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Answers. The Questions Presented in This Blog Are Collected Based On The Opinion of
Answers. The Questions Presented in This Blog Are Collected Based On The Opinion of
human and a machine to mediate analytical insight in a productive way. Almost 50%
among fortune 500 companies have started using Tableau. So the demand for
skilled tableau professionals is been increasing over the years. So, if you wish to
start your career in data visualization then Tableau is the right tool to start with.
We have compiled here Frequently asked Tableau Interview Questions and
Answers. The questions presented in this blog are collected based on the opinion of
tableau experts. To make it easy and understandable format we have divided these
questions into three categories such as Basic, Experienced and Real time. If you
have attended any interviews earlier, and haven't found the same questions you
have faced, then comment on those questions in the comment section, and we will
add them in this blog.
Tableau Interview Questions - Basic Level
Tableau Interview Questions - Experienced
Tableau Interview Questions - Real Time
Ans: In Tableau, there are no limitations with the file sizes. And moreover, there is
no row or column limit to import the data.
7. Tableau Packaged Workbook (.twbx) – zip file containing .twb and external files.
Ans:
TreeMap Heat Map
It represents the data hierarchically and shows them It represents the data graphically which uses multip
as a set of nested rectangles. colours to represent different values.
It is used for comparing the categories with colours, It is used for comparing the categories based on
size, and it can also be used for illustrating the colour and size. And also it is great in spotting the
hierarchical data and part to whole relationships. patterns based on the density of the information.
Colours and size of rectangles are respective to the When their values are higher or density of records,
values of the data points the data will represent in dark colour.
Checkout Tableau Tutorials
Ans: Page shelf breaks the views into a series of pages. It displays an alternate view
on each page. Due to this feature, you can analyze the effect of each field into the
rest of the data in the view.
[Related Article: The right way to build a dashboard]
Ans: Facts are numeric measures of data. They are stored in fact tables. Fact tables
store that type of data which will be analyzed by dimension tables. Fact tables have
foreign keys associating with dimension tables.
Dimensions are descriptive attributes of data. Those will be stored in dimensions
table. For example, customer’s information like name, number, and email will be
stored in dimension table.
[Related Article: Aggregating disparate data sources at a large university in
tableau]
Ans:
Use an Extract to make workbooks run faster
Try to use integers or Booleans in calculations as they are much faster than strings
Reduce filter usage and use some alternative way to achieve same result
Ans: Tableau works the same as SQL. So, it supports all joins possible in SQL
Left Outer Join
Inner Join
Ans: Data modelling is the analysis of data objects that are used in a business or
other context and also used as identification of the relationships among these data
objects. It is a first step of doing object-oriented programming.
Ans: Multiple measures can share in a single axis so that all the marks will be shown
in a single pane. We can blend measures by dragging the 1st measure on one axis
and 2nd on the existing axis.
Ans:
Shelves: Every worksheet in Tableau will have shelves such as columns, rows,
marks, filters, pages and more. By placing filters on shelves we can build our own
visualization structure. We can control the marks by including or excluding data.
Sets: The sets are used to compute a condition on which dataset will be prepared.
Data will be grouped together based on a condition. Fields which is responsible for
grouping are known as sets. For example – students having grades more than 70%.
Ans: Whenever we set a context filter, Tableau generates a temp table which needs
to refresh each and every time, whenever the view is triggered. So, if the context
filter is changed in the database, it needs to be recompute the temp table, so the
performance will be decreased.
Ans: There is a card to the left of the view where we can drag fields and control mark
properties like colour, size, type, shape, detail, label, and tooltip.
Ans: When you are ready to make a data source available to other tableau desktop
user. You can publish it to tableau server or online. Or else you can make it
available by saving same like embedded excel or text file.
Ans: When we are working with the large volumes of data, incredibly data may be
messed. With Tableau, you can easily create hierarchies to keep your data neat.
Even if you don’t need, it is built into your data, which you can easily manage or
organize the data and you can track the data easily.
Ans: A column chat visualize the data as set of rectangle columns, as their lengths
are proportional to values when they represent the data. The horizontal axis shows
the category to which they belong to, and the vertical axis shows the values.
