What’s Next for Tableau? The Era of Agentic Analytics

Looking to take your Tableau game to the next level? At Tableau Conference, I saw firsthand how agentic analytics is bringing AI-powered, real-time insights into everyday workflows. Check out my recap to learn more.

I just got back from Tableau Conference, and after more than a decade working with this platform, I can confidently say that things are changing fast. Tableau has evolved beyond dashboards and self-service tools into something smarter, faster, and more integrated with the way we work today. It’s the era of agentic analytics!

If you’ve been using Tableau to build dashboards or empower self-service analytics, this next chapter takes things to a whole new level. You’ll be able to do everything you do today, but with more speed, intelligence, and contextual insight. Here's a breakdown of what agentic analytics really means, what Tableau Next brings to the table, and how your organization can start preparing.

What is agentic analytics?

Agentic analytics is a more proactive way to work with data. Instead of waiting on dashboards or relying on manual reporting, you’ll have AI-powered agents embedded directly into your workflow.

These agents identify anomalies, suggest next steps, and trigger automated actions, so your teams can focus on strategy rather than repetitive analysis. This model shifts analytics from being reactive to being proactive and contextual, meeting people where they work and when they need it most.

What is Tableau Next?

Tableau has long been known for its best-in-class data visualizations. But with the introduction of Tableau Next, it’s moving beyond visualizing data by helping users activate it.

Tableau Next builds on the strengths of the existing Tableau platform while adding layers of automation, natural language processing, and integration with enterprise tools like Salesforce Data Cloud and Agentforce.

Let’s take a closer look at what makes Tableau Next unique.

Key capabilities of Tableau Next

Tableau Next is the first open, API-first business intelligence (BI) platform with a full workflow engine that spans the entire analytics journey:

• Open Data Layer - At the foundation is your data. Tableau Next connects to external platforms like Snowflake and Databricks with zero-copy access, so you get speed, security, and cost savings. Analysts gain powerful orchestration tools, while the organization benefits from unified data.
• AI-Powered Semantics - The new Tableau Semantics layer helps build a single source of truth that’s complete with rich context and business meaning. It makes data prep quicker and drives consistent insights across every user and AI agent. Analysts can curate verified semantic models and promote them for widespread use, while still having the flexibility for ad hoc analysis.
• Visualizations - Visualization has always been Tableau’s superpower, and now it’s even more composable and shareable. With an API-first architecture and a shared asset marketplace, Tableau Next provides information that is always up to date and always trusted.
• Action Layer – Tableau Next brings the automation capabilities of Salesforce Flow directly into the analytics experience. You can now automate repetitive tasks and trigger business workflows all from within your dashboards and data summaries.

Tableau Next also introduces new tools that support both data professionals and business users:

• Data Pro is your intelligent assistant for data preparation. Instead of manually wrangling messy data or building complex transformations, Data Pro suggests smarter ways to clean, organize, and transform your data.
• Concierge lets you ask questions in plain language and get clear, actionable answers right away. Whether you're in sales asking about top opportunities or in marketing exploring campaign results, Concierge delivers charts, summaries, and recommended next steps.
• Inspector continuously monitors your data for changes, trends, and anomalies. It proactively flags what needs attention, like a sudden drop in customer satisfaction or a spike in product returns, so teams can jump in and respond before issues escalate.

Tableau is still for everyone

To be clear, Tableau isn’t going anywhere. Tableau Cloud, Server, Prep, and Desktop are here to stay, and Salesforce is actively investing in every part of the classic Tableau platform to meet you where you are.

In fact, Tableau Agent is coming to Tableau Public, making it easier than ever to create beautiful visualizations. With intelligent support for calculations, filtering, and dashboard creation, Tableau Public empowers anyone to build in-demand analytics skills.

Tableau Server is also getting an AI-powered upgrade. With the new VizQL Data Service (VDS) API, organizations can integrate Tableau with the large language model (LLM) of their choice, even in on-prem environments. Use dashboard extensions to create custom chat interfaces that pull trusted data from published sources, all behind the scenes.

What should you do next?

This leap forward might seem big, but for those of us who’ve been on the Tableau journey, it feels like the next natural evolution. Agentic analytics brings data even closer to the people who need it and delivers real-time information wrapped in intelligence. Whether you’re a longtime Tableau user, a curious newcomer, or a business leader aiming to level up your data strategy, this new era has something for you.

So where do you begin?

1. ‍Start by exploring the newest Trailhead modules—especially those focused on Agentforce, the AI engine behind Tableau Next. These will give you a clear understanding of how it integrates with Data Cloud and how it can solve real-world challenges across your organization.
2. Next, take a close look at your current workflows. Which tasks are manual or repetitive? Tableau’s new capabilities are designed to streamline those pain points so your team can work faster and with more confidence.
3. Just as important: align your analytics goals with your broader business strategy. Agentic analytics isn’t just about speed and automation, it’s about driving action, gaining context-rich insights, and helping everyone to make better decisions in the flow of work.

Tableau Next is only the beginning, and I’m excited to help you make the most of what’s ahead. As a Tableau Visionary, I’m offering a complimentary BI roadmap workshop to help your team explore these capabilities and build a plan that’s tailored to your goals. Click here to learn more.

Also, don’t miss my Tableau Conference session, Diverse Analytics Using Multi-Fact Relationship. It’s full of practical strategies for getting more from your data.

Let’s make this next chapter of your Tableau journey your most impactful one yet!