Tableau as a term is now used in the Salesforce ecosystem to refer to analytics. The products historically known as Tableau are referred to in this topic as Tableau by Tableau. This distinguishes those products and features from Tableau Next, the Salesforce analytics platform integrated with Data Cloud, and Tableau Semantics, the semantic layer of Data 360 and Tableau Next.
Tableau on the Salesforce platform
There are analytics products developed inside Salesforce that use Tableau branding. These products are built on a Salesforce code base and are native to the Salesforce CRM ecosystem.
- Tableau Semantics – a semantic layer integrated into Data 360 and Tableau Next.
- Tableau Next – an agentic analytics platform built in Salesforce to combine the best of CRM Analytics, Tableau by Tableau and AI, leveraging the power of Data 360.
- Licensed as Tableau Next Creator and Tableau Next Consumer.
- Agentforce Tableau – the Agentforce presence in Tableau Next, Agentforce Tableau is the AI-powered analysis skills in Tableau Next, including Concierge: Analytics Q&A, Data Pro and Inspector.
There are also integrations of Tableau by Tableau functionality available in Salesforce CRM.
- Tableau Pulse – a purpose-built edition of Tableau Pulse that brings out-of-the-box metrics and AI-powered insights directly into the flow of work in Salesforce.
Tableau by Tableau
Tableau by Tableau is a term we're using to describe the portfolio developed within the Tableau ecosystem.
- Tableau Desktop – the authoring tool. The original Tableau product, and the core of what Tableau is (as Desktop or web authoring), providing the ability to see and understand your data.
- Can be used on its own to create vizzes and dashboards, or to publish analytics assets and curated data sources to Tableau Cloud or Tableau Server.
- Tableau Cloud Or Tableau Server – the analytics platform. Tableau Cloud is fully hosted and Tableau Server is on-premises.
- Contains both web authoring functionality that acts as a browser-based Tableau Desktop and a sharing and consumption platform for analytics assets.
- Tableau Prep – the data cleaning tool, used to create data outputs used by Tableau Desktop, Tableau Cloud or Tableau Server.
- Tableau Prep Builder – the data cleaning tool itself, where flows are built to combine, clean and shape data.
- Tableau Prep Conductor – the scheduling portion of the Tableau Prep products, Tableau Prep Conductor is available in Tableau Cloud or Tableau Server to schedule and automate running published Prep flows. Available as part of the Data Management tier in the Enterprise and Tableau+ licence bundles.
- Tableau Public – the free platform to create and share data vizzes in the cloud (used in place of Tableau Desktop and either Tableau Cloud or Tableau Server). Tableau Public is opened and ungoverned. It is not secure and is for content that is intended to be publicly available (data journalism, just for fun, personal portfolios, etc.).
- Tableau Mobile – a free app in the App Store and Google Play for consuming content published on Tableau Cloud or Tableau Server.
- Tableau Reader – a product that is used to consume Tableau Desktop workbooks. Reader is a free tool with no security or governance features.
There are also features and tools within Tableau products.
- Tableau Pulse – scoped metrics accessible where you work, available as part of Tableau Cloud (was originally a stand-alone product, now bundled with Tableau Cloud) and accessible in tools you already work in, such as Slack and email.
- Tableau Agent – the AI assistant to help you create visualisations or understand dashboards.
- AI in Tableau is the portfolio of all generative AI (GAI) functionality across the product, including Tableau Pulse insights and Tableau Agent.
- Tableau Catalog – A data management tool for lineage, impact analysis, data quality warnings, etc. Available as part of the Data Management tier in the Enterprise and Tableau+ licence bundles
- Tableau Cloud Manager (TCM) – a free administrative tool for managing multiple Tableau Cloud sites
- Tableau Bridge – a free tool for bringing data from non-cloud data sources into Tableau Cloud.
- Tableau Exchange – a platform for Tableau-built and third-party extensions, including accelerators, viz extensions, dashboard extensions and data connectors. (The Salesforce version is Marketplace.)
Tableau by Tableau is sold as licences.
- User licences are tiered:
- Tableau Viewer – a consumption seat on Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud.
- Tableau Explorer – a consumption and data exploration seat on Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud.
- Tableau Creator – an authoring seat on Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud, also giving access to Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep.
- Licences can be purchased as bundled editions (SKUs):
- Tableau+ – a licence edition for Tableau Cloud that includes user licences for Viewers, Explorers and Creators, as well as usage access to Data 360 and Data 360 Credits, and some additional functionality for Tableau Pulse. Also included with Tableau+ is Tableau Next.
- Tableau Enterprise – a licence edition for Tableau Cloud or Tableau Server that includes user licences and additional features.