Has Tableau Forgotten the DataFam?

Has Tableau Forgotten the DataFam?

From The Data Nerd Podcast by Nisar Ahmed

December 10, 2025 · 46 min · Season 3 · Episode 7

About this episode

Nisar Ahmed interviews Tableau legend Andy Kriebel about the current state of the Tableau community and the recent DataFam Europe event.

In this episode of The Data Nerd Podcast, host Nisar Ahmed sits down with Tableau legend Andy Kriebel for a raw, unfiltered conversation about DataFam Europe and the state of the Tableau community. Known as a Tableau Visionary Hall of Famer, creator of Makeover Monday, and founder of Next-Level Tableau, Andy has been at the heart of the DataFam for years, so when he says something feels off, it's worth paying attention. Andy shares his honest take on why this year's DataFam Europe felt like a sales and Salesforce-focused pitch to the wrong audience, rather than a celebration of the everyday Tableau Desktop user who is the DataFam. He talks about the lack of practical problem-solving content, the shift away from inspiring customer stories, and the frustrating gap between how much the community gives to Tableau and how little their real needs seem to be reflected on stage. At its core, this episode is about what made the DataFam special in the first place—sharing knowledge, solving real viz problems, lifting each other up—and why Andy believes Tableau's events risk drifting away from that spirit. If you've ever felt both deep loyalty to the product and disappointment in its…

People in this episode

Host: Nisar Ahmed

Guest: Andy Kriebel

Topics covered

  • Tableau community
  • DataFam Europe
  • conference culture
  • customer stories
  • user experience

Keywords

  • Tableau
  • DataFam
  • Andy Kriebel
  • conference
  • community
  • user experience
  • customer stories
  • Makeover Monday

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Tableau, Salesforce, Next-Level Tableau

Books & works: Makeover Monday

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