This tutorial shows how to create real-time, AI-powered metrics using Tableau Pulse and Tableau Cloud Flows. You’ll learn to clean and structure data, define dynamic metrics, enable AI-generated insights, and update data live without coding or dashboards.

We’ll use real-world data from the Gun Violence Archive to demonstrate the full workflow.

Data Source: https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/

Step 1: Enable Tableau Pulse and AI Features

Begin by going to your Tableau Cloud Admin Settings, where you’ll enable Tableau Pulse and check the option for AI Features. This unlocks the Pulse interface and allows the system to generate natural language insights and trend detection. Once enabled, the Pulse tab will appear in your Tableau Cloud homepage.

Step 2: Clean Data Using Tableau Cloud Flows

Upload your dataset and create a flow within Tableau Cloud. Use the flow to rename fields, convert data types (e.g., dates, geographic locations), and remove any unnecessary or sensitive columns such as addresses or suspect information. Publish the flow and store the output in your Tableau project. A clean, structured dataset is necessary for defining consistent metrics and enabling meaningful insights.

Step 3: Define a Key Metric in Tableau Pulse

Select the cleaned dataset and define a metric, for example, Total Injuries. Add a time field like Incident Date and a category filter like State. Choose the appropriate aggregation (e.g., total, average) and decide whether an increase is favorable or unfavorable. You can also set an optional goal, such as zero injuries. This setup tells Pulse how to track and interpret changes in the data.

Step 4: Enable AI-Powered Insights

Turn on the available insight types, including trend detection, outlier identification, and top contributors. Set a record identifier, such as Incident ID, to connect insights to specific events. AI features will now monitor the metric continuously and generate contextual, automated explanations whenever new patterns or changes are detected.

Step 5: Update the Data and Refresh Metrics

Upload the latest report and append it to the existing dataset using the same flow. Rerun the flow to process the update. Tableau Pulse will immediately reflect the new data and regenerate insights based on the changes. This demonstrates how metrics remain up-to-date without manual dashboard refreshes.

Bonus: Ask Questions with Tableau AI

Once your metric is live, you can ask questions like “What’s the trend this month?” or “Which state had the most injuries?” Tableau Pulse responds with instant insights and charts, making analysis fast and accessible without needing to build visualizations manually.

Conclusion

Tableau Pulse brings together live data, AI insights, and natural language interaction in one seamless workflow. It helps you monitor key metrics, detect meaningful changes, and stay informed—all from the cloud.

Data Source: https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/ Learn More about Tableau Pulse: https://www.tableau.com/products/tableau-pulse

Tableau Pulse: Real-Time AI Metrics from Live Data Flows