I want to thank the most important person in my life—my son, Matthew. I love him to the moon and back… a million times! I dedicate this book to him.

I have been inspired by the genius of other people. In the words of Sir Isaac Newton, "I stand on the shoulders of giants." My gratitude to Stephen Few, Edward Tufte, Raj M. Ratwani, and Ben Schneiderman. The data communities of Microsoft and Tableau have boundless enthusiasm and a sense of fun, which has helped me keep going. I'd like to thank the great folks at Tableau, especially Andy Cotgreave and Pat Hanrahan.

I would also like to thank the following people for their support and love—I appreciate it more than I can say—Toby, Gill, and Pippa Smith; Charlie and Joe Withey; my parents; my smart brother, Andrew; my wonderful sister-in-law, Karen; and their children, Hannah and Jamie. I am blessed to have them in my life.

I'd also like to remember my grandfather, Sam Hannah, and my great uncle, James Hannah. They inspired me to read books and didn't hesitate to introduce me, a little girl, into the world of technology while I was growing up. They taught me Morse code, gave me my first Sinclair ZX81 computer, and taught me about radio communications, radar, and mathematics. They never said that this wasn't for girls, and most of all, they made it fun. If you're reading this, please be that person for a child in your life, and maybe one day you'll live on through a book that they write too.

I'd also like to thank the "SQLFamily"—those in the global SQL Server and Microsoft Data Platform community—and of course the "softies" themselves. They are simply amazing, amazing people. They brighten my days and nights more than they know. Thank you!

I would like to thank everyone at Packt Publishing for their patience and hard work in helping me make this happen, Arun in particular. I would also like to thank the reviewers for their diligence, careful questions, and help in shaping this book.