We’re back from the 2017 Tableau Conference hosted this year in Las Vegas where we joined 15,000 of our closest data-obsessed friends to talk Tableau and data analytics! BDO Digital was one of over 500 partner organizations who came to Vegas for the four-day event to hear from data experts and learn first-hand about what’s coming out next in the analytics industry. So, contrary to the motto, we didn’t want what happened in Vegas to stay in Vegas – here are the highlights!

To kick things off, BDO Digital hosted the official Tableau Midwest Customer Meet Up on Monday evening. The event brought together the local Tableau community from both Illinois and Indiana for a night of drinks, networking, and sharing of data analytics best practices.

The conference itself was packed with insights, alluring visualizations, and Tableau revelations of things to come. Here are some of the takeaways:

Tableau Has Rolled Out New Features

• New modern data prep capabilities with Project Maestro
• Enhanced Content Management and Governance Capabilities
• Better Security Protocols, Reliability, and Scalability
• New Database Engine, Hyper, replaces the Tableau Data Engine and allows users to query millions of records in the Tableau data engine

Machine Learning

Tableau has now integrated Natural Language Generation, an A.I. technology, into their platform! Smart Analytics Solution generates new insights based on users’ use patterns.

Data Analytics for the Mid-Market

Tableau tools have traditionally been used by enterprise businesses to improve their decision-making across all departments, but more and more they are being utilized by mid-market companies. Organizations in healthcare, financial services, and the retail space are especially utilizing Tableau to turn their data into usable insights.

Though it’s tempting to want to jump right in, it’s important to keep in mind that the most important aspect of rolling out a new tool or project to your team is change management. User enablement and adoption is key to success and can’t be overlooked.