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1. Re: Only the really tough are left!
Patrick A Van Der HydeFeb 18, 2015 11:30 AM (in response to Shawn Wallwork)
1 of 1 people found this helpfulElvis Has Left The Building Yeah - some of the questions are challenging but we all enjoy that, right
Whenever anyone asks, how can I get better at Tableau, I always recommend coming to the community and trying to answer/contribute. There is no better way to learn than to try to assist others. Right Matt Lutton
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2. Re: Only the really tough are left!
Matt LuttonFeb 18, 2015 11:43 AM (in response to Patrick A Van Der Hyde)
1 of 1 people found this helpfulI do not think I could have learned what I have without this Forum, and more importantly, the people who share their knowledge here.
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3. Re: Only the really tough are left!
Shawn Wallwork Feb 18, 2015 12:15 PM (in response to Patrick A Van Der Hyde)1 of 1 people found this helpfulWhat Patrick said! Really.
I learned Tableau mostly by 'attempting' to answer forum questions. What I mean by this is I would grab a question (usually download the workbook) and then take a look at what all the fuss was about. More often than not, I quickly realized the Q was a lot harder than it looked. So I would work it, and work it, and work it.
Finally either Richard Leeke or Robert Morton or Joe Mako would jump in and post the solution -- and I would note the additional issues I had missed, and learn a bit more of the Tableau puzzle.
I tell this story because I still believe this technique is a very valid way of learning Tableau (especially if you now wait for the Jonathan Drummey detailed response). But also because I think it is important for everyone here on our forums to tests their solutions before posting them. There were many times I thought I had the answer, but wasn't sure, so I held back a bit. I was glad I did; especially once I saw the actual answer, and better understood the issues were much more complex than I originally realized.
Conclusion: Answer away, please! But only after you absolutely, positively know/test that your answer is correct.
--Shawn
FYI: I don't always follow my own advice, I know. Wish I did.
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4. Re: Only the really tough are left!
Matt LuttonFeb 18, 2015 12:25 PM (in response to Shawn Wallwork)
1 of 1 people found this helpfulI don't mind people "guessing" or attempting, as long as they make note of that in their responses. Its the "see attached" replies, with no details provided, that really bother me the most (now go and find 10 examples where I've done the same... they exist I'm sure!)
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5. Re: Only the really tough are left!
Jonathan DrummeyFeb 18, 2015 12:23 PM (in response to Shawn Wallwork)
1 of 1 people found this helpfulShawn Wallwork wrote:
But also because I think it is important for everyone here on our forums to tests their solutions before posting them. There were many times I thought I had the answer, but wasn't sure, so I held back a bit. I was glad I did; especially once I saw the actual answer, and better understood the issues were much more complex than I originally realized.
Hear, hear! It's the times when I'm in a rush and assume I know the answer w/out doing some testing that I end up with a wrong answer. Also, making an effort to explain what I did (in words and/or screenshots) results in a higher-quality answer because I'm taking more time to think about what I've done, there have been many cases where in composing my explanation I've realized that I'd made a mistake, figured out some potential complications, and/or come up with a simpler solution.
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6. Re: Only the really tough are left!
Alexander Mou Feb 18, 2015 12:30 PM (in response to Jonathan Drummey)1 of 1 people found this helpfulThe one who answered the question learned more than the one who asked.
How interesting!
On Wed, Feb 18, 2015 at 12:24 PM, Jonathan Drummey <
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7. Re: Only the really tough are left!
kettan Feb 18, 2015 12:41 PM (in response to Alexander Mou)1 of 1 people found this helpfulMy personal opinion is that Tableau Corporation are those who potentially (should) learn most from forum questions because they are mainly about things which are difficult or impossible to do and thus a wonderful source of inspiration for improving Tableau products as also emphasized in The specified item was not found. and therefore hope product roadmap decision makers regularly read questions while wearing their finest feature inspiration glasses.
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8. Re: Only the really tough are left!
Shawn Wallwork Feb 18, 2015 12:54 PM (in response to Matt Lutton)1 of 1 people found this helpfulMatthew you and Richard Leeke should commiserate! He hated the 'see attachment' response back in the day.
But I must mildly disagree with your 'I don't mind people guessing' statement. This is sort of what my entire post really was all about. I do mind the guessing; I mind it very much! Guessing absorbs so much time, energy (correcting when the guess is wrong), and drives us all away.
Is anyone tired of correcting the wrong forum answer?
--Shawn
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9. Re: Only the really tough are left!
Matt LuttonFeb 18, 2015 12:55 PM (in response to Shawn Wallwork)
1 of 1 people found this helpfulYou left out the "as long as" part of my statement...
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10. Re: Only the really tough are left!
Shawn Wallwork Feb 18, 2015 1:13 PM (in response to Matt Lutton)1 of 1 people found this helpfulMatthew, on review I do owe you a note of contrition/apology:
Matthew did in fact qualify his original statement about 'guessing', (and I missed it). As he noted: '... as long as they make note...' was the part I missed.
Please forgive, my friend.
-Shawn
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11. Re: Only the really tough are left!
Patrick A Van Der HydeFeb 18, 2015 2:20 PM (in response to Shawn Wallwork)
1 of 1 people found this helpfulI'm happy to drop into regular forums spot. There were a few other threads that were sitting here in Crows Nest and I was moving them to "forums" this morning. I then replied to this one, which seemed specific to Crows Nest, and left it here. Happy to move it to community canvas or forums if you forum superheros think that is better.
my own 2 cents on the 'guessing'.. I tend to focus on crows nest where no one has answered a post for a few weeks. I probably 'guess' more than most and I try to let others know I am guessing in a reply and that a workbook or more detailed request for assistance would provide the ability for a more detailed response. Often, I may provide a brief guess and include a mention of one of you that knows much better than myself. That is probably the best service I can provide, hooking together the answer makers with the confused questions and asking for clarity where there was none.
Jonathan's reply is especially helpful since he has been a inspiration and patient teacher with me for the last few years that I have been at Tableau. Recently, I have tried to get back to providing more documentation within the workbooks I create and the more complicated responses/answers and hey, i picked up a few marked "correct answers" last week from the community in the process.