Tableau is a powerful visual analytics platform designed to help people and organizations make the most out of their data. USC’s current Tableau platform includes Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server. Here are some key aspects of Tableau:

1. Data Visualization: Tableau transforms raw data into interactive and shareable dashboards, making it easier to explore and understand data through visual representations like charts, graphs, and maps.

2. User-Friendly Interface: It features a drag-and-drop interface that allows users, regardless of their technical expertise, to create complex visualizations and analyses with ease.

3. Wide Range of Data Sources: Tableau supports various data sources, including spreadsheets, databases, and cloud services, providing flexibility and connectivity for comprehensive data analysis.

4. Real-Time Analytics: Users can access up-to-date data and generate real-time reports, enabling informed decision-making based on the latest information.

5. Collaboration and Sharing: Tableau facilitates collaboration by allowing users to share their dashboards and insights with others, fostering a data-driven culture within organizations.

6. Integration with Other Tools: It integrates with numerous other software and platforms, enhancing its functionality and making it a versatile tool for business intelligence.

Features

• Tableau Desktop: Tableau Desktop allows customers to create content such as workbooks, dashboards, and stories to help answer business questions and provide insight. For more information, please visit www.tableau.com/products/desktop.
• Tableau Server: USC’s Tableau Server allows authorized publishers to publish content created via Tableau Desktop and securely share content with authorized users via a web browser or mobile application (iOS/Android). User access and content are organized by “sites” (multi-tenant environment), and current sites include Institutional Research, as well as pilots for Admission and Student (Registrar).

Technical Requirements

Tableau Desktop

• Windows: Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10 (x64), Windows 11
• Mac: macOS Big Sur 11.4+, macOS Monterey 12.6+, macOS Ventura, macOS Sonoma

Tableau Server

• Current Version: 2024.2.1 (To ensure compatibility and optimal performance, use Tableau Desktop 2024.2.1 with Tableau Server 2024.2.1). Using the same version for both Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server helps avoid compatibility issues and ensures all features and functionalities work seamlessly together.

Browsers:

Tableau supports a variety of web browsers for accessing its visualizations and dashboards. Here are the main browsers you can use:

• Google Chrome: Supported on Windows, Mac, and Android
• Mozilla Firefox: Supported on Windows and Mac
• Microsoft Edge: Supported on Windows
• Safari: Supported on Mac

These browsers support client-side rendering, which uses the HTML5 <canvas> element to improve performance.

Tableau strives to deliver a consistent experience across all these browsers, although each may render web pages slightly differently.

Eligibility

Tableau Desktop: Faculty, researchers, and full-time students are eligible to use Tableau Desktop.

Tableau Server: Select USC faculty and staff are eligible to access content on the Tableau Server. Please contact the corresponding site administrator for access:

• Admission – data@usc.edu
• Advancement – chongs@usc.edu
• Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy – agarg@usc.edu / maryann@usc.edu
• Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center – James.Luo@med.usc.edu
• Athletics – data@usc.edu
• Bovard College –crile@usc.edu
• Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences – ericp@usc.edu
• Family Medicine – lwang350@usc.edu
• Financial Aid – noemigar@usc.edu
• Information Technology Services – data@usc.edu
• Institutional Research – mmarchak@usc.edu
• Marshall School of Business – (jizhou@marshall.usc.edu) / (sfaris@marshall.usc.edu
• Office of the Provost – gderderian@Provost.usc.edu
• Ostrow School of Dentistry – (creighto@usc.edu) / (sanapany@usc.edu)
• Sol Price School of Public Policy –– dhorn@usc.edu
• Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics-  wallisj@usc.edu
• Student (Registrar) – Enterprise Data and Analytics – data@usc.edu
• Student Affairs – chugeoff@usc.edu
• USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism – data@usc.edu
• USC Mann Finance – harrisan@usc.edu
• USC Online – crile@usc.edu
• Viterbi School of Engineering – Binh T. Tran / akirchne@usc.edu

Pricing

• Tableau Desktop: Free for academic use (Non-Commercial Research, Instructional, and Full-Time Students), see www.tableau.com/academic/students for details.
• Faculty and researchers who wish to use Tableau Desktop for non-academic purposes should contact Tableau directly.
• Tableau Server: Authorized users may access and publish content on Tableau Server for free.

Helpful Links

• Tableau Desktop: Full-Time students can download Tableau Desktop at www.tableau.com/academic/students.
• Faculty and researchers can download Tableau Desktop for instructional use and/or non-commercial research at www.tableau.com/academic/teaching.
• For assistance using this software, see Tableau’s Get Started with Tableau Desktop tutorial.
• Tableau Server: To view content on Tableau Server, visit dataviz.usc.edu and log in using your USC NetID and password. If you have access to more than one site, you will be prompted to select which site you wish to access; if you have access to only one site, you will go directly to the content.
• Open a Request Ticket for Tableau on the ITS Service Portal.
• Search for How-To Instructions and knowledge-based articles on the ITS Service Portal.

ITS Support 

• The ITS Service Desk provides support to the USC community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 
• Call (213) 740-5555 and choose option 2 to receive assistance. 
• Report an Issue on the ITS Service Portal.
• Search for information on the ITS Service Portal.