The move is the biggest acquisition in the company’s history as it looks to offer more data insights to its clients.

Tableau has more than 86,000 customers, including tech heavyweights such as Verizon Communications and Netflix.

Salesforce’s deal comes days after Alphabet’s Google bought big-data analytics company Looker for $2.6 billion and surpasses the $5.9 billion that the cloud-based software company paid to buy US software maker MuleSoft in 2018.

Analysts say that the acquisition speeds up Salesforce’s Customer 360 initiative, which helps companies gain a complete view of their customers.

Big data analytics is a complex process used to uncover hidden patterns, unknown correlations, market trends and customer preferences that often help companies make better business decisions.

The deal is expected to close in the third quarter, after which Tableau will operate independently, led by Chief Executive Officer Adam Selipsky and its current leadership team.

Salesforce co-CEO Marc Benioff said: “Tableau helps people see and understand data, and Salesforce helps people engage and understand customers.”

The San Francisco-based company said the deal is likely to add up to $400 million in its 2020 revenue but would decrease adjusted profit by about 37 cents to 39 cents per share.