Ans: Line chart is a popular type of diagrammatic way for visualizing the data, it
connects the individual data points to view the data. We can easily visualize the
series of values, we can see trends over time or predict future values. Horizontal
axis holds the category to which it belongs and vertical axis hold the values.
Ans: Stacked Bar Chart, composed of multiple bars stacked horizontally, one below
the other. The length of the bar depends on the value in the data point. Stacked bar
chart make the work easier, they will help us to know the changes in all variables
presented, side by side. We can watch the changes in their total and forecast future
values.
Ans: Area chart is nothing but line chat, the area between x-axis and lines will be
color or patterns. These charts are typically used to represent accumulated totals
over time and are the conventional way to display stacked lines.
Ans:
Step 1: Go to public.tableau.com and enter your e-mail address and click “ Download
the App “.
Step 2: After downloading the file, run the file and follow the prompt to install the
Tableau.
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40) What is Context Filter and show the steps on how to create the Context
Filter Tableau?
Ans: Context Filters are applied to the data rows before any other filters. They are
limited to views, but they can be applied on selected sheets. They define
Aggregation and Disaggregation of data in Tableau
Step 1: Drag the subcategory dimensions to the row shelf and the measure sales to
the column shelf. Now choose the horizontal bar chart as chart type and again drag
the sub category dimensions to the filter shelf. Then we will get the following chart.
Step 2: Right-click on the Sub-Category field in the filter shelf and go the Top fourth
tab. Choose the option field, from the next drop-down and choose the option Top 10
by Sales Sum as shown in the following screenshot.
Step 3: Drag the dimension Category to the filter shelf. Give right-click on general
tab to edit and under that choose Furniture from the list. As you can see the result
shows three subcategories of products.
Step 4: Right-click the Category: Furniture filter and select the option Add to
Context. This produces the final result, which shows the subcategory of products
from the category Furniture which are among the top 10 subcategories across all the
products.
41) What are the products offered by Tableau? Explain a few things about
them.
Ans: Filters are used to provide the correct information to viewers after removing
unnecessary data. There are various types of filters available in Tableau.
Extract Filters – Extract filters are used to apply filter on extracted data from data
source. For this filter, data is extracted from data source and placed into Tableau
data repository.
Datasource Filters – Datasource filters are same as extract filters. They also work
on extracted dataset. But, the only difference is it works with both live and extract
connection.
Context Filters – Context Filters are applied on the data rows before any other
filters. They are limited to views, but they can be applied on selected sheets. They
define Aggregation and Disaggregation of data in Tableau
Dimension Filters – Dimension filters are used to apply filters on dimensions in
worksheets. Dimension filters are applied through the top or bottom conditions,
formula and wildcard match.
Measure Filters – Measure filters are applied on the values present in the
measures.
Ans: In a tiled layout, items don’t overlap. The layout will be adjusted according to
dashboard size. In Floating layout, items can be placed on some other layers.
Floating items can have fixed position and size.
Example – Date for e-commerce site order (Date of Order, Date of Shipment, Date of
delivery)
Inferred Dimension: Empty dimensions are called inferred dimensions. They are
usually used in ETL.
Example – Customer email which he may not enter while submitting any form will be
filled as null.
Ans: Discrete data roles consist of values which are separate and distinct. Discrete
data roles can take individual values within a range. For Example – cancer patients
in hospital, no. of threads in a sheet, state. Discrete values are displayed as blue
icons in data window and blue pills on shelves. Discrete fields can be sorted.
Continuous data roles consist of any value within finite or infinite interval. For
Example – age, unit price, order quantity. Continuous values displayed as green
icons in data window and green pills on shelves. Continuous fields cannot be sorted.
Ans:
Traditional BI Tableau
It does not support in-memory, multi-thread, and It supports the memory when used the advanced
multi-core computing. technologies.
It has a predefined view of data. It uses predictive analysis for various business
operations.
We should need a good knowledge of BI and skills. It is easy working and understanding without the
knowledge of BI and the skills
Data security is provided Data security is not provided for public, whereas in
the professional version.
Review the logs created by Tableau Desktop. Location for log files is C:UsersMy
DocumentsMy Tableau Repository.
