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  3. Tableau Desktop Foundations

Tableau Desktop Foundations

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Tableau Desktop Foundations

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1.1.1 Create a live connection to a data source

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  • What happens to a Tableau view when the underlying data source is updated and a live connection is used
  • How to connect Tableau Desktop to a relational database using a live connection
  • Which connector types in Tableau Desktop support live connections
  • How to connect Tableau Desktop to a file-based data source such as Microsoft Excel or a CSV text file

1.1.2 Explain the differences between using live connections versus extracts

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The primary difference between a live connection and an extract in Tableau Desktop

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When an extract is preferable over a live connection (e.g., slow database, offline use, performance)

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How data freshness differs between a live connection and a Tableau extract

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Which file format Tableau uses when saving an extract locally

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How extracts improve query performance compared to live connections

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How pre-aggregating data during extract creation improves query performance

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How compressing data during extract creation improves query performance

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Why an extract enables offline access to data when no live database connection is available

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1.1.3 Create an extract

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  • How to create a Tableau extract from an existing data source in Tableau Desktop
  • How to apply filters when creating a Tableau extract
  • How to configure aggregation when creating a Tableau extract
  • How to limit the number of rows when creating a Tableau extract
  • The file extension used by a Tableau extract file
  • How to refresh an existing Tableau extract from within Tableau Desktop (right-click the data source, Extract > Refresh)
  • The difference between a full extract refresh and an incremental extract refresh in Tableau Desktop

1.1.4 Save metadata properties in a .TDS

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  • What a .TDS file contains
  • What a .TDS file does NOT contain
  • The purpose of saving a Tableau Data Source (.TDS) file
  • What types of metadata are saved in a .TDS file (e.g., field aliases, default formats, calculated fields)
  • The difference between a .TDS and a .TDSX file

1.1.5 Create a data source that uses multiple connections

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  • How to add a second connection to an existing data source in Tableau Desktop
  • What is required to combine data from two different connections in a single Tableau data source

1.2.1 Add relationships to a data source

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  • What a relationship is in the Tableau logical data model
  • How a relationship differs from a join at the logical layer in Tableau
  • How to create a relationship between two tables in the Tableau data source canvas
  • How Tableau handles null values when using relationships versus joins
  • How row duplication differs when using relationships versus joins in Tableau
  • Where relationships are defined in the Tableau data source editor (logical vs physical layer)

1.2.2 Add joins and unions

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  • How to add a join between two tables in Tableau Desktop
  • The join types available in Tableau Desktop (inner, left, right, full outer)
  • How to create a union between two tables with identical structure in Tableau Desktop
  • What happens to non-matching rows in a left join in Tableau
  • What happens to non-matching rows in an inner join in Tableau
  • How a union stacks rows compared to how a join merges columns

1.2.3 Explain when to use a join versus a relationship

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  • When a join is more appropriate than a relationship in Tableau Desktop
  • The main advantage of using a relationship over a join when tables have different levels of detail
  • How relationships avoid the row duplication problem that can occur with joins in Tableau

1.3.1 Rename a data field

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  • How to rename a field in the Tableau data pane
  • Whether renaming a field in Tableau affects the underlying data source

1.3.2 Assign an alias to a data value

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  • How to assign an alias to a specific member of a dimension in Tableau Desktop
  • What an alias does to a data value in Tableau
  • How aliases are displayed in a Tableau view
  • Whether aliases in Tableau affect the underlying data or only the display label

1.3.3 Assign a geographic role to a data field

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  • How to assign a geographic role to a field in Tableau Desktop
  • What geographic roles are available in Tableau (e.g., City, State, Country, ZIP Code, Latitude, Longitude)
  • What Tableau generates automatically when a geographic role is assigned to a field
  • What Tableau displays on a map when a geographic field contains unrecognized values
  • How to resolve unrecognized geographic values using Edit Locations in Tableau

1.3.4 Change data type for a data field

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  • How to change the data type of a field in Tableau Desktop
  • Which data types are available for fields in Tableau Desktop
  • Whether changing a field's data type in Tableau modifies the underlying database

