my resolution after attending TCC13:

In one of my blogposts last year, I wrote about trying to find my tableau identity. I'm not a data person and I like the design aspect, even I will admit that I'm still learning that. I don't think anyone can be super skilled overnight or, I would submit, even a year. One of things that annoys me (even about myself) is when people complain about their lack of skills or their problems and not try to resolve them. I *might* just be into problem solving. So, to help with my lack of data skills, I took Google's data course which provided good foundational information. I also joined the Interaction Design Foundation to better understand the theory and do design the right way.

The thing I like about being a member is that I have access to courses for a year and can go at my own pace. And with two kids, work, and commuting, I definitely need that! Between doing and getting feedback on my vizzes as well as some of the theory I've learned, I'm definitely making progress.

In that post, I polled people to see how I should resolve my identity crisis. Here are the results (as of August 27, 2014).

It's time for #data14! The conference is sold out and there are so many sessions to choose from, just how does a first timer (or even a veteran who hasn't been in awhile) navigate their way through?  Luckily Matt Francis and some of my other buds are here to help! 

Oh and a last stop was just announced! It's Fanalytics 3!! I heard last year's was great but I had to go to a meeting (sometimes it sucks to have a conference so close to your work). But this year, I registered as soon as I found out about it! This is another space is limited event, so register soon-ish! It's a great opportunity to learn, network, and maybe get some swag (and who doesn't love swag)!

When I saw this Viz of the Day on Alabama Prison Utilization, I thought there were some changes I'd like to explore. But then life got in the way (oh those kids and work)! And then I thought about it again and really wanted to see how I might change it. I remade the viz using story points, because I thought it was well suited for a data story.

You'll note that I set up my data stories kind of like an actual story...I have an intro of sorts, the body, and a closing. Because it feels weird to me to not have an ending to a story (unless it's To Be Continued...).

At any rate, this is my take on what the author orginally did. I opened it up a little more to include medium and close-security prisons, whereas the original primarily focused on close-security.

Oh and funny story. I was showing husband what I was working on and saying things like,"Wow, Alabama's prisons are really understaffed and overcapacity." And I thought to myself, that's got to sound funny to hear from me. And we don't even live in Alabama. So enough of the chattin'! Take a look and see how I changed it (and then play around with how you might visualize it)!

I like HuffPo and I can usually find an article on the twitter timeline that will grab me. Most recently, it was a story about how the US doesn't provide for family leave and has a lower participation rate of women in the workforce. Last time I read a similar article about how pay equality wasn't a big issue as people were making it to be, I wrote a blogpost about how pay equality wasn't just a lady issue. This time however, it was the chart that caught my attention.

I like the idea of putting some narrative with each area that I want to call out. I had story points on the brain the other day when I attended my first hackathon at
Bread for the World Institute. I was part of a group that was working on visualization concepts to raise awareness and show the linkage between women's empowerment and stunting. Since we ran out of time, I now have another little side project to work on...telling the story of child development/stunting among various countries. I think story points could be very impactful.



Getting back to the current story, I didn't read a help file, so I've probably just scratched the surface on what story points can do and how I can really make it look sharp. The way I see it, I have lots of stories to tell, which means lots of opportunities to leverage this new feature in Tableau.


Tell your own story by getting some data and downloading Tableau Public 8.2!

Ramon provided some feedback on showing the data on the map as well as the bar graph to show the change from the two years. As a result of the feedback received, I reassessed what I wanted to show in the viz and tweaked how I wanted to show it. Essentially I scrapped the concept of being able to print out the visualization. When it came down to it, I thought the relevant point was still being shown and if folks wanted to print it out, they could. I reframed the viz so that I had three major sections; How prevalent is MS?; When are people diagnosed?; and What prescriptions are they using to manage their symptoms? I scaled back what I was showing, applying the less is more concept. I used Ramon's suggestion of the showing the difference on the map, for the bar chart to the entire view next to the map to show the range of values, showing the mean age on onset for 2008 and 2013, and then ranking the positions of prescriptions for 2008 and 2013 using a slope graph.

I kind of remember Alteryx from TCC13, but to me, they were just another vendor (sorry, y'all). It wasn't until this year, when either I got smarter, they're doing a heck of a job with marketing, or a combination of both (which is probably the case), that I kind of understood what this Alteryx was about.  So when I saw that they had an event nearby called Analytic Tools for the Data Warrior, I knew I had to attend.  I rounded up an analyst at work who likes this kind of thing, and we headed over to Bethesda.  First, the Tableau rep, Pat, nailed it when he said that events in DC are tough, that it seems like people can't escape their offices.  Which is pretty much why I was sitting front and center; a result of arriving five minutes before the event was supposed to begin (but in fact, had just started.  Side note, they must prescribe to the Tom Coughlin rule of meetings...If you're five minutes early, you're late!). Anyway, the Alteryx dude gave a brief background on Alteryx, which has been around for over 10 years, with a name change (and mission change) in 2010.  I thought the demo was pretty interesting, as was the happy hour (data=happy). It was quite clear that they have a strong background in spatial analysis.  I think Alteryx is similar to tableau in the sense that you can see what you're doing as you go along.  I think the preview functionality is brilliant! Now, is the software completely intuitive and so easy that someone off of the street could pick it up and start going?  No, and that's not a bad thing. I think for data management tool, I think it's probably as intuitive as it can possibly be.   There are a few things that I saw from the demo that I thought were pretty cool.  

