Interactive data visualization software Tableau has updated its platform capability by including a storytelling tool to its platform along with self-service data science capability and a cloud version of its analytics platform. The latest features were announced at the recent conference held in Las Vegas. The cloud version of the analytics platform is currently available while the other two features, data storytelling, and self-service data science capability will be released by the end of this year.

“Each of the new tools is aimed at furthering Tableau’s goal of helping people more easily see and understand data. The opportunity we have is to make data useful for everyone. There is a data revolution going on, and we want to bring data everywhere for everyone,” stated Francois Ajenstat, Tableau’s Chief Product Officer.

The acquisition of Narrative Science enabled Tableau to provide data storytelling capability to its users. Data storytelling is the one feature that enables the data explanation simpler and this had made the process of analytics easy and accessible for as many.

Ajenstat added, “Data Stories is a direct result of Tableau’s acquisition of Narrative Science. Once released, the tool will automatically generate plain-language explanations of Tableau dashboards, potentially enabling more users to work with data — and enabling those who already do work with data to develop insights more quickly. For years, we’ve been focused on making data easy, making it accessible. So when I think about Data Stories, it’s a follow-on to the acquisition, and we think it’s a critical capability to get past that adoption barrier.”

A rebranded version of Tableau Online, Tableau Cloud, the flagship analytics platform has also launched apart from the Storytelling tool. The corporate version for on-premises users will continue to exist along with the new cloud version.

“The cloud is now the predominant way people are deploying Tableau. The growth in cloud data is changing the dynamics [of analytics], and we want to emphasize that as not just another version of Tableau, but as the premier experience for Tableau. It’s enterprise-ready and fast to value, and that’s what customers are looking for right now,” stated Ajenstat.