1.3.5 Change default properties for a data field

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  • How to change the default aggregation for a measure in Tableau Desktop
  • How to change the default number format for a field in Tableau Desktop
  • How to change the default color for a field in Tableau Desktop
  • How to change the default sort order for a field in Tableau Desktop
  • Where in Tableau Desktop you access the default properties for a data field
  • What shelf configuration in Tableau produces a basic horizontal bar chart
  • How to create a bar chart in Tableau using Show Me or manual shelf placement
  • How the Show Me panel recommends chart types based on selected fields in Tableau Desktop
  • How the Show Me panel limits available chart types based on the number and type of fields selected in Tableau Desktop
  • What shelf configuration in Tableau produces a line chart over time
  • How to create a line chart showing a measure's trend across a date dimension in Tableau
  • What fields are required on the Rows and Columns shelves to create a scatterplot in Tableau
  • How to disaggregate measures to display individual data points in a scatterplot
  • What field types Tableau requires to automatically generate a map view
  • How to create a filled map (choropleth) in Tableau
  • How to create a symbol map in Tableau
  • How a combined axis chart differs from a dual axis chart in Tableau
  • How to place two measures on the same axis to create a combined axis chart in Tableau
  • How to create a dual axis chart in Tableau by using two separate axes
  • What 'Synchronize Axis' does in a dual axis chart in Tableau
  • When to use a dual axis chart instead of a combined axis chart in Tableau
  • How to create a stacked bar chart in Tableau using a dimension on the Color mark
  • What mark type must be selected to produce a stacked bar in Tableau
  • What mark type is used to create a density map in Tableau
  • What data is required to create a density map in Tableau Desktop
  • How to create a crosstab (text table) in Tableau Desktop
  • How a highlight table differs from a crosstab in Tableau
  • What mark type is used for a highlight table in Tableau
  • How to create a group from selected marks in a Tableau view
  • How to create a group from dimension members in the data pane
  • What happens to ungrouped members when a group is created in Tableau (the 'Other' bucket)
  • What a set is in Tableau
  • How a set differs from a group in Tableau
  • How to create a set from selected marks in a Tableau view
  • The difference between a static (fixed) set and a computed (dynamic) set in Tableau
  • How In/Out set membership is represented in a Tableau view
  • How to create a hierarchy from two or more dimensions in Tableau Desktop
  • How drill-down works in a Tableau hierarchy using the expand/collapse controls
  • Where hierarchies appear in the Tableau data pane after they are created
  • How to add a dimension filter to a Tableau worksheet
  • The order in which Tableau applies filters (extract, data source, context, dimension, measure, table calc)
  • How to show a filter control card on a Tableau worksheet for consumer interaction
  • The difference between filtering to 'Keep Only' and filtering to 'Exclude' in Tableau
  • What a context filter is in Tableau
  • When to use a context filter in Tableau (e.g., ensuring a Top N filter applies only to a pre-filtered subset of data)
  • How to create a Top N filter for a dimension in Tableau Desktop using the Top tab in the filter dialog
  • How to add a measure filter in Tableau Desktop by filtering on an aggregated measure value (e.g., keep only categories where SUM(Sales) > 50,000)
  • How to add a relative date filter in Tableau Desktop
  • What filter options are available when filtering by a date field in Tableau (relative, range, specific dates)
  • How a date range filter differs from a relative date filter in Tableau
  • How to apply a manual sort to dimension members in a Tableau view
  • How to sort a dimension by a measure value in Tableau Desktop
  • Where the sort icon appears on a Tableau worksheet
  • How to access the full sort dialog in Tableau Desktop
  • How to add a reference line to a Tableau view
  • What values a reference line can reference in Tableau (constant, average, median, sum, etc.)
  • What types of reference lines are available in Tableau (constant, average, median, sum, etc.)
  • How a reference band differs from a reference line in Tableau
  • What quick table calculations are available in Tableau Desktop (e.g., Running Total, Percent of Total, Difference, Rank, Moving Average)
  • How to apply a quick table calculation to a measure in Tableau Desktop
  • How the 'Compute Using' option changes the direction of a table calculation in Tableau
  • What the Rank quick table calculation does in a Tableau view
