History of Tableau
Until the early 21st century, databases were mainly used to produce numbers and data. It was the job of IT professionals to analyze this data and create reports. However, that changed with the foundation of Tableau in 2003 by Pat Hanrahan, Christian Chabot, and Chris Stolte from Stanford University. Their vision was to make the database industry more interactive and accessible.
Despite the presence of established players like Cognos, Microsoft Excel, and Business Objects, Tableau quickly climbed the ranks and now has a market value of $3.8 billion. In August 2016, Adam Selipsky was appointed as the CEO and president.
What Made Tableau Popular?
Tableau’s success stems from its simplicity and user-friendly features. It allows users to create graphs, charts, maps, and reports easily while supporting advanced concepts like predictive and prescriptive analysis.
Key features that contributed to its popularity:
- Powered by VizQL language for seamless data integration from various sources.
- Offers a range of customizable visualization tools.
- Complex graphs and maps can be created using drag-and-drop functionality.
- Supports real-time data analysis and multi-platform integration.
Tableau’s Growth and Versions
Tableau has consistently innovated with new versions like Tableau 9.0 and 10.0, introducing smart maps, cross-database joins, cluster analysis, and multi-device support. From $18 million in sales in 2009, Tableau’s revenue soared to $654 million by 2015, solidifying its position among the top 10 BI tools, competing with giants like IBM, Microsoft, Qlik, and Oracle.
According to a 2016 Forbes report, Tableau’s income grew 32% in the first quarter to $172 million, with international revenue surging by 52%. As it continues to expand, Tableau remains a dominant force in the BI industry.
At Cyber Tech Creations, we recognize Tableau’s powerful role in transforming data visualization and business intelligence.
