Friday, March 15, 2019

Marquette’s FinTech Topics course in Week 8 Moves from Big Data Analysis to Data Visualization using Tableau.


David Krause, @MarquetteAIM program director, has created a new FinTech Topics course that is being taught this semester. 

Over the upcoming weeks the emphasis in the course shifts from the world of ‘big data’ statistical analysis to data visualization using Tableau.


David Krause, AIM program director and associate professor of practice in Marquette's Department of Finance, is teaching a new FinTech Topics course this semester. The course moves from the process of acquiring and statistically analyzing big data to the topics of data visualization and output.

A map of Wisconsin SEC-registered investment advisers
prepared using the EDGAR data base and Tableau


According to Krause, “Data visualization is representation of information and data in a graphical format. We are going to see how using visual elements like tables, graphs, charts, and maps can assist in data analysis of big data sets. Learning how to use data visualization tools, such as Tableau, will provide our students a way to view and understand trends, outliers, and patterns in data. Additionally, we’ll learn how to create better output that meets the needs of the intended audience.”


He continued, “In the ‘big data’ financial world, data visualization tools and methods are essential to analyze the massive amounts of information available and to help make data-driven investment decisions.”

“It’s funny, but today we have tons of data available, but we need data visualization tools to help us look at the data before jumping into high-level statistical analysis. Sometimes we get way too granular – it is important to step back and look at the data and see what the general trends are – it is an example of looking at the forest first before examining the trees,” Krause said.



Marquette University has some excellent resources that we will tap into the next several weeks, such as the Digital Scholarship Lab. The list of guests coming into the AIM Room includes:

  • Elizabeth Gibes, Coordinator of the Digital Scholarship Lab, who will present an overview of data visualization, including an overview of data cleaning best practices, platforms and programs for creating visualizations.


  • Jim Donahue, a Marquette alumnus and the founder of Milwaukee-based Rising Tide Analytics, will provide examines of data visualizations he produces for his corporate financial clients.

  • Eric Kowalik, Instructional Designer in the Digital Scholarship Lab – along with Elizabeth Gibes, will conduct a Tableau workshop where the students will learn about key data visualization functions, including how to connect to data sources, visuals and dashboards. Several projects will be presented to the students who will have assignments where they will use Tableau to manage and view large data sets related to U.S. equities.