What is Tableau Next?
Tableau Next is a new way of building dashboards using semantic models. Instead of jumping straight into chart building, you first create a workspace and define your data structure. This allows you to set clear rules around joins, relationships, metrics, parameters and calculated fields before moving into visualisation.
Once you’ve created a workspace, you can add data sources, the files or databases you want to use. You can view the data in tabs and change field types within each source.
The Semantic Model
Essentially, this is your foundation for building a dashboard. Here’s what you can do:
- Metrics - Every metric requires a time dimension. You can add fields that act as filters for the metric. For example, adding a Category to a Sales metric means you can filter sales by category.
- Calculated Fields - Like Tableau Desktop, you can build custom calculations. A nice feature is that Tableau Next helps with formula structure. If you’re not confident writing IF statements from scratch, the platform auto-generates the script, and you edit it to suit your logic.
- Parameters - Allows you to add interactivity to your semantic model and dashboards. For example, you could create a parameter to switch between different metrics (e.g. Sales vs. Profit).
- Logical View - This feature abstracts your data into a unified table. You can union or join files within the logical view tab, then select the tables you want to combine.
- Data Lake Objects - If your organisation uses Tableau Cloud with a connected data lake, you can create objects directly from it and pull them into Tableau Next for analysis.
A bonus is that you can test your model as you build it. This makes it easier to confirm that relationships, joins, and fields are working as expected before moving on.
Building Visualisations
Once your semantic model is finalised, you’re ready to build charts. The chart-building process in Tableau Next is intuitive but slightly more limited compared to Tableau Desktop. While you won’t have access to every chart type, the options make it beginner-friendly and less overwhelming.
Creating Dashboards
After building your charts, you can combine them into a dashboard. A handy feature in Tableau Next is adding actions within table views. For example, you can insert clickable URLs that allow users to open an external link, such as viewing related orders, without leaving the dashboard. Tableau Desktop does not currently offer this, and it helps users stay in the flow of their analysis.
Final Thoughts
Tableau Next introduces a fresh approach to dashboard building by focusing on semantic modelling upfront. While the chart options are more limited than Tableau Desktop, the structured workflow makes it easier for new users to build reliable dashboards. For experienced Tableau users, features like actions in tables and data lake integration add extra value. Tableau Next is an excellent introduction for just starting with data visualisation.