---
schema_version: "1"
id: 6b27fb40ebf0e7f43f8fce6fec9f1dbb0cbd5b4bbf0f301ac3a75d80026d6e98
title: Discover Insights Faster with Explain Data
collection: tableau
version: current
locale: en-gb
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/tableau/current/en-gb/server-linux/explain_data.md
canonical_url: https://help.tableau.com/current/server-linux/en-gb/explain_data.htm
source_site: help.tableau.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 6e1ad3b1f992e37e0cf7c1fc6d0e06ae82accc60711d68d03a1e9dcd06bc724e
description: Use Explain Data to inspect marks and uncover outliers and correlations in a viz.
---
[Skip to main content](#main-content)

# Discover Insights Faster with Explain Data

Explain Data in the Data Guide helps you to inspect, uncover and dig deeper into the marks in a viz as you explore your data. You can use Explain Data to analyse dashboards, sheets or selected marks for possible outliers and correlations in the underlying data. Explain Data builds statistical models and proposes possible explanations for individual marks in a viz, including potentially related data from the data source that isn't used in the current view.

For information on running Explain Data and exploring explanations, see [Get Started with Explain Data](https://help.tableau.com/current/server-linux/en-gb/explain_data_basics.htm).

**Note**: This topic describes how Explain Data works in Tableau 2021.2 and later versions. If you have a previous version of Tableau, read this topic in [version 2021.1 of Explain Data help](https://help.tableau.com/v2021.1/pro/desktop/en-gb/explain_data.htm "Link to previous version of this help topic in Tableau version 2021.1").

As you build different views, use Explain Data as a jumping-off point to help you explore your data more deeply and ask better questions. For more information, see [How Explain Data helps to augment your analysis](#How). For information on what characteristics make a data source more interesting for use with Explain Data, see [Requirements and Considerations for Using Explain Data](https://help.tableau.com/current/server-linux/en-gb/explain_data_requirements.htm).

## Access to Explain Data

Explain Data is enabled by default at the site level. Server administrators (Tableau Server) and site administrators (Tableau Cloud) can control whether Explain Data is available for a site. For more information, [Disable or Enable Explain Data for a Site](https://help.tableau.com/current/server-linux/en-gb/explain_data_enable.htm).

Authors who can edit workbooks and have the Run Explain Data permission capability for a workbook can run Explain Data in editing mode. All users with the Run Explain Data capability can run Explain Data in viewing mode in Tableau Cloud and Tableau Server.

When allowed by site administrators, explanations can be shared in viewing mode via email or Slack with other Tableau Cloud and Tableau Server users. For more information, see [Configure Tableau to allow users to share explanations via email and Slack](https://help.tableau.com/current/server-linux/en-gb/explain_data_control_access.htm#ConfigureSlackEmail).

Authors can use Explain Data Settings to control which explanation types are displayed in the Data Guide pane.

For information on controlling access to Explain Data, explanation types and fields, see [Control Access to Explain Data](https://help.tableau.com/current/server-linux/en-gb/explain_data_control_access.htm).

## How Explain Data helps to augment your analysis

Explain Data is a tool that uncovers and describes relationships in your data. It can't tell you what is causing the relationships or how to interpret the data. **You are the expert on your data.** Your domain knowledge and intuition are key in helping you decide what characteristics might be interesting to explore further using different views. For related information, see [How Explain Data Works](https://help.tableau.com/current/server-linux/en-gb/explain_data_explained.htm) and [Requirements and Considerations for Using Explain Data](https://help.tableau.com/current/server-linux/en-gb/explain_data_requirements.htm).

For more information on how Explain Data works and how to use Explain Data to augment your analysis, see these Tableau Conference presentations:

- [From Analyst to Statistician: Explain Data in Practice (1 hour)](https://www.tableau.com/en-gb/events/tc/2019/analyst-statistician-explain-data-practice)
- [Leveraging Explain Data (45 minutes)](https://www.tableau.com/en-gb/events/tc/2019/leveraging-explain-data)

## Other articles in this section