Tableau In Practice

Most of CGN’s projects require extensive data analytics. Integrating analytics into business operations is described easier in concept/logic than achieved in practice. Tableau was one Business Intelligence software available that promised to bridge this gap between concept and implementation in a short time. Data visualization (Reports-View Transformation) is equally essential as data analysis (Visual Structures-Visual Logics) and views or presentations are an end user interface. As the famous quote says “A picture is worth 1000 words” for example a simple graph can be used to explain a complex analysis.

The first phase of any project is to study the data to define the current state. This includes data gathering, cleansing and analysis. This step is very critical for the success of the project as it defines the scope, identifies the root causes for the problems and lays out execution plans.

CGN started using Tableau in 2010. Since then, our analytical capabilities have grown to the next level. We are now capable of performing complex analysis and views (same part multiple price, network maps, feature based analysis, strategic sourcing analysis to name a few). Traditional tools like Excel can only plot views with 2 variables.

Tableau has helped us break this barrier by allowing us to study the relationships between more than 2 variables in the same view. Tableau contains built-in rules that are used to examine data as well as suggest different ways of looking at it. The software acts as a tour guide for producing useful views of data. This feature has helped us reduce our data analysis time by at least 40%-50% as the software gives a starting view that can be further refined manually rather than starting from scratch.

The other most important feature is the capability to create dashboards. This helps paint a whole picture or tell a story at a high level. This is the perfect tool to use for presentations in management meetings. The dashboards are interactive so they can be changed on the fly to run different scenarios or views. Hence, Tableau’s visual analytics are a fantastic enabler for viewing information through a business lens.

Tableau has not just helped us take our analysis to an advanced level and make our data presentations look more professional but it has also given us the velocity which is very important in this fast paced consulting world. CGN has identified huge opportunities across different projects using Tableau, we have got some great feedback from clients on our advanced analytical capabilities and data presentation; this has given CGN a competitive edge over other consulting firms in this field.

- By Sandeep Dambla, Manager