Intermediate Level

What is Tableau Data Server?

Tableau data server is a feature provided with Tableau server
which allows its user to store Data extracts on one centralized server
which can be accessed by different users to draw some visualization
and analysis on data based on their understandings. This feature helps
reducing the memory occupied by data storage because one extract can
be used at multiple systems simultaneously.

How to do Performance Testing in Tableau?

Performance testing in tableau is very important as it will let you
know how your workbook will operate once you make it publish it into
the real world scenarios. To perform the performance testing first step
is to set up test environment in tableau server and disable any
automated or scheduled extract refresh schedules. Second step is to
capture performance metrics using Tabjolt or any other tool then
upgrade the test environment and run Tabjolt to check workbook
performance. If there is no difference in performance then use a subset
of workbooks to again test the performance after doing an extract
refresh.

Name the components of a Dashboard.

Left pane of the dashboard shows two tabs, named dashboard and
Layout. By default, when you create a new dashboard the user will land
of dashboard tab. First button is of device preview which allows the
developer to understand the preview of the dashboard on different
devices such as tablet, mobile and desktop. Next comes the size of
dashboard which can be modified by the developer. After that there is
the option to drag and drop sheets to be used in the dashboard. And
then there is the option to use various objects such as image, webpage,
text, horizontal container, vertical container, blank, navigation button
and extensions. Then we have the option to switch to Tiles or Floating
option before using the sheets or objects on the dashboard, although
we have the option to change this setting at a later point but we should
prefer using these buttons. And the last option in this tab is a checkbox
of show dashboard title. Now the next tab “Layout” is used to define the
size of various floating objects on the dashboard and also setting their x
and y coordinates to define their locations. Then we have the option to
draw the border on the outer side of the charts and objects and also,
we can change the background colors of from here.

How to create stories in Tableau?

A Tableau story is similar to the dashboard and sometimes used in
place of it. You can create different tabs dedicated to individual sheets
and set a navigation button for the functionality of the same. First of all,
create all the charts in different sheets and then click on add new story
in the bottom-most tab from where you were adding new worksheets.
You can also right-click on the add new sheet button and there you can
select add new story instead of a sheet. There is one more way to add a
new story, go to the dashboard in the toolbar then select a new story.
After following any of the above three ways you will get a new story
where you can drag the required sheets or objects from the left panel
to the story one by one. You can also import dashboards to a story but
vice versa is not possible. In a story mode, you have to define the
buttons to shift from one page to another.

How can you load an excel file in Tableau?

On the main page, you would have the “connect to” pane on the left
side. From there, you can select “Microsoft Excel”

How can you load a PDF file in Tableau?

On the main page, you would have the “connect to” pane on the left
side. From there, you can select “PDF File”

How can you load a JSON file in Tableau?

On the main page, you would have the “connect to” pane on the left
side. From there, you can select “JSON file”

What do you understand by pivoting in Tableau?

There would be a lot of issues with raw data. Sometimes, we might
have data in the form of a wide-format instead of a long format. If we
would want to convert this wide form data into long-form data, we can
use pivot.

What is the use of a split in Tableau?

Sometimes the data present in a particular column could comprise of a
lot of things. For example – “Full Name”. If we have a name such as
‘Adam Reddy’. Here, this ‘Full Name’ can be divided into two parts –
‘First Name’ and ‘Last Name’. For this purpose, we can use split.

How can you rename a column in a table?

You can just double click the name of the column and give in the new
name over there.

How can you hide a column from a table?

When you hover the mouse over the name of a column, you will get a
triangle symbol. When you click the triangle symbol, you will have a lot
of options over there. One of those options is ‘hide’. When you click on
this, the column can be hidden.

How can you get more information about a particular column?

Every column gives you the describe option. When you click on the
describe button, you will get more information about that particular
column.

How can you sort a particular column in a table?

Every column has these three lines. When you click on that, you can
either sort that in ascending order or descending order.

How can you convert a ‘number’ type column into a ‘string type’
column?

If it is a numerical column, it will have the # symbol above it. When you
click on the # symbol, it will give you a drop-down list. From that dropdown list, you can select ‘String’.

Can you convert a string type column into a number type column?

No, it is not possible to convert a string type column into a number type
column. When you do this, all the values would change to null.

