Tableau unveiled a slate of new features and integrations at the Tableau Conference this week, including a platform connecting companies in need with developers for hire as well as deeper data integrations with Slack. 

Alongside announcements about ongoing partnerships with the Seattle Seahawks, Lyft and Jaguar Land-Rover, executives touted new Slack-First Analytics that allow users to access information from Tableau directly within Slack. Through natural language processing, users can also "talk" to their data with questions in the "Ask Data in Slack" feature. 

Tableau is also adding sections to its platform covering model building and scenario planning. Administrators will have access to features that allow them to create new data access points and centrally manage who has access to what.  

The latest announcements featured multiple updates that seek to empower developers within the Tableau ecosystem. Prep Extensions allows companies to use tools developed within the Tableau talent pool to augment their data and the Tableau Exchange is the site's "hub of integrated products, solutions and service offerings."

Tableau said it was an evolution of the Extensions gallery and will serve as a "one-stop-shop to browse offerings that can help jump start their data analysis."

There will be a "Hire Me" button within Tableau Public that helps developers get hired directly through the platform based on their previous work. 

It will also be easier to embed Tableau dashboards, metrics and charts thanks to updates currently being rolled out. 

"Helping people see and understand data is what drives us. Whether you're an analyst, business person, IT manager or developer, we're making analytics easier, faster and more actionable for anyone, anywhere," said Francois Ajenstat, chief product officer at Tableau.

"By bringing analytics directly where work happens, making it smarter and more actionable, and enabling self-service data management, we will enable more organizations to build a data culture and drive analytics success."

The Tableau Exchange, Tableau Accelerators in the Exchange, Hire Me button in Tableau Public, Virtual Connections and Centralized Row-Level Security features are all available now. Other updates will be available next year.

Tableau executives touted a pledge to "enable 10 million data learners over the next five years" alongside a$5 million, multi-year initiative supporting global nonprofits committed to gender equity. The company said its grants will go to organizations teaching data skills to women and girls in communities facing data literacy barriers.

The company plans to expand its Academic Programs by providing software licenses, eLearning and curriculum to educators. The programs has already been used by almost 2 million students and teachers since 2011. 

Classes on data skills will also be offered through Salesforce's free online learning platform called Trailhead. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) will be partnering with Tableau to help deploy data systems for solving problems. Expansions are planned for the Tableau Desktop Specialist certification with online training programs and more. 

"Our Tableau Academic program, university partnerships and data literacy eLearning have already reached millions of people but it's just the beginning. We need to do so much more to meet the world's demand for data skills," said Mark Nelson, CEO of Tableau. "With this pledge, we're committing to support 10 million people in learning essential skills for starting or making a dramatic change in their careers." 

Big data: An overview

Big data: An overview