• Previewing results (let's me make sure I'm on the right path).
• Cool spatial analytic tools. Like drive-time!! I actually thought of a use case at work for this.
• No scripting for R. I know very little about R, except that you can do some awesome predictive analytics with it. Now, why is this bullet point worthy? Because you don't actually have to know how to code in R...they have wrappers to help people like me (or data management people, at least). 
• I also like that it can create an extract that will feed tableau (yay! less work for me!) and
• Drag and drop workflow
  

After Alteryx did their portion of the demo, it was time for tableau to show their stuff. Based on raised hands in the crowd, about 2/3rd of attendees had used Tableau.  That's pretty good!  The Tableau representative took the extract and re-built the sample dashboard and stopped there, which kind of annoyed me, especially as there was time remaining in his portion of the event.  The question being answered was 'Who Do We Send A Second Mailing To?' While his primary objective was to rebuild a dashboard with four views on it, since he had time, he could have made the dashboard more meaningful by doing a few tweaks to it, like putting a title on it and changing the color palettes (because I'm pretty sure he used orange twice). Thinking back, I'm not sure if the R stuff done in Alteryx was explained clearly when it came to showing it in Tableau. Maybe it was and I just have a bad memory.  Overall, I felt like there was so much more than could have been done to really show off Tableau, that I was just itching to go up there and do some tweaks.  But I didn't. Though I did quietly say something about reusing orange and the other analyst from work just chuckled at me. He knows that I don't like re-using colors, especially on views in the same dashboard.  I guess that means that I was interested in the tools being shown, since I wanted to fill the time with information about both.  

Next up was the customer story by Bernardo Roschke of Discovery CommunicatIons about how they use Alteryx and Tableau to track operations and how productive their equipment and people are. This was a great example of how both tools worked well together. The highlight for me was that Bernardo was able to take seven separate data sources and use the whiz bangery of alteryx to solve their data problem.

At the happy hour (which was really an extension of the presentations), I was able to ask my burning questions. How much does it cost and what about these duplicative offerings between the two tools? Alteryx tiers their licenses and natch, a server license costs more. I think it might be a matter of perspective. While it seems expensive (to me, though I haven't researched the costs of data prep tools), it certainly costs less than waiting for the work to be done by others (like the cost of one FTE). If the data/report/dashboard is not timely, then it's not relevant. Next up...what's the deal with redundancy. When is it appropriate to use the visualization and R features in the respective tools? From what I gathered, visualization in alteryx seems like a side dish to the main meal. As for R, the benefit of using alteryx for this is that you don't need to know how to code in R, as you would in tableau. Non R coders Rjoice!

Overall, this was a nice little event and I was glad I was able to get out of DC to go. I expanded my network and learned more about a data prep tool, which gets me thinking about how we might be able to use it at work. We even got a free copy of their booklet Predictive Analytics for Dummies. The wheels are a-turnin', so I'm counting this as a productive outing.

I'm a nerd (this probably is not shocking to anyone). Here's a prime (& relevant) example. In high school, when my parents couldn't make a parent teacher conference, I held it with my anatomy & physiology teacher (I think it was the first time he had ever had a student hold a PTC). And those who know me know that I like to plan. What do you get when you combine a nerd who loves to plan, who asks for feedback, and who is goal oriented? You get an accountability blog post! It's been six months since TCC13 where I resolved that I wanted to keep the energy from the conference alive in order to build my profile and skill set to be a good resource at work. Am I still energized? I think so. Here's what I've done in the last six months to keep the spark alive!

Now, we have a little theory at work where you'll learn enough to realize that there is still so much to learn. I think that's where I was at with my Tableau Identity Crisis post. What do I want to be when I grow up? I ask that all the time. I wanted to raise my profile and increase my skill set, with the ultimate goal of being a recognized resource at work when it comes to visualizations. Three major things happened for me earlier this year; my identity crisis blog post was named as one of the most influential Tableau related blog posts (I seriously felt like I won a major award and I *might* have given a speech to my vanity mirror); I did a guest post for the tableau public blog (how awesome is that!!!), and Paul asked me to do Two Minutes With... for his blog. I was honored to be asked and I thought was great fun (hopefully his readers liked it too)!

