Tableau Quick Start Guide

  1. What is Tableau?
  2. Tutorial Videos
  3. Data Display
  4. Filters
  5. Graph Types


What is Tableau?

Tableau® is the third-party data visualization engine that powers the charts and graphs on the CSI Solar Thermal Statistics website.

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Tutorial Videos

Navigating the interactive graphics on this site is easy once you get the hang of it. We have made a few tutorial videos to make it even easier! Check them out on our FAQ page.

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Data Display

Each graph page can display the data in several different ways. The menus above each graph show the different possible selections.

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Filters

The filters below each graph change the display based on different parameters.

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The filters may allow you to select multiple options by checking boxes.

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Some graphs may have so many filters that the checkboxes are grouped within menus.

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You may also have the option to select a date range by using a sliding scale.

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It is easy to select only a subset of data that you want to see on a graph at any one time. Click and drag to select a group of data. Hover over your selection to see aggregated statistics about the subset. Click “Keep Only” to keep only this data in the graph, or “Exclude” to not include it in the view. Other options to see the underlying data or sort the selection may be available depending on the type of graph.

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Reset Filters

Feel free to experiment with the filtering. Any any time, you can click “Reset Filters” above a graph to go back to the original state.

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Graph Types

The individual graphs on the CSI Solar Thermal Statistics website may each have different features depending on the graph type.

Scale for Time-Based Bar Charts

To make the time scale less granular (e.g. go from monthly totals to yearly totals), click the minus sign near the top left of the graph, which is visible when you hover near it (if applicable).

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To make the time scale more granular (e.g. go from yearly totals to monthly totals), click the plus sign near the bottom left of the graph, which is visible when you hover near it (if applicable).

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Scatter Plots

To zoom in on a scatter plot, double click where you want to zoom to. Click the home icon in the top left of the graph to zoom out to the original view.

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Maps

To access the zooming controls on a map, hover over the map. The controls are shown in the upper left corner.

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  • Click “+” to zoom in
  • Click “-“ to zoom out
  • Click the rectangle select icon to select a region to zoom in on
  • Click the home icon to zoom out to the original view
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