Tableau new features include NLP, AI, machine learning

Tableau Software added a range of smart capabilities to its products in Tableau 2019, led by natural language processing for its new Ask Data voice recognition tool. Unveiled at the 2018 Tableau Conference, the Tableau new features include the ability to find insights by entering questions in Ask Data in text or verbal speech, more data modeling automation and Tableau Prep Conductor, an add-on product that gives users more centralized administration and scheduling options. Many of the features are available now in the public beta version of Tableau 2019.1, which was also unveiled at the conference. The natural language processing (NLP) capabilities had been among the more anticipated Tableau new features. Many BI and enterprise software vendors have been looking to add NLP to their products, and it's a technology that Tableau itself hinted at earlier this year. Essentially, Tableau users can type questions about their data into a search bar using plain language -- even with some slang -- and receive the answer.