And lucky me, I have an awesome support system, which was actually one of the goals I set for TCC13. I got such positive feedback from the identify crisis post and have a network that truly supports me. The list would be too long to write everyone's name down, but I do want to give a shout out to a few people...Anya, Andy K, Andy C, Matt, Kelly, Paul & Ramon! This network makes me be a better analyst (cue the patriotic music) and that's what I want. The feedback sucks sometimes and I have my doubts that I can actually do this, especially when hacking seems so commonplace and I'm still trying to remember how to do a parameter. But that's when I think back to a good ole fashion pep talk my dad once gave me (You're a Todd! You do what you can do to prepare and go in there and do the best you can)! The nerd in me takes over and refreshes my memory that the feedback will make me better and like a good little nerd, I take comfort in that.

I also got myself into a pickle. Kelly Martin & Matt Francis thought it would be neat to see what I could do with her Bubble, Bubble, Oil, and Trouble viz. This time I didn't have a question, but just a challenge to explore. Now I think Kelly's vizes are great. I made some tweaks and I don't I love it nearly as much as hers, but I did love the thought process. 

I also had a goal to do six vizzes between conferences. That might not seem like a lot, but factor in a long driving commute, a job, two young kids, working out, and life in general, I think six is reasonable. Since I don't actually do the viz magic at work (I oversee it), I wanted to do some off-hours vizzing so that I could build my skills. I created a Wonder Woman viz before floating dashboards and boy, I should really go back and remake that one.  It's poppy and fun and awful, but I got my first exposure to IFTTT out of it, so it's not all bad. I also downloaded some holiday sales data in November and made a fun viz (for me).  Neither vizzes set the world on fire (and truth be told, some people may want to set my vizzes on fire) and that's okay. Now I have something to go back and remake. Side note: I really wish Tableau Public had folders that I could file my work in. Like a "I'm Goofing Off" or a "Channeling Tufte" folder so that people could tell when I'm having fun and when I'm try to create something that abides by visual best practices. 

I recently got excited because the light bulb went off in this random brain of mine. So in an effort to build my skills, I remembered that I could download financial data for banks and do some vizzes with that data.  This is perfect for me! It takes a skill that I already have, such as assessing the condition of banks and allows me to focus on the building my tableau skill set. And because there is such a breadth and depth of data, I can do little snippet now and another snippet next month or next quarter, so that I have a series! If you couldn't tell that I'm excited about this, you should see how fast I typed these sentences out...my keyboard was on fire! And another reason why I'm happy about this is because I can really focus on those things I learned at Tapestry (a little on that in a minute). The examiner in me is not totally impressed with this...I can dig much further to better understand the level, quality, and trend in earnings.  However, this really just started with me messing around and now...it seems like the possibilities are endless.  I feel a little like a kid in a candy store, a big data candy store.

• Make comparisons big enough but not too big
• People remember things in context
• Have a soul...connect by making people feel 
• Communicating requires connecting

Last up in the short stories line up was Giorgia Lupi in a talk called Beautiful Reasons.  I'm sensing a bit of a theme...connection! The biggest takeaway from her was that you can generate attention and emotional connection, if done well. The example they used to support this assertion was from a visualization they were commissioned to develop. Click on the image to read more about the visualization!

Oh crap! Oh my! What have I gotten myself into? I think angels sing when Kelly publishes a viz. After the customer conference last year, I showed a coworker one of her vizzes and said, "See how beautiful these visualizations can be?" So why would or how could I change one of her vizzes? However, I gave it a go, because I thought two things would either happen. I would either do a good job or I would get some valuable lessons from Kelly (read: it would suck and she would very politely tell me where I went wrong and then instruct me to never attempt to makeover one of her vizzes in the future, as thunder claps and I shake in my boots and bow before her, telling all of her greatness. Okay, that last part might be a little dramatic).

Honestly, this was a bit of a stretch for me in that I, err... Vikki Vonn, didn't really have a question about the viz, as with the GasBuddy one.   There was only the very broad question, "Is there anything I would change about this viz?" 

Having that question really helped focus me.  My first thought was that I wanted to make it more oily looking. Kelly's narrative that accompanies her viz is really good, and I thought making it oilier really emphasized her points. So instead of a black background, I switched the colors so the marks were black. And I thought it would be cool to have oil splats because I thought it would work well in the viz.  I fired up ye ole Google and lo and behold, found a shape I wanted. I'm sure a bunch, if not everyone, knows this but you can save an image as a picture file and then copy it to the shapes folder in your My Tableau Repository, that way you have some custom shapes you can work with. Not shown in the published version, but a feature I really liked, was putting the date on the page shelf for the daily barrels view. It was really neat to see the incidents over time on a playback loop. The only problem with it is that it didn't really work well when published (boooooo!!!!! C'mon Tableau, help a non-techie nerd out!).  Anywho, here I was, thinking about Black Gold again.

• sit in on a couple of upcoming report discussions so that I can contribute with respect to the visual,
• conduct short lunch & learn sessions where we focus on various visual practices,
  
• provide a quick reference guide, and  
• have someone speak about visual best practices at a lunch-time session.  

• Delve into color choice
• Go on a diet. No more exploding pies (that are labeled!)