File Types and Extensions for tableau

by Bridget Ama Boateng

Tableau has around eight different filed types, this blog will take you through there features.

  1. Tableau Workbook (twb): this file type is probably the most popular file type and is set as a default for the users. This format contains a lot of information such as the work on your visualization, worksheets, dashboards, stories, data source set up like your data model connections between different tables, calculations, formatting, filters and so on. This format is useful for sharing your work with colleagues and users as long as they have the dataset.
  2. Tableau Packaged Workbook (twbx): is a single zip file that includes your data set, that includes bundles of workbooks, supportive files etc. This allows you to can easily work offline, so there is no need for a live data connection. As this is a zip file, users can share their work without having a live data connection or Tableau server.
  3. Tableau Data Source (tds):this format doesn't include the exact data required but instead the data needed to connect to the original data. This includes all the adjustments, for example changing calculated fields, custom fields and table joins, grouping data and making alterations to default properties.
  4. Tableau Packaged Data Source(tdsx): is a packaged data source is a zip file that includes the data set as well as files stored locally such as extract files, excel files. This format allows users to access every file without needing the permission to find the original data.
  5. Tableau Data Extract(hyper): this format can be great for optimization as they give you the best performance in tableau dashboards whilst working offline too. By switching your connection to extract you can save it to your own area, the default area for extracts to be saved is inside 'My Tableau Repository>Data sources'. The extract extension will enable the users to remove data connection problems.
  6. Tableau Bookmark(tbm): in this file you can export one single worksheet from one workbook. They are most commonly used to save worksheets and share them with others so they can use it in their workbooks without the need to create a brand new worksheet.
  7. Tableau Map Source(tms):if you are connected to map server that is not supported you can create a file that supports that geographical information and uploads Tableau will draw map details from that file path rather then the default one and up load map information accordingly.
  8. Tableau Preferences (tps): contains all the information related to any custom palette and can be saved using this format, so that it can be used in all your workbooks in sync.

All these tableau files have different sizes and fulfill different purposes.

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Bridget Ama Boateng

Fri 08 Mar 2024

Thu 27 Oct 2022

Wed 26 Oct 2022