After the Dust Settles: Was it a New Day for Data? Tableau Conference 2023 Recap

We’re now one week removed from the close of the 2023 Tableau Conference. Everyone’s back from Las Vegas and has settled back into their daily routines — with one question remaining, was it a new day for data? Today I’m going to break down my conference experience, keeping a critical eye on the hopes I outlined prior to attending.

So was it a new day for data? The short answer is no. The long answer is — it was definitely a new day for Tableau or should I say Salesforce? While the Tableau Conference had several similar elements of prior years (nods to the community, “data rockstar” energy, and witty marketing tactics) what was lacking was the true essence of the mission statement, helping people see and understand data. Instead what the audience was served up was a blend of AI promises, the Data Cloud, and flashy innovations like Tableau Gestures. Let’s dive in.

As is typical, the open of the conference began with a keynote — the opportunity to share the latest innovations and give some insight into the direction the platform (and company) are going. Here we saw a keynote unfold in 3 chapters — “Data Augmented by AI,” “Data Embedded Everywhere,” and “Data Trusted by All.” The lead up to these chapters included a recap of the 20 years of innovation that Tableau has had and some key…