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Tableau Public for beginners: connect a CSV, build a bar chart, add a filter and make a dashboard

Lesson cheat sheetOne page · US letterTableauChatGPT

By Robert Breen · Published · From the free lesson Tableau Public: Your First Chart and Dashboard

A free one-page Tableau Public cheat sheet: connect a CSV, dimensions vs measures, a revenue bar chart, a viewer filter, a dashboard and publishing safely.

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Free, no sign-up and no email needed. It prints on one letter-size page; the whole sheet is below.

▶StepthroughFree printable cheat sheet · learn.ynteractive.com

Tableau Public for beginners: connect a CSV, build a bar chart, add a filter and make a dashboard

The steps from the free Data and Dashboards for Beginners course, practised there on real Tableau Desktop Public Edition 2026.2 screens.

Before you start

  • Install Tableau Desktop Public Edition (free). The Free Edition cannot publish to Tableau Public.
  • Anything saved to Tableau Public is visible to anyone, and the Public Edition is not for commercial work: use sample data.

Build the chart

  1. Start page > Connect > Text file > pick the CSV. Check the type icons: calendar for dates, # for numbers.
  2. Click Sheet 1. Drag Region to Columns and Revenue to Rows.
  3. Drag Product to Filters. Nothing is ticked: click All, then OK.
  4. Right-click the Product pill > Show Filter so viewers can use it.
  5. Double-click the sheet tab to rename it.

Words on the screen

Dimension (blue)
Something you group by, like Region. Makes headers and one bar per value.
Measure (green)
A number Tableau adds up, like SUM(Revenue). Makes the axis.
Sheet vs dashboard
A sheet is one chart. A dashboard arranges sheets and their filters on one page.

Dashboard and publishing

  • New Dashboard, then drag the sheet onto the canvas: the filter comes with it.
  • File > Save to Tableau Public (older versions: Server). A connection error? Switch Live to Extract.
  • Google Sheets sources refresh about every 24 hours on Tableau Public; CSV files do not.

Remember: Dimensions make the bars, measures make their height, and only sample data goes on Tableau Public.

Practice it free: Tableau Public: Your First Chart and Dashboard at learn.ynteractive.com/modules/tableau-public-first-chart. This sheet: learn.ynteractive.com/content/cheat-sheets/tableau-public-first-chart. the sample sales team is a made-up business from the lesson. By Robert Breen, October 23, 2026.

Practice it in the free lesson

Tableau Public: Your First Chart and Dashboard. A beginner Tableau Public walkthrough on real screens: connect a CSV, build revenue by region, give viewers a product filter, put it on a dashboard and find Save to Tableau Public. Free tool, sample… You do every step yourself in a practice copy of Tableau, it checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, and nothing touches your real accounts.

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Or read the full step-by-step guide

Lessons on this sheet

Tableau Desktop Public Edition start page with Connect, To a File, Text fileTableau Public: Your First Chart and Dashboard

A beginner Tableau Public walkthrough on real screens: connect a CSV, build revenue by region, give viewers a product filter, put it on a dashboard and find Save to…

Free · Live ~15 min Beginner

Windows Open dialog choosing a garden center sales CSV file to upload into ChatGPTAnalyze a Spreadsheet with ChatGPT: Upload a CSV, Get a Chart and Three Takeaways

Upload a CSV of sales to ChatGPT, have it check the data first, ask your questions, get a chart you can download, and finish with the three takeaways that matter.

Free · Live ~10 min Beginner

Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson.

DashboardCSVPivot tableCash flow statementRowsAnnual recurring revenue (ARR)Balance sheetNatural language query

The full AI glossary

All free prompt templates

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