Author: Joe Rodriguez
Want to know which airport, airline and flight will get you to your destination on time? FYI Solutions hosted an event on Tuesday August 19th where a demo was presented to illustrate how Tableau 8.2 with open source R could be used for such predictive analytics. Our partner Tableau Software conducted the demo using Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) data available to the public. RITA coordinates the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) research programs. Roughly 155 million rows of data going back several years were used for this particular demo.
RITA: http://www.transtats.bts.gov/Tables.asp?DB_ID=120
For this demo instance, an extract file was used and the Tableau software intuitively created the metadata of dimensions and measures based on the data types. From that point forward, dragging and dropping data elements for analysis onto the visualization canvas was performed with ease and extraordinarily fast considering the ~155 million rows of data. The analysis itself assumed the role of different individuals in a typical company that would have unique visualization interests, and each one was immediately able to see patterns in the data that would otherwise not be obvious. Four separate visualizations were created and brought together in a single interactive dashboard that responds to specific filters that are applied – all this in a matter of minutes!
The next assumed role was that of a Business Analyst tasked with producing a forecast. This is where integration with open source R was used to perform statistical analysis on historical data to produce a forward looking forecast. Integration with R requires scripting the predictive model(s) that are needed for a particular business case. For our demo, the scripts were prewritten and applied. A rerun of the visualization including the R script produced the forward looking forecast, showing the predicted pattern several months out from the latest date.
Our event wrapped up with a discussion and demo of new Tableau 8.2 features including recently announced support for MAC and the new Story Board. For the latter, an example was created using the demo visualizations that were presented, and annotated to explain how a conclusion was reached based on the steps taken.
Audience feedback to our event was very favorable and FYI Solutions will be scheduling a similar online event for those who could not attend in person. If you are interested in attending the forthcoming online event comprising Tableau with open source R for predictive analytics, please send us an email with your contact information at events@fyisolutions.com.
FYI Solutions, a Tableau Reseller Partner, has a strong foundation in data warehousing. We help our clients solve their data and performance issues by using proven data management and optimization practices. The result yields trusted reports and visualizations delivered on a timely basis and meeting expectations. FYI Solutions’ partnership with Tableau Software amplifies our mutual commitment to provide unparalleled value to the clients that we serve.
