What is forecasting in Tableau?

Tableau's built-in forecasting feature projects future values for a time-series measure using exponential smoothing models, without requiring the user to write any statistical code.

Analytics pane -> drag "Forecast" onto the view
-> Tableau extends the line/bars with projected future values
-> shaded band shows the confidence interval

• Tableau automatically detects trend and seasonality patterns in the historical data to choose an appropriate exponential smoothing model.
• Forecasted points are visually distinguished (typically a dashed line or lighter shading) from actual historical data, and a shaded confidence band shows the range of likely outcomes.
• Forecast length, seasonality, and confidence interval width can all be adjusted in the Forecast Options dialog.

Because it's based on exponential smoothing rather than more advanced regression or machine-learning models, Tableau's native forecasting is best suited to quick, exploratory projections; more rigorous forecasting needs are often better served by exporting data to R or Python via Tableau's statistical integrations.

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