What are the popular features of Tableau?

The popular features of Tableau are:
- Data blending
- No need of technical knowledge
- Real-time analysis
- Data collaboration and data notifications
- DAX analysis function
- Patented technology from Stanford university
- Toggle view and drag-and-drop
- List of native data connectors
- Highlight and filter data
- Share dashboards
- Embed dashboards within
- Mobile-ready dashboards
- Tableau reader for data viewing
- Dashboard commenting
- Create “no-code” data queries
- Translate queries to visualizations
- Import all ranges and sizes of data

What are the properties of Tableau combined sets?

Properties of Tableau combined sets are:
- Name: It is used to specify the unique name of a tableau set.
- Sets: Users can select the existing set from the menu. The first set
in the menu acts as a left set. The second set act as the right set.
- All members in both sets: This is an option to combined set that
holds all the members from left as well as right set.
- Shared members in both sets: This option holds matching
members from both left and right sets. It means every record must
match the condition present in these sets.
- Left set except shared members: This Tableau set is used to hold
all the members from the left set except matching members from
the rights set.
- Right set except shared members: It holds all the members from
the right set by matching members from the left set.

What is the basic difference between published data sources and
embedded data sources in Tableau

The basic difference between a published data source and an embedded
data source is:
The public data source contains connection information that is
independent of any workbook. On the other hand, embedded data source
connection information and is associated with a workbook.

Mention the characteristics that distinguish data source

The characteristics that distinguish data source are:
- Icon/Name
- Connection Type
- Connects to
- Live or the last extract

Explain Longitude and Latitude in tableau

Longitude and Latitude (generated) fields are associated with the
geographical detail present in the data. The dataset should consist of
geographic information like City, Country, or State.
The longitude and latitude values are auto-generated in Tableau. These
fields can be used to build maps in Tableau.

Define the term analytics pane concerning Tableau

The analytics pane offers quick and easy access to everyday analytic
objects in Tableau. It allows you to drag forecasts, reference and trend
lines, and other objects into your view from the Analytics pane.

Explain the term filter actions

Filter actions show related information between a source sheet and one
or more target sheets. This type of activities best suited when a
developer is building a guided logical path using a workbook or in a
dashboard.

How to view SQL generated by Tableau Desktop?

A developer can click on My Tableau Repository folder available in My
documents in PC to view SQL. If the user is using a live connection to the
data source, then check tabprotosrv.txt and log.txt files. If the user is
using extract, check the tdeserver.txt file. This file shows details about
queries

How to get the current date and time in Tableau?

A developer can get the current date and time in Tableau using the
NOW() function.

What is Forecasting in Tableau?

Forecasting means predicting the future value of a measure. There are
various methods for forecasting. However, in Tableau, the user can only
use exponential smoothing.

What are the advantages of Using Context Filters?

The advantages of Using Context Filters.
- Improve Performance: When context filter is used in large data
sources, it can improve the performance as it creates a temporary
dataset part based on the context filter selection. The performance
can be effectively improved through the selection of major
categorical context filters.
- Dependent Filter Conditions: Context filters can be used to create
dependent filter conditions based on the business requirement.
When the data source size is large, context filters can be selected on
the primary category, and other relevant filters can be executed.

Explain Tableau drive

Tableau drive is one methodology that can be used for scaling out
analytics. It is based on best practices from successful deployments of an
enterprise.

What is the use of toolbar Icon?

Toolbar icon present below the menu bar can be used to edit the
workbook using different features such as undo, redo, save, new data
source, slideshow, and so on.

Mention various types of functions commonly used in Tableau

Various types of functions commonly used in the tableau are:
- String functions: It includes LEFT, LOWER, LTRIM, MID, and more.
- Logical functions: This function contains and, else, else if, if, ifnull,
isdate, isnull, max, min, etc.
- Aggregate functions: It includes attr, collect, count, covar, and
covarp.
- User functions: User define functions contain full name, is the full
name, is member of, username, username, user domains, etc.

