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TECHNOLOGY
Tableau can't replace Microsoft's spreadsheet software, but it can help CPAs look at data in new ways.
Technology experts in the accounting profession have been predicting the demise of Microsoft Excel for years. In 2015, for example, the JofA asked the participants in its annual technology roundtable what they saw as the future of the spreadsheet. The first answer given was a product named Tableau. (See "Beyond Spreadsheets: Technology Round Table, Part 1," JofA, April/May 2015, tinyurl.com/ygdedk6r.)
Fast-forward five years, and Excel is still going strong. That's despite Tableau being a really cool tool - so cool, in fact, that we proposed writing a JofA article about it. The response came with a series of questions: How does Tableau compare to Excel? What can Tableau do that Excel can't? Could Tableau replace Excel for accountants, and, if so, why hasn't it yet?
This article answers these questions.
A DIFFERENT TYPE OF TOOL
The first thing to understand about Tableau is that it is a data visualization program. Data visualization programs empower CPAs and other users to render the results of analyses in sophisticated, easy-tocreate charts that highlight many more aspects, or "views," of the data than plain tables. Provided with a plethora of new visual insights, users can look to develop business intelligence.
The second thing to understand about Tableau is that it's not a spreadsheet replacement. Excel can handle a number of tasks that Tableau either can't perform well or can't handle at all. The reverse holds true as well.
To help you understand the capabilities, limitations, and best use cases for Tableau, this article explores its differences from (and similarities with) Excel and also walks you through a simple use case with live data to demonstrate the power of its data visualization capabilities.
Before we jump into the details, it's important to note that Tableau is far from the only data visualization application available to CPAs. The market includes numerous competitors (see the sidebar "Spreadsheet and Visualization Applications"), though Tableau and Microsoft Power BI are probably the two biggest names (see the accompanying article, "Power BI: An Analytical View," on page 40).
COMPARING TABLEAU TO EXCEL
As mentioned, Tableau boasts a number of capabilities that Excel cannot match, while Excel shines...