# Tableau Keynote (2021) Reaction Livestream - Tableau Conference 2021

> 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:** 2021-11-10
- **Format:** Video · 76 min watch · transcript available
- **Topics:** Industry trends, AI & ML, Data visualisation
- **Tools:** Tableau (accelerators, actions, business science, catalog, exchange, model builder, prep, scenario planning, slack, virtual connections)
- **Canonical:** https://just-tim.com/posts/tableau-keynote-2021-reaction-livestream-tableau-conference-2021
- **Watch:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO4h2a09F5Y

Ravi and I livestream our reactions to the Tableau Conference 2021 (Data21) opening keynote, covering the product announcements as they land. We dig into Tableau in Slack, Business Science with Model Builder and scenario planning, virtual connections and data management, the new Tableau Exchange and accelerators, and one-click Tableau actions.

## Key takeaways

- Tableau is bringing notifications, search, Explain Data and Ask Data directly into Slack, with notifications shipping in the 21.3 release.
- Business Science introduces Model Builder for in-Tableau predictive modelling and a Tableau Labs scenario-planning capability for what-if analysis built on a simulation model.
- Data management gains virtual connections (centrally managed, reusable access points with row-level security), external metadata import via Alation, and Prep Extensions plus flow sharing in Prep.
- The Tableau Exchange will let partners and the community discover, share and trade datasets and accelerators (pre-built dashboard starters), reducing the blank-canvas barrier for new users.
- New Tableau actions move beyond filter and URL actions to one-click execution of external services like Salesforce Flow, closing the loop from insight to action.

## Chapters

- 0:00 Pre-show banter and predictions
- 5:33 Soundboard and keynote wishlist
- 18:54 Keynote product announcements begin
- 22:16 Tableau in Slack
- 27:16 AI and Business Science
- 29:34 Model Builder demo
- 33:08 Scenario planning
- 35:23 Data management and virtual connections
- 39:58 Prep extensions and prep in public
- 43:23 Tableau Exchange and accelerators
- 48:04 New Tableau actions
- 51:40 Debrief and final thoughts

Watch the full video, read the transcript and use chapter deep-links on the page: https://just-tim.com/posts/tableau-keynote-2021-reaction-livestream-tableau-conference-2021

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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