Salesforce launches Tableau Next to automate data analysis

Salesforce has unveiled Tableau Next, an API-first analytics platform designed to integrate with Agentforce, a digital labour platform, to offer new capabilities for business intelligence.

Tableau Next has been built on the Salesforce platform and leverages Data Cloud to introduce features described as agentic analytics, aiming to automate and streamline data management and visualisation tasks for businesses.

The platform is designed to automate various repetitive data processes, such as data cleaning, transformation, and visualisation generation. It also focuses on delivering proactive, comprehensive insights by autonomously identifying patterns, correlations, and outliers that could be missed during manual analysis.

Tableau Next features tools intended to make data more accessible and actionable, including natural language summaries and AI-generated recommendations. The intention is to offer insights in the workflows and applications where users already operate, with the platform embedding these insights directly into dashboards and reports.

Key features of Tableau Next include Data Pro, an AI-powered data preparation assistant; Concierge, which responds to data questions in everyday language; Inspector, which continually monitors data and insights; Tableau Semantics, a semantic layer for unified business data understanding; and Marketplace, enabling users to share and reuse analytics components.

The significance of agentic analytics in business intelligence is to allow users to collaborate with AI agents. This is designed to accelerate the data-to-action workflow, automating preparation and ETL tasks that would otherwise require specialised technical knowledge. Business decision-makers can query their data in plain language and receive direct answers accompanied by recommended actions, streamlining the decision-making process.

The company states that Tableau Next "empowers every user to automate repetitive data tasks like data cleaning, transformation, and visualization generation, as well as the execution of complex, multi-step analytical workflows within and across different business areas. This builds on Tableau's strength in simplifying complex data for users."

It also "proactively deliver[s] faster, more comprehensive insights by autonomously detecting hidden correlations, outliers, and trends that might be missed by human observation. This enhances Tableau's focus on user-driven insights by providing AI guidance."

Additionally, Tableau Next aims to "enable more contextual and effective action through natural language summaries, visualizations, and data-driven recommendations, insights delivered where people work with an enterprise-class workflow engine that enables users to kick off automated actions. This extends Tableau's ability to drive action from data, making it more seamless within the Salesforce ecosystem."

Tableau Semantics serves as an intelligent semantic layer, which the company says ensures data consistency and supports the generation of accurate insights. The built-in workflow engine is designed to translate analytics into actionable steps, aiming to reduce the time required to derive value from data.

Features include the following agentic AI skills: Data Pro for automated data preparation suggestions; Concierge for instant, plain language answers to data queries; Inspector for proactive data trend monitoring; Tableau Semantics for a consistent data framework; and Marketplace to share and reuse analytics components across teams.

Ryan Aytay, Chief Executive Officer of Tableau, said: "Tableau Next helps businesses achieve faster, more impactful results with their data. We're shifting from basic reports to a world where AI is a collaborative decision-making partner. By combining AI agents with trusted data and easy-to-use tools, we're making data accessible to everyone and transforming the data-to-action process into an automated, proactive, and insight-driven cycle. This empowers users to improve decision-making, boost efficiency, and manage risk more effectively."

Customer perspectives were also shared on the release. Ravi Malick, Global Chief Information Officer at Box, commented: "Customers choose Box for our gold standard in security and compliance. This commitment is complemented internally with the power of Pulse's analytics solutions, and we are incredibly excited by the promise of Tableau Next. We believe that Agentic Analytics will be instrumental in enhancing our ability to predict future trends and make strategic, data-informed decisions."

Moritz Schieder, Global Tableau and Salesforce Analytics Lead for Deloitte, said: "Integrated within the Salesforce ecosystem, Tableau Semantics creates a single source of truth, reducing conflicting interpretations to enhance collaboration, advance AI, and drive richer insights."

Mary Rowe, Global Head of IBM Consulting Salesforce Practice, added: "IBM is excited to use Tableau Next to drive greater value for our customers, no matter where they're working. As a strategic Agentforce partner and Salesforce customer, we are ready and eager to usher in the next generation of analytics alongside Salesforce."

Tableau Next is now available with the Tableau+ SKU. Tableau Semantics is available immediately, while Concierge, Data Pro, Inspector, and the Internal Marketplace are scheduled for general availability between June 2025 and late 2025.