File Types in Tableau

In this article, we discussed different file types in tableau like workbooks, bookmarks, extract and data source which are used to meet different business purposes.

Introduction

In this article, we will discuss different file types in Tableau in which the result of data analysis are saved and distributed.

Tableau support different file type like: 

workbook, bookmarks, packaged data files, data extracts, and data connection files to serve different business purposes.

These files all are stored as XML files, which can be edited.

Now, let’s deep dive into a brief description.

Table of Content

• Workbooks
• Bookmarks
• Packaged Workbooks
• Extract
• Data Source
• Packaged Data Source

Workbooks

• Workbook holds one or more worksheets, plus zero or more dashboards and stories.
• Stores visualization without source data 
  • i.e. user can visualize the data using distinct charts and store it in the workbook  but can’t store the data along with the visualization
• Tableau workbook files have a .twb extension
• To create a .twb file
  • File -> Save

Bookmarks

• Using tableau bookmarks, files can be shared with other users.
• Usually, a bookmark contains a single worksheet that can be used by others on multiple workbooks
• Tableau bookmark files have a .tbm extension
• Steps to create a Bookmark:
  • Window -> Bookmark -> Create Bookmark -> Name of Folder -> Save

Packaged Workbooks

• Can work without a live data connection.
• It is a single zip file that contains a workbook along with any supporting local file data and background image.
• Tableau packaged workbooks have a .twbx extension.
• To create a .twbx file
  • File ->  Save As -> Select .twbx option from the dropdown of Save As

Extract

• Extract files are local copies of a subset of the entire data set that can be used to share data with others.
• It enables the other members to improve the performance of local copies while working offline.
• Extract extension allows removing data connection problems that might appear while working with a live data connection.
• Tableau extract file have either the .hyper or .tde file extension.
• To create .hyper or .tde file
  • Right click on Data Source -> Extract Data -> select .hyper or .tde -> Ok

Data Source

• Data source files are shortcuts for connecting to the original data.
• It doesn’t contain the actual data but rather the information necessary to connect the actual data.
• Modification made on the top of the actual data such as changing default properties, creating calculated fields, adding groups etc.
• Tableau data sources have a .tds file extension.
• To create a .tds file
  • Data Tab -> Add new data source -> Add to save data source option -> choose .tds extension

Packaged Data Source

• Like a packaged workbook, it is also a zip file that stores Data source files as well as local files like extract, text, excel and access.
• Allows users to access all the files without permission to locate the original data stored publicly on their machine.
• Tableau packaged data sources have a .tdsx file extension.
• To create .tdsx file follow same step as .tds file.

Note:

1. These files can be saved in the associated folders in the My Tableau Repository directory, which is automatically created in My documents folders when you install Tableau.
2. Files can also be saved in other locations such as desktops.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed different file types in tableau which are used to meet different business purposes.

Hope this article will help you in your data analyst journey.

This article is a part of a complete tutorial of Tableau, focusing on Tableau certified data analysts and tableau desktop specialists. 

Through a series of articles, we will cover all the topics in-depth with examples.

To learn more about Tableau, read other articles