Tableau Next Brings Analytics Closer to Action
Big news! Salesforce is bringing Tableau onto the Salesforce platform with Tableau Next. Until now, Tableau has been a separate suite of products such as Desktop, Server, Cloud and Prep. At the same time, Salesforce users have relied on CRM Analytics as the native option within the platform. Tableau Next changes the picture by combining Tableau’s flexibility with Salesforce’s scale, AI and security.
For many leaders, this raises immediate questions. What is Tableau Next? How does it fit alongside CRM Analytics and existing Tableau products? Is anything being replaced, or is it an addition?
At Decision Inc., analytics and visualisation have always been a core strength. As one team with ProQuest, we are bringing that expertise closer to customers in Australia. Tableau Next marks an exciting step forward, and together we are ready to help organisations unlock its full potential.
Understanding the Tableau Portfolio
| Product | What It Is | Typical Use Case for Customers |
| Tableau Desktop | Standalone tool installed on your device to build dashboards and visualisations | Analysts and developers build dashboards locally |
| Tableau Server | On-premises server for publishing and sharing dashboards | Enterprises that want to host Tableau internally |
| Tableau Cloud | Tableau’s SaaS offering (formerly Tableau Online), Fully cloud-based | Customers who want Tableau as a hosted cloud service |
| Tableau Prep | Data preparation tool for cleaning, shaping and combining data | Analysts prepare data before analysis in Desktop or Cloud |
| Tableau Pulse | Surfaces personalised, real-time metrics directly in workflows, removing the need to “go to the dashboard” | Business users who need simple, proactive updates without building dashboards |
| Tableau Public | Free platform for publishing and sharing visualisations online | Educators, journalists, and public users who want to share data stories openly |
| Tableau CRM | Salesforce-native analytics platform. First launched as Wave (2014), renamed Einstein Analytics (2017), then Tableau CRM (2021), and finally CRM Analytics (2022–present) | Salesforce users who need dashboards and AI-driven insights directly inside their CRM |
To simplify:
- Server and Cloud are where organisations store, publish, and manage Tableau content. Server offers on-premises control, while Cloud is a fully managed SaaS option.
- Prep is used to clean, shape, and combine data before analysis.
- Desktop is where analysts build dashboards and visualisations using prepared data.
- Public allows anyone to share visualisations openly online for a wide audience.
- Pulse pushes personalised, real-time updates into daily workflows, reducing the need to check dashboards.
- Tableau CRM is Salesforce’s native analytics platform, now called CRM Analytics, embedded directly into Salesforce.
Enter Tableau Next
Tableau Next does not replace Desktop, Server, Cloud or Prep. Instead, it is a new, unified experience built directly on Salesforce with Data Cloud and Agentforce. Here is what changes:
- All-in-one browser-based environment: No more juggling between Desktop, Prep and Server. Authoring, preparing and publishing all happen in one place.
- AI assistance built in: Tableau Next can suggest data, flag anomalies and recommend next steps, reducing manual effort.
- Proactive insights: Rather than waiting for reports, teams get nudges as soon as data shifts.
- Consistency across teams: A shared semantic model ensures everyone is working from the same definitions.
- Hosted on Salesforce: Customers get the benefits of scale, security and native integration with Salesforce workflows.
In addition, Tableau Next comes with pre-built analytics skills that act like a co-pilot:
- Data Pro unifies and cleans data to deliver seamless insights
- Concierge allows natural language queries and recommends next actions
- Inspector monitors data in real time and flags anomalies
Together, these skills move analytics beyond static reports into something more dynamic, where insights find you instead of the other way around.
For long-time Tableau customers, Tableau Next removes much of the friction of using multiple products. For new adopters, it offers a single, modern entry point with AI-powered intelligence already included.
Existing Tableau tools remain fully supported, but Tableau Next represents the next stage in the journey: moving from separate tools and static dashboards to a cloud-native, AI-first platform embedded in daily workflows.
Why It Matters to Have Tableau on Platform?
Example 1: Retail Never Out of Stock
Imagine a store manager preparing for a weekend sale. Live inventory data is cleaned and unified in one place. An alert flags that a trending item may sell out. Tableau Next suggests a reorder and the manager approves it instantly in Salesforce. Instead of reacting too late, the team stays ahead of demand.
Example 2: Always-On Monitoring for Financial Advisors
Picture a relationship manager overseeing hundreds of client portfolios. Tableau Next spots unusual market activity, highlights which clients are most exposed, and recommends next steps. The manager can trigger follow-ups immediately in Salesforce. The result is faster protection of assets and stronger client trust.
How Tableau Next Is Charged
One practical difference from traditional Tableau is pricing. Instead of paying per user role, Tableau Next uses a usage-based model. Credits are consumed for activities such as data queries, federated access and AI-driven actions.
These are the main activities that affect your usage:
- Processing data queries uses credits based on the number of records processed. This applies when running queries through APIs, reports, or models.
- Federated data access consumes credits when you query and retrieve data from external or cross-region sources.
- Agentforce AI actions such as running Concierge or Inspector tasks are billed per agent action, with AI prompts measured as tokens.
This means you pay for what you use, which is more flexible and scalable. At the same time, it requires monitoring to keep value and costs balanced.
The aim of Tableau Next is not just better dashboards but closing the gap between insight and action. It turns analytics from a passive reporting tool into an active driver of business outcomes.
As a consulting partner, ProQuest helps organisations choose the right starting points, align existing tools with Tableau Next, and design adoption roadmaps that deliver both value and confidence. Get in touch with us if you need help in getting started.
