Tableau is an extremely versatile business analytics software that allows to connect directly to a multitude of data sources, and quickly create analytical reports and dashboards without the need to implement a metadata layer, making it easier to use the analytical tool for business and analyst users, minimizing the dependency on the IT department..

Tableau Public is a Tableau initiative that allows you to use a free version of Tableau Desktop to create visualizations that can be uploaded to a personal space in the cloud (the Tableau cloud) and shared with anyone with internet access. The Tableau Public website thus creates a community of visualization authors who are exposed in the web gallery.