Forecasting

Forecasting in Tableau automatically projects future values for a time series, using statistical modeling based on historical patterns - without requiring any manual formula work.

Adding a Forecast

Build a line chart with a date field on Columns and a measure on Rows
Analytics pane -> drag Forecast onto the view

How It Works

Tableau uses exponential smoothing models under the hood, automatically detecting trend and seasonality patterns in the historical data to project forward.

Forecast Options

• Forecast Length - how many future periods to project.
• Source Data - which historical range to base the model on.
• Ignore Last - option to exclude incomplete recent periods that could skew the model.

Reading Forecast Results

Forecasted values appear in a distinct shaded color with a confidence interval band around them, visually distinguishing predictions from actual historical data.