[TABLEAU] Working With Tableau Data Extracts

Working with Tableau Data Extracts

A Tableau data extract (TDE) is a subset of data that you can use to improve the performance of your workbook, upgrade your data to allow for more advanced capabilities, and to make it possible to analyze your data offline. You can connect to a TDE from either a single workbook or multiple workbooks, depending on how frequently the TDE must change. For example, a TDE with a single workbook connection is typically a subset of a larger data set that the workbook is connected to.  In this case, the TDE functions like a cache for the workbook and can be easily refreshed at any time. On the other hand, a TDE with multiple workbook connections should be used as a stand-alone, static data source. The advantage of connecting to a TDE like this is that in many cases you will experience improvement in speed and behavior between the TDE and the multiple workbooks over a connection to the live data source. Tableau recommends treating this type of TDE as a read-only file or restricting the file type to a read-only file through the Windows file settings. If a TDE in this type of scenario must be updated, you have one of two options: The most robust and efficient way to share a TDE and its changes is by publishing the TDE to Tableau Server as a Data Server data source. Because a Data Server data source can support multiple workbook connections, whatever changes made to the data source can be republished and then will automatically be available to the workbooks that are connected to it.    Unless a TDE is saved and published as a Data Server data source, changes to a TDE, such as adding a calculated field, are tied to the workbook that it was changed in. Therefore, Tableau recommends using the above method for sharing TDE changes with multiple workbook connections. If you are unable to publish the TDE as a Data Server data source, you must refresh the ex tract. Then, you must close and create a new connection to the TDE from each individual workbook