  • How the Rank quick table calculation orders values in a Tableau view
  • What the Moving Average quick table calculation computes in Tableau
  • What the Moving Average quick table calculation is useful for (smoothing data over a sliding window)
  • How to create a bin from a numeric measure in Tableau Desktop
  • What chart type requires a bin field to create a histogram in Tableau
  • What the bin size controls in a Tableau histogram
  • How to open the calculated field editor in Tableau Desktop
  • How to write a simple arithmetic calculation (e.g., Profit / Sales) as a calculated field in Tableau
  • How to concatenate two string fields using a calculated field in Tableau
  • How to use the DATEPART function in a Tableau calculated field
  • How to use the DATEDIFF function in a Tableau calculated field
  • Where a newly created calculated field appears in the Tableau data pane (dimension vs measure)
  • How to write a logical calculation using IF/THEN/ELSE or CASE/WHEN in a Tableau calculated field
  • How to use the CONTAINS function in a Tableau calculated field
  • How to use the LEFT function in a Tableau calculated field
  • How to use the MID function in a Tableau calculated field
  • How to use TODAY() in a Tableau calculated field to compute values relative to the current date
  • How to use ISNULL in a Tableau calculated field to test for null values
  • How to use IFNULL in a Tableau calculated field to replace null values
  • How to use the ZN function in a Tableau calculated field to convert nulls to zero
  • How to use the STR function to convert a value to a string in a Tableau calculated field
  • How to use INT, FLOAT, or DATE functions to convert data types in a Tableau calculated field
  • What a parameter is in Tableau
  • How a parameter differs from a filter in Tableau
  • When to use a parameter in Tableau instead of a filter (e.g., to dynamically control a calculated field or reference line value)
  • How a parameter control is displayed to end users in a Tableau view
  • How to create a parameter in Tableau Desktop
  • What data types are available for a Tableau parameter
  • What allowable value options exist for a Tableau parameter (list, range, or all)
  • How to reference a parameter by name inside a Tableau calculated field to make a calculation dynamic
  • How to show column or row grand totals on a Tableau worksheet
  • Where to find the option to add subtotals in Tableau Desktop
  • What menu in Tableau Desktop contains the 'Totals' options for a worksheet
  • How to assign a dimension to the Color mark in Tableau to encode categorical data
  • How color encoding differs when a measure versus a dimension is placed on the Color mark in Tableau
  • How to edit the color palette applied to a field on the Color mark in Tableau
  • How to change the font for worksheet titles, labels, or tooltips in Tableau Desktop
  • Where to access font formatting options for a Tableau worksheet
  • How to change the mark type to Shape in Tableau
  • How to assign a dimension to the Shape mark in Tableau
  • How to assign custom shapes to dimension members using the Shape mark in Tableau
  • What viz animations do in Tableau Desktop
  • How to enable viz animations in Tableau Desktop
  • What animation settings are available in Tableau Desktop (duration, style)
  • How to use the Size mark to encode a measure as the size of marks in Tableau
  • How to manually adjust the default size of all marks using the Size slider in Tableau
  • How to show or hide a color, shape, or size legend on a Tableau worksheet
  • Where in Tableau Desktop you access the option to show a legend card
  • How to add a worksheet to a Tableau dashboard
  • The difference between a tiled and a floating layout object on a Tableau dashboard
  • How to set the size of a Tableau dashboard (fixed, automatic, range)
  • What non-worksheet objects can be added to a Tableau dashboard (text box, image, web page, blank, horizontal and vertical layout containers)
  • How to expose a filter control from a worksheet on a Tableau dashboard
  • What the data highlighter tool does in a Tableau dashboard
  • How to customize the tooltip displayed when a viewer hovers over marks in a Tableau view
  • What a Viz in Tooltip is in Tableau
  • How a Viz in Tooltip enhances interactivity on a Tableau dashboard
  • How to create a filter action between two worksheets on a Tableau dashboard
  • What a highlight action does in a Tableau dashboard
  • How a URL action is used on a Tableau dashboard (opening an external link from a mark click)
  • How to configure when a dashboard action runs (hover, select, menu)
  • What happens to a filter action's target sheet when no marks are selected (show all, exclude all, keep current)
  • How a parameter action works in Tableau — passing a field value from a selected mark into a parameter to drive a calculation or view change
