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  3. Tableau Desktop Foundations

Tableau Desktop Foundations

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Tableau Desktop Foundations

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Checklist progress

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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
  • When an extract is preferable over a live connection (e.g., slow database, offline use, performance)
  • How data freshness differs between a live connection and a Tableau extract
  • Which file format Tableau uses when saving an extract locally
  • How extracts improve query performance compared to live connections
  • How pre-aggregating data during extract creation improves query performance
  • How compressing data during extract creation improves query performance
  • Why an extract enables offline access to data when no live database connection is available

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

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The join types available in Tableau Desktop (inner, left, right, full outer)

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How to create a union between two tables with identical structure in Tableau Desktop

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What happens to non-matching rows in a left join in Tableau

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What happens to non-matching rows in an inner join in Tableau

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How a union stacks rows compared to how a join merges columns

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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 join types available in Tableau Desktop (inner, left, right, full outer)

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Next conceptHow to create a union between two tables with identical structure in Tableau Desktop

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Explainer

Tableau Desktop uses joins to combine data from multiple tables into a single dataset based on shared fields. Selecting the correct join type determines which rows are kept or discarded when tables are merged, allowing you to control how your data aligns for analysis.

Core information
  • Tableau supports four join types: inner, left, right, and full outer, each defining how rows from two tables are matched and retained.
More details and nuances
  • Joins execute at the database level, which typically filters out rows containing null values in the join keys unless explicitly enabled for single-connection sources.