List the categories of dimensions in Tableau

The categories of dimensions in Tableau are:
- Slowly ever
- Chop-chop ever
- Unchanged dimension
- Shrunken dimension
- Junk dimension
- Conformed dimension
- Degenerated dimension
- Role enjoying dimension
- Inferred dimension

Define shelves in Tableau

The Shelves in Tableau are demarcated areas that are used for particular
purposes. There are several shelves on a Tableau sheet-like, Filter shelf,
Page shelf, Rows and Column shelf, Marks shelf, etc.

Define Hyper

Hyper is a high-performance in-memory information engine innovation.
It allows clients to analyze complex or large informational sets speedier.
This can be done by proficiently assessing analytically questions which
are in the value-based database.

What is Backgrounder?

The backgrounder refreshes planned extracts, conveys notifications, and
handle other assignments run in the background. The backgrounder is
responsible for expending as much as the processor is accessible to
finish the background action as fast as possible.

Explain data visualization

Data visualization is one of the forms of visual communication. It
includes producing images that communicate relationships among the
data. This process can be achieved using a systematic mapping between
data values and graphic marks.

What the limitations of setting channels

The limitations of setting channels are:
- If the channel is changed by the customers on a regular basis, the
database should be reprocessed and modify the short-lived table.
- The transient table needs to reload every time when the view is
begun.

What is the Tableau data engine?

Tableau data engine manages to open, refresh, create, and query extracts
of the user.

Explain dashboard lifecycle

Dashboard lifecycle in Tableau:

Functional Knowledge: Business Analysts give a current functional
knowledge of the organization.
Requirement Analysis: Requirements that are kept in consideration
are:
- The requirement of the dashboard.
- How is data flowing in the current system?
- Blueprint or layout of the system.
- Dashboard scope.
- The value that is added to the business
- required tools for the development of the project and its costs.
Planning Phase: It includes:
- Timeline and needed resources.
- Work and leave plan.
- Dependencies and future challenges.
Methodologies to follow: Scrum, Agile, Waterfall, etc.
Technical Specs: It includes:
- Technical details.
- SQL, relations, and Joins.
- Credentials for database access.
- Business logic.
Development: It includes:
- Query generation.
- Connecting databases and creating dimension model
- Publish it to the server.
- Unit testing.
Q&A Testing: It includes:
- Functionality and UI testing.
- SQL testing and data validation
- Security testing
- Testing of applied customization.

Performance testing: Report opening time, with or without any
webpage.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT): User validates data and functionality.
Production and Support: System is produced, and support is given once
it goes live.

List the types of maps available in Tableau

There are six types of maps in Tableau:
- Choropleth maps (filled maps)
- Proportional symbol maps
- Spider maps (origin-destination maps)
- Heatmaps (density maps)
- What are Discrete data in tableau
- Point distribution maps
- Flow maps (path maps)

What is the use of a custom data view?

A custom data view is used by tableau users to extend the normal data
views to gain the advantage of additional features.

Explain Tableau Navigation

The navigation of workbook contains:
- Data Source: The addition of a new data source of modification of
existing data sources can be done using the ‘Data Source’ tab
present at the bottom of the Tableau Desktop Window.
- Current Sheet: Current Sheet can be viewed with the name of the
sheet. All the sheets, dashboards, and storyboard present in the
workbook can be viewed here.
- New Sheet: The new sheet icon present in the tab can be used to
create a new worksheet in the Tableau Workbook.
- New Dashboard: The new dashboard icon present in the tab can
be used to create a new dashboard in the Tableau Workbook.
- New Storyboard: The new storyboard icon present in the tab can
be used to create a new storyboard in the Tableau Workbook.

What are the ways to sort out data in Tableau?

The ways to sort out data in Tableau are:
Computed sorting: It is a sort that can be applied on an axis using a sort
button.
Manual sorting: It can be used to rearrange the dimension field order by
dragging them to each other in an ad hoc manner.

What is the use of trend lines?

Trend lines are used to know the continuation of a trend of variables. It
helps users to search the correlation between two or more variables.
There is a wide range of mathematical models for establishing trend
lines. These models are 1) Logarithmic, 2) Linear, 3) Exponential, and 4 )
Polynomial.

What is Tableau Crosstab Report?

Table Crosstab in Tableau is the best way to display data in multi-level.

Explain measure names

Measure names and Measure values are the two fields created in Tableau
by default. These fields are created when a data set is imported into
Tableau