Connecting and Configuring Data

Lesson Objectives

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • Differentiate the types of data you can connect to in Tableau Prep Builder.
  • Summarize common use cases for the Data Interpreter.
  • Connect to an Excel file and apply the Data Interpreter.
  • Compare and contrast data input options.
  • Apply data configuration options to maximize performance.

Flat files include file types such as:

  • PDFs
  • Microsoft Excel workbooks, such as XLSX files.
  • Text files, such as Comma Separated Values (CSV) files
  • Statistical files, such as RDATA and SAS files
  • Microsoft Excel workbooks and CSV files are two of the more common types of data used by departments and groups in an organization because they're usually easy to obtain, and do not require specialized skills, or a server.

You connect to PDF files, Microsoft Excel workbooks, text files, and statistical files with the PDF file, Microsoft Excel, Text file, and Statistical file connectors, respectively, enabling you to use these file types as data sources in your flows.

Tableau data extracts
Extracts are Tableau proprietary file formats, *.tde and *.hyper files, optimized for in-memory processing in Tableau Desktop, Tableau Server, and Tableau Online. Tableau Prep Builder flows can be output to a data extract file to enable working with the data offline, and to improve query performance and functionality. You connect to extracts with the Tableau extract connector, enabling you to clean and combine extracts of large data sets for analysis.

Tableau published data sources
Starting with version 2019.3, Tableau Prep Builder can connect to data sources published to Tableau Server and Tableau Online. The Data Management add-on, a separate license, must be enabled on Tableau Server and Tableau Online. You connect to Tableau's published data sources using the Tableau Server connector, enabling you to use them as input data sources for your flows. Using data sources on your organization’s Tableau Server and Tableau Online sites helps to ensure you’re using data sources that are secure, standardized, and centrally managed by your organization, such as by data stewards or database admins.

Databases
Most organizations have many databases, such as those for the Finance, Human Resources, Operations, and Sales systems. These databases are often running on different database technologies. Tableau Prep Builder provides connectors for numerous on-premises and cloud-based database technologies, such as Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, PostgresSQL, and Google BigQuery (with Tableau Prep Builder version 2019.3.1 and later), enabling you to connect with the systems and analyze the data.

Other databases
If you need to connect to types of data sources that are not listed in the Connections pane, you may be able to connect to them using the Other Databases (JDBC) or Other Databases (ODBC) connectors.

Run an Initial SQL command when connecting to a data source
You can use Initial SQL to query your connections using Tableau Prep Builder version 2019.2.2 and later. This enables you to specify an Initial SQL command to run when connecting to databases that support it. For example, you can enter a SQL statement to apply a filter when connecting to the database. Tableau Prep Builder applies the SQL command before it samples the data, reducing the size of the data set loaded into Tableau Prep Builder, thereby increasing performance. You can also include parameters to pass data such as application name, version, and flow name. This helps you keep track of the data when you query your data source using Tableau Prep Builder version 2020.1.3 and greater.

Important: If your file or database type is listed under Connect, use that named connector to connect to your data, for enhanced functionality and performance.

Copyright 2024