For live connection, check the log files log.txt and tabprotosrv.txt.
Ans:
Tableau is very simple and user-friendly.
Tableau helps in analyzing the data and using this one can change the raw data into an
understandable format.
User can blend the data with the other data to create their own views on the data and to share
it with the customers, and colleagues.
Tableau can create complex graphs which simply look like pivot table graphs in Excel.
User can create the visuals easily and switch between the types, to find the model to
represent the user messages.
User can create the visuals easily and switch between the types, to find the model to
represent the user messages.
Ans:
Step 1: Select Analysis -> drop down will open -> Select create calculated field
Step 2: Calculation Editor Box will open, give the name to the calculated field.
Step 3: Enter a formula in the calculation editor.
Example: Sum(Profits)/Sum(Sales). (Calculation Editor validates the formula)
Step 4: Click, Ok.
Now, the new calculated field added to the data pane.
55) Are there any limitations of parameters in Tableau? If yes, give details.
56) State some reasons for low performance of Tableau? Explain in detail.
Try to use integers or Booleans in calculations as they are much faster than strings
Reduce filter usage and use some alternative way to achieve same result
Ans:
Filters
calculated fields
actions
measure-swaps
changing views
auto updates
60) If the owner of the published workbooks license expires, then can other
users see those workbooks?
Ans: If the owner of published workbooks license expires then his/her role will
change to “Unlicensed”. He/She cannot access those workbooks, but others can.
Only site admin can change the ownership of those workbooks.
61) Can we remove the All options from a Tableau auto filter?
2. Select Customize.
3. Then we can visible small drop box under customize, uncheck the option for “ All” Value.
At server level, where you publish the data source and version will be saved in revision
history on Tableau Server or Online. Reverting to a previous version is also possible here.
Ans: Cascading filters means filter2 values are dependent on filter1 value. For
Example, filter1 is country and if we select “India” for filter1, filter2 values should
show all Indian states. This feature we can achieved by using option “Only Relevant
Values”.
67) How can we display top and bottom 5 of records in a single Tableau view?
68) State few charts which we should not use with valid reasons
20
JUN
Thursday
6:30 AM IST
22
JUN
Saturday
7:00 AM IST
23
JUN
Sunday
6:30 AM IST
25
JUN
Tuesday
6:30 AM IST
More Batches
Ans: Tableau cannot plot null values on axis. So, it will display an indicator at lower
right corner of view. Once you click on that indicator, you have options to handle null
values. Below are the options available to handle null values.
Filter Data – If you choose this option, null values will be filtered out from the view.
Show Data at Default Position – It replaces the null value with default value and shows the
data at default position on axis. These default values depend on the data type of field. Below here
are the defaults of specific data type.
Numbers →0
Dates → 12-31-1899
Geographic Location → (0,0)
Negative Values → 1
Ans: Yes, Tableau Public can only allow 10 million rows to users for data
visualization.
71) Can we download views or workbooks from server? If yes, in which data
formats?
Ans: We can download views or workbooks from server. But, data formats available
to us depend on the permissions granted by site administrators or content owners.
Image: .png format
We can also download selected sheets into PDF format, but while generating PDF,
web page objects won’t be included.
72) Can we use unused columns (Columns which are not used in reports but
data source has columns) in Tableau Filters?
73) What is the benefit of Tableau extract file over the live connection?
Ans: Extract file can be used without any connections and you can build your own
visualisation without connecting to the database.
75) Can we place an excel file in a shared location and use it to develop a
report and refresh it in regular intervals?
Ans: Yes, we can place excel file in a shared location and we can use it to develop a
report, but for better performance, we need to extract the file.
Ans: Yes, we can do testing in Tableau by using tools and the easiest way is using
the desktop application. We need to check it before we publish in the Tableau
server.
77) Can you get values from two different sources as a single input into
parameter?
78) Design a view in a map such that if user selects any state the cities under
that state have to show profit and sales.
Ans: If you want to show profit and sales of each and every city under the state in
the same worksheet, then follow a few steps.
The data which you want to display under the state, it must be in the same
worksheet.
Double click on the state filed.
Select the state and check whether you got the required view or not.
