setup-guide.md

Setup Guide - Olympic Tableau Dashboard

Table of Contents

1. System Requirements
2. Software Installation
3. Repository Setup
4. Data Preparation
5. Opening the Dashboard
6. First-Time Configuration

---

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• OS: Windows 10, macOS 10.14+, or Linux (Ubuntu 18.04+)
• RAM: 4 GB (8 GB recommended)
• Disk Space: 2 GB free space
• Processor: Intel Core i3 or equivalent
• Display: 1366x768 resolution

Recommended Requirements

• RAM: 16 GB
• Processor: Intel Core i5 or better
• Display: 1920x1080 or higher

---

Software Installation

Option 1: Tableau Public (FREE)

Best for: Students, hobbyists, public sharing

1. Download Tableau Public

   • Visit: https://public.tableau.com/en-us/s/download
   • Click "Download the App"
   • Select your operating system

2. Install Tableau Public

   Windows:

   • Run the downloaded .exe file
   • Follow installation wizard
   • Choose installation directory
   • Complete installation

   macOS:

   • Open the downloaded .dmg file
   • Drag Tableau icon to Applications
   • Wait for copy to complete

   Linux:

   • Download .deb or .rpm package
   • For Ubuntu/Debian:

     sudo dpkg -i tableau-public-*.deb
     sudo apt-get install -f

3. Create Tableau Public Account

   • Open Tableau Public
   • Click "Sign In"
   • Create free account with email
   • Verify your email

Option 2: Tableau Desktop (14-day Trial)

Best for: Full features, enterprise use

1. Download Tableau Desktop

   • Visit: https://www.tableau.com/products/desktop/download
   • Fill in the form
   • Download installer

2. Install and Activate

   • Run installer
   • Enter trial license key (sent via email)
   • Complete installation

Option 3: Student License (FREE for 1 year)

Best for: Verified students

1. Verify Student Status

   • Visit: https://www.tableau.com/academic/students
   • Click "Get Tableau for Free"
   • Use your .edu email address
   • Upload student ID or verification document

2. Receive License

   • Check email for license key
   • Download Tableau Desktop
   • Activate with student license

---

Repository Setup

Step 1: Install Git

Windows:

• Download from https://git-scm.com/download/win
• Run installer with default settings

macOS:

# Using Homebrew
brew install git

# Or download from https://git-scm.com/download/mac

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install git

Step 2: Configure Git

# Set your name and email
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

# Verify configuration
git config --list

Step 3: Clone Repository

# Navigate to your projects folder
cd ~/Documents

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/olympic-tableau-dashboard.git

# Navigate into the project
cd olympic-tableau-dashboard

# Verify contents
ls -la

Step 4: Folder Structure Verification

You should see:

olympic-tableau-dashboard/
├── README.md
├── data/
├── tableau/
├── screenshots/
├── documentation/
├── scripts/
└── resources/

---

Data Preparation

Option 1: Use Included Data (Easiest)

The repository includes cleaned data ready to use:

# Verify data exists
ls -lh data/processed/cleaned_olympic_data.csv

Option 2: Download Original Data

1. Download from Kaggle

   • Visit: https://www.kaggle.com/heesoo37/120-years-of-olympic-history-athletes-and-results
   • Click "Download" (requires Kaggle account)
   • Extract athlete_events.csv

2. Place in Repository

   # Copy downloaded file
   cp ~/Downloads/athlete_events.csv data/raw/olympic_data.csv

Option 3: Run Data Cleaning Script

Install Python Dependencies:

# Create virtual environment (recommended)
python3 -m venv venv

# Activate virtual environment
# On Windows:
venv\Scripts\activate
# On macOS/Linux:
source venv/bin/activate

# Install dependencies
pip install pandas numpy

Run Cleaning Script:

# Navigate to project root
cd olympic-tableau-dashboard

# Run script
python scripts/data_cleaning.py

Expected Output:

Loading raw data...
Cleaning data...
- Handling missing values
- Removing duplicates
- Standardizing formats
Cleaned data saved. Total records: 271,116

---

Opening the Dashboard

Method 1: Packaged Workbook (.twbx)

Contains data embedded - easiest method

1. Open Tableau Desktop or Tableau Public
2. Click File > Open
3. Navigate to tableau/olympic_analysis.twbx
4. Click Open
5. Dashboard loads with embedded data

Method 2: Workbook (.twb)

Links to external data source

1. Open Tableau Desktop or Tableau Public
2. Click File > Open
3. Navigate to tableau/olympic_analysis.twb
4. If prompted for data source:
   • Click Browse
   • Navigate to data/processed/cleaned_olympic_data.csv
   • Click Open

Method 3: Build from Scratch

Follow the Visualization Guide to recreate dashboards.

---

First-Time Configuration

1. Data Source Connection

If data path is broken:

1. Click Data menu
2. Select your data source
3. Click Edit Data Source
4. Click the dropdown next to the connection name
5. Select Replace Data Source
6. Browse to correct CSV file
7. Click OK

2. Performance Optimization

Create Data Extract:

1. Right-click data source
2. Select Extract Data
3. Configure extract settings:
   • ☑ Aggregate for visible dimensions
   • ☑ Number of rows: All rows
4. Click Extract
5. Save .hyper file

Benefits:

• Faster load times
• Better performance
• Offline access

3. Customize for Your Data

Update date ranges:

1. Right-click Year filter
2. Select Edit Filter
3. Adjust range as needed
4. Click OK

Modify calculations:

1. Navigate to calculated fields
2. Right-click field > Edit
3. Modify formula
4. Click OK

4. Save Your Work

Local Save:

File > Save As
Name: olympic_analysis_[yourname].twbx
Location: Choose folder

Publish to Tableau Public:

Server > Tableau Public > Save to Tableau Public As...
Sign in to your account
Enter workbook details
Click Upload

---

Verification Checklist

After setup, verify:

• Tableau is installed and opens successfully
• Repository is cloned to local machine
• Data file exists at data/processed/cleaned_olympic_data.csv
• Workbook opens without errors
• All visualizations display correctly
• Filters and actions work properly
• You can edit and save the workbook

---

Troubleshooting

Issue: "Cannot find data source"

Solution:

1. Check file path in connection
2. Verify CSV file exists
3. Update connection to correct path
4. OR use packaged workbook (.twbx)

Issue: "Tableau won't install"

Solution:

• Check system requirements
• Run installer as administrator (Windows)
• Disable antivirus temporarily
• Download fresh installer
• Check disk space (need 2GB+)

Issue: "Data displays incorrectly"

Solution:

1. Check data types in Data pane
2. Convert to appropriate type (right-click > Change Data Type)
3. Refresh data source (F5)
4. Clear cache: Help > Settings and Performance > Clear Cache

Issue: "Slow performance"

Solution:

1. Create data extract (see above)
2. Hide unused fields
3. Limit data with filters
4. Reduce number of marks
5. Simplify calculations

Issue: "Can't publish to Tableau Public"

Solution:

• Verify internet connection
• Check Tableau Public account is active
• Workbook size must be < 15 million rows
• Remove sensitive data
• Sign out and sign back in

---

Next Steps

1. ✅ Complete setup checklist above
2. 📖 Read Visualization Guide
3. 🎨 Explore and customize dashboards
4. 📊 Try recreating visualizations
5. 🚀 Build your own analysis

---

Getting Help

Resources:

• Tableau Community Forums
• Tableau Knowledge Base
• Project Issues

Common Questions:

• See FAQ.md
• Check Troubleshooting Guide

---