Why Vizioneer?

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Atlanta, Georgia, United States
The "Vizioneer" comes from mashing two words that have shaped my world for most of my adult life - Engineer and [data] Visualizations (or Vizes to those who know what's up). Graduating from first from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, followed by Georgia Tech with my Bachelors and Masters in Civil Engineering, all of which taught me to think through anything and everything - problem solving, "engineering" solutions, teaching to the "ah ha" moments - is what I love to do. In 2010 that investigative, engineering mindset intersected a job change and a plunge into the world of Data Analysis. In the search for the next great thing I stumbled on to a data visualization and dashboarding product called Tableau software and things just took off. So now I guess you could call me that engineer with the sweet data visualizations - or just "The Vizioneer" :)

In 2013, I joined the incredible team at Slalom, focusing on Tableau and it's been an amazing experience. Recently in 2014, I was honored and humbled to receive Tableau's highest recognition of being named a Tableau Zen Master. Follow along to see what happens next :)

Monday, March 31, 2014

Tableau 30 for 30

I have a big announcement today.  Really BIG.  

Come this April I'm doing something I've never done before.  Some would call it an achievement.  Some would give their left arm not to have to do it.  But for anyone who's made it there before, I think it's fair to say it's a moment to step back and evaluate the world, being thankful for the past that has shaped you, and looking forward to great things to come.  

This April I turn 30.

It's April 9th to be exact, and I know that build up was a little much, but 30 is a big one.  I have certainly had moments in the last few years that made me think my life would be over at 30.  That I'd be old, lame and irrelevant.  And while those first two words maybe scarily acurate, I have zero intention of riding off in to the sunset.

As such and to celebrate turning 30, here's a second big announcement:
Each day for the entire month of April, I'll be writing a blog post on the secret sauce of Tableau.  Jedi tricks and hacks - 30 of them.  30 days, 30 tricks.

  • Out of the box visualizations
  • Creating a look and feel 
  • Advanced mapping techniques
  • Connecting to data sources you didn't even know existed
    ...and much, much more.
Some of these tricks are my very own, but many of them are just simply things I've picked up in the 2 1/2 years of using Tableau and being part of the Tableau community.  

You're going to want to stick around for this and come back each day.  I'd also love to hear about some of your favorite tricks and hacks, so feel free to drop me a line as well.


Many thanks!
Nelson