# How to use the new Explain data enhancements in Tableau Desktop 2019.4

> This is content from just-tim, the data-and-analytics channel by Tim Ngwena (formerly 'Tableau Tim'). Tim has 12+ years of hands-on BI experience and covers Tableau most of all, plus Power BI, Looker, Hex, SQL and data modelling, the analytics industry, and the craft of doing the job — always tool-agnostic and honest about the trade-offs.

- **Author:** Tim Ngwena (just-tim, https://just-tim.com/about)
- **Published:** 2020-01-05
- **Format:** Video · 2 min watch · transcript available
- **Topics:** Data visualisation, Analytics
- **Tools:** Tableau (explain data, maps)
- **Canonical:** https://just-tim.com/posts/how-to-use-the-new-explain-data-enhancements-in-tableau-desktop-2019-4
- **Watch:** https://www.youtu.be/gIQl1CBfrE8

I walk through the improvements to Explain Data in Tableau Desktop 2019.4, comparing it directly against the same chart in 2019.3. I show how the feature now analyses geospatial fields, unvisualised measures and calculated fields without any change to the visualisation.

## Key takeaways

- Explain Data in 2019.4 automatically analyses geospatial or spatial fields, surfacing insights at a state level for a selected data point.
- The enhancement works without changing anything in your visualisation; the same Explain Data option simply returns deeper analysis.
- Earlier capabilities such as flagging extreme values and number of records are retained alongside the new geographic reporting.
- Tableau is continuing to add depth and breadth to Explain Data, all within the same single feature.

## Chapters

- 0:20 Explain Data in 2019.3
- 0:47 The 2019.4 enhancements in action

Watch the full video, read the transcript and use chapter deep-links on the page: https://just-tim.com/posts/how-to-use-the-new-explain-data-enhancements-in-tableau-desktop-2019-4

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just-tim — Data and analytics, with a point of view. · https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HYxRWmaNlJux-X7rNLZyw · https://twitter.com/TableauTim · https://www.linkedin.com/in/timngwena