  • The key difference between a filter action (removes unselected marks) and a highlight action (dims but retains unselected marks) in a Tableau dashboard
  • What device-specific layouts allow in Tableau dashboards (phone, tablet, desktop)
  • How to add a new device layout to an existing Tableau dashboard
  • How container objects (horizontal and vertical) help organize layout on a Tableau dashboard
  • What a Tableau story is
  • How a Tableau story differs from a dashboard
  • How to add a new story point to a Tableau story
  • What content can be added as a story point in Tableau (worksheets, dashboards, blank)
  • What a .TWBX packaged workbook file is in Tableau
  • What data a .TWBX packaged workbook file contains (workbook plus embedded data sources and extracts)
  • How to publish a workbook to Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud from Tableau Desktop
  • How to save a Tableau view as a PDF from Tableau Desktop
  • The difference between a .TWB and a .TWBX file
  • How to export a Tableau worksheet or dashboard as an image file (PNG, BMP, JPEG) from the File menu
  • How to view the underlying data behind marks in a Tableau worksheet
  • How to export the underlying data from a Tableau view to a CSV file
  • The difference between 'Summary Data' and 'Full Data' in the Tableau View Data dialog
  • How to export a Tableau workbook or dashboard to Microsoft PowerPoint
  • What each slide in a Tableau PowerPoint export corresponds to
  • What type of data dimensions typically contain in Tableau (categorical, qualitative, labels)
  • Examples of fields that Tableau would classify as dimensions by default
  • What type of data measures typically contain in Tableau (numeric, quantitative, aggregatable)
  • Examples of fields that Tableau would classify as measures by default
  • The functional difference between dimensions and measures in Tableau (slicing vs aggregating)
  • How Tableau treats a field placed on Rows or Columns differently depending on whether it is a dimension or a measure
  • How to convert a measure to a dimension (or vice versa) in the Tableau data pane
  • How discrete fields are visually represented in a Tableau view (headers, color bands)
  • The visual indicator in Tableau's pill color that shows a field is discrete (blue)
  • How continuous fields are visually represented in a Tableau view (axes)
  • The visual indicator in Tableau's pill color that shows a field is continuous (green)
  • The difference between using a discrete date part (e.g., Month) versus a continuous date value in Tableau
  • What a continuous date field displays on the axis versus what a discrete date part displays as a header
  • How truncated date values (e.g., MONTH(Order Date)) and date parts (e.g., MONTH(Order Date) discrete) differ in behavior
  • What the default aggregation is for most numeric measures in Tableau (SUM)
  • What aggregation types are available for measures in Tableau (SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX, COUNT, COUNTD, etc.)
  • How to change the aggregation applied to a measure in a Tableau view
  • What disaggregating measures means in Tableau
  • How unchecking Aggregate Measures in Tableau shows individual row-level values in a view
  • How adding a dimension to a Tableau view partitions the aggregation of a measure
  • What level of detail means in Tableau
  • How adding dimensions to a view increases the granularity of a measure in Tableau
  • Why a SUM(Sales) value changes when a Category dimension is added to a Tableau view
  • What the Measure Names and Measure Values fields represent in Tableau
  • When Measure Names and Measure Values appear automatically in a Tableau view (e.g., when multiple measures are placed on the same shelf)

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The primary difference between a live connection and an extract in Tableau Desktop

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Next conceptWhen an extract is preferable over a live connection (e.g., slow database, offline use, performance)

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Explainer

Tableau offers two primary ways to interact with data: live connections and data extracts. A live connection sends queries directly to your source database, leaving the data in place while Tableau visualizes the results. An extract creates a localized, in-memory copy of your data using Tableau’s Hyper engine, enabling faster local analysis and offline access.

Core information
  • Live connections query the source database dynamically, meaning Tableau acts as a front-end client that sends aggregate results back while detail data remains in the original system.
More details and nuances
  • Live connections reflect source changes immediately upon refresh, whereas extracts require an explicit full or incremental refresh to sync with the original data.