Overview
Clients have been using Tableau to perform data analytics on divisional data. These analyses are typically focused on rapidly-changing, highly specialized, or otherwise non-enterprise business questions. Tableau is very powerful but getting started is easy relative to OAS, our enterprise BI solution, which requires its own dedicated IT team and is focused on enterprise questions.
Tableau Creator licenses are purchased directly by participating departments, allowing individuals in those departments to create and maintain data analyses and visualizations.
IT Services maintains a Tableau Online environment and resells Viewer and Explorer licenses to departments that have Tableau Creators who wish to share their visualizations with data-consumers and decision-makers.
Details
Self-Service Analytics vs Enterprise BI
Enterprise BI, underpinned by OAS, is used all across Miami by faculty and staff. Analyses and visualizations are added to OAS by a dedicated IT team. This team focuses on enterprise-level questions such as:
- Calculating class profitability
- General ledger information
- University-wide HR information
Self-Service Analytics, underpinned by Tableau, is used at Miami in a number of departments. Tableau is popular because it is easy to begin using, and can join together different kinds of data sources for use in a given analysis. Analyses and visualizations are created in Tableau by individuals holding Creator licenses purchased directly from Tableau. IT Services maintains a Tableau Online environment and resells Viewer and Explorer licenses to departments wishing to share what Tableau Creators have made with decision makers. Self-Service Analytics can focus on anything; examples include:
- Models that help us select the incoming class
- Visualizing how scholarship dollars are allocated
- Profit and Loss statements by dining hall
- Analysing food waste in the dining halls
These two services may eventually converge, but for the next several years they will remain separate.
Who may use it?
- Staff (primary audience)
- Faculty and Students
Cost & Tableau license types
Tableau has a detailed comparison of the license types:
Creator
For those who need to configure connections to new databases and other data sources, and/or configure heavy data prep activities. (E.g. Finance Director)
$630/year (purchased directly from Tableau).
Explorer
For those who will work with existing data sources published in Tableau Online by Creators. Explorers are able to make new calculated fields, new visualizations, statistical analysis, etc., to manipulate the data and make new insights to share with others. (E.g. Budget Analyst)
$385.00/year (price approximate based on volume; resold by IT Services).
Viewer
For those who need to see and interact with existing reports and visualizations in Tableau Online in order to make business decisions. (E.g. Retail store manager)
$142.00/year (price approximate based on volume; resold by IT Services)
Students and Faculty
Students and faculty wishing to use Tableau for academic purposes may visit https://www.tableau.com/academic/students to obtain a Creator subscription free of charge.
How do I get started?
Use the Submit Request button to get started.