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Takeaways from Tableau Conference 2025 – New Things Coming to Tableau Users

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Allison Kerson

Allison Kerson is a Data Analyst at Passerelle, where she drives insights and builds scalable analytics dashboards to support strategic decision-making.

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to attend the 2025 Tableau Conference. Tableau revealed several new features, many that implement AI innovations, which brought a lot of excitement for those attending. The following list is a few of the features that stood out to me, and my thoughts on how they could be implemented once released. My opinions come from the perspective of those of us who are particularly focused on secure, scalable analytics. As a data consultant working with public sector clients, I paid close attention to the updates with Tableau Server users in mind. Here’s what stood out, what’s exciting, and where there’s still room for improvement.

A Fresh Look: Dynamic Color Ranges, Rounded Corners, and Palette Themes

Tableau has introduced new visual design enhancements to modernize dashboards:

  • Dynamic Color Range auto-adjusts based on metric scale, giving users clearer insight at a glance.
  • Rounded Corners provide a cleaner, more polished look.
  • Color Palette Themes make it easier to apply consistent branding.

My take: These visual perks are largely limited to Cloud users. Tableau Server users may find themselves waiting or working around limitations. That said, developers have waited for these features for a long time, and I am excited to implement them in my own dashboards!

Tableau Next: A Glimpse into the Future

The big reveal for the Tableau Conference was TableauNext. Touted as a reimagining of the Tableau experience, it is a part of the SalesForce platform and heavily integrated with AgentForce. The end goal is to provide a more integrated and seamless experience for users, and provide immediate analytics and actionable insights. While it provides the ability to use AI to create visualizations, write complex calculated fields, and a new way to build dashboards, it is not without its issues.

My Take: Unless you are already a user of the Salesforce Platform, this tool alone would not be worth the “buy-in”. As a Salesforce platform exclusive, and not its own stand-alone product, I don’t foresee it doing well to serve small or even medium sized customers, especially those who have strict data security guidelines to follow.

AI-Powered Features: Pulse, Instant Viz, and On-Prem AI

AI is no longer a “nice to have, and Tableau is pushing AI front and center:

  • More Pulse features (Einstein Discovery AI driven) let users query data conversationally.
  • Instant Viz generates visuals based on your data source with one click.

My Take: Once again, Tableau is utilizing AI to streamline the user experience. Unfortunately, many of these AI features are Cloud-first or Cloud-only – it may be a while before server users see these features implemented, since AI is still complex to implement and resource-intensive.

Data Pride craft

Tableau Prep in DB Joins

Another feature coming to Tableau involves Tableau Prep. You will soon be able to perform data preparation steps within a database, which means less data movement, better performance, and fewer memory bottlenecks.

Why this matters:

  • Faster Execution: Filter, clean, and transform large datasets at the source, using the database’s compute power instead of overloading your desktop or Tableau Server.
  • Lower Resource Drain: By skipping the full data load into memory, you reduce pressure on local or cloud Tableau environments.
  • Better Infrastructure Alignment: For orgs already invested in Snowflake, SQL Server, or Oracle, this makes Tableau Prep a more scalable part of your data stack.

My Take: For me, this is one of the most practical announcements at the Conference. Those who implement Tableau prep for complex and large flows will be able to optimize their datasets and see an increase in performance in their dashboards.

Custom Python Scripts on Tableau Prep in Tableau Cloud

If you use Python for modeling, Tableau Prep will now support custom scripts natively on the Tableau Cloud. This opens the door to richer analyses using Python libraries.

My Take: This feature is great for data scientists, machine learning workflows, and custom transformations, but again, it’s a Cloud-only feature and server users are left out for now.

Analytics Page Extensions: Smarter Stats, Built In

Another new feature coming to Tableau will be Analytical Page Extensions (APEs). Many users are already familiar with the Analytics pane on desktop and web, with a drag and drop feature for simple statistical analysis, like medians, modes, box-and-whisker plots. Soon users will be able to add custom-coded features like map contours or traveling salesman solutions (TSP).

Why it matters:

  • Empowers users to build custom analytical logic directly into Tableau
  • Offers backward compatibility and auto-updating extensions
  • Opens the door for community innovation – just like how set actions evolved into parameter actions

My Take: Analytical Page Extensions introduce a modular, developer-friendly approach to embedding advanced statistical and spatial analysis directly within Tableau. This feature has strong potential to standardize complex calculations across use cases. Broader availability across both Tableau Cloud and Server will be essential for enterprise-scale adoption.

Final Thoughts: A Mixed Bag for Tableau Server Customers

Tableau continues to innovate, especially in the areas of AI, visual polish, and workflow efficiency. But there’s a clear pattern – many of the truly exciting updates, especially the ones leveraging new AI innovations, are tied to Tableau Cloud or the Salesforce Platform.

For those in security-sensitive sectors (state governments, banks, healthcare), it’s essential to think about:

  • What’s available today on Server
  • What improvements may require cloud migration or hybrid setups
  • How to prioritize governance and scalability in the roadmap

As consultants and stakeholders, we need to bridge that gap – bringing the best of what’s new while keeping security and control top of mind.

Want help making sense of what Tableau’s changes mean for your environment? Let’s connect.

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