In the View, Size indicates the Sales, and Color indicates the profit of the respective
state(which you have selected).
79) How can u set permissions or protect the data in tableau public?
Ans: Tableau does not have any security permissions or to protect the data in
Tableau public. Whatever we shared in Tableau public those files, workbooks can be
view by all users. There is no security option in Tableau public.
80) If I delete a workbook from tableau public and there are links to other blogs
and other web locations. What happens to them?
Ans: Tableau public is like a repository, if you delete anything in the Tableau public
the data will be lost, even if links are in other locations and blogs. We cannot access
those links.
81) Mention whether you can create relational joins in Tableau without creating
a new table?
Ans: Yes, we can create relational joins in Tableau without creating a new table
Ans: It happens when user is trying to publish the workbook which is connected to
the internal or local server that means company’s network.
Ans: Yes, Parameters have their own drop-down list, which enables the users to
view the data entries which are available in the parameter during the creation.
Ans:
1. Minimize the number of fields.
3. Reduce the marks (data points) in your view( remove unneeded dimensions).
Ans:
Option 1:
We can create the group by using the calculated field.
Step 1: Select Analysis-> click calculated field
Step 2: Enter the field name (a dialogue box will appear)
Step 3: Enter the calculation -> Click Ok.
Example:
1
[Container]='Lunch Box' then 'Small Containers'
2 ELSEIFI [Container]='Jumbo Drum' then 'Big Containers'
3 ELSEIF [Container]=Lunch Box' then 'Small Containers'
4 ELSEIF [Container]='Small Box' then 'Midsize Containers'
5 ELSEIF [Container]='Wrap Box' then 'Big Containers'
6 ELSEIF [Container]='Small Box' then 'Little Containers'
ELSEIF [Container]='Small Pack' then 'Little Containers'
7 END
8
The above calculation creates the group with four values: Little Containers, Big
Containers, Small Containers, Midsize Containers.
Option 2:
Create a set from the group, and use the set in the calculated field.
Step 1: Right click on the Data Pane and then select Create Set.
Step 2: Create set dialogue box will open,
Enter the field name.
Select the group, on general tab.
Step 3: Click Ok.
Ans: Yes, Tableau can installed on both Windows Operating system and MacOs.
Ans: When we are publishing the reports to Tableau Server, there we will find an
option to schedule report, just select the time when you want to refresh the data.
89) What are the challenges faced when working with huge volumes of data?
Ans:
1. View running will be slow.
2. Data Extraction.
4. Testing Data.
Ans: Whenever we set a context filter, Tableau generates a temp table which needs
refresh each and every time the view is triggered. So, if context filter will be changed,
database needs to recompute and rewrite temp table, which in turn slows down the
performance.
Ans: There is a card to the left of the view where we can drag fields and control
mark properties like color, size, type, shape, detail, label, and tooltip.
Ans: Multiple measures can share single axis so that all the marks will be shown in a
single pane. We can blend measures by dragging the 1st measure on one axis and
2nd on existing axis.
Ans: Yes, we can. Navigate to filter→ Right click on it→ select customize→ uncheck
the option “Show All”
Ans: Gantt Chart displays the progress of a value over the period. It consists of bars
along with time axis. It is a project management tool. Here, each bar is measure of a
task in the project framework.
Ans: Tableau Public is an open source and free service which allows anyone to
publish the data source and visualizations to web. These visualizations can then be
embedded into blogs or web pages. They can also be distributed through email or
social media. Moreover, they can be made downloadable by other end users. For
Tableau Public, no programming skills are needed. It can be accessed by anyone
free of cost.
BY VENKATESAN M
May 18, 2017
I N INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES (IT)
No Comments
2673
1.Compare QlikView and Tableau
CRITERIA
Data integration
Visual Drilldown
Scalability
TABLEAU
Exceptional
Very Good
Available
Good
Good
QLIKVIEW
Good
Good
Not available
Very Good
Limited by RAM
2.What is Data Visualization?
A much advanced, direct, precise and ordered way of viewing large volumes of data is
called data visualization. It is the visual representation of data in the form of graphs and
charts, especially when you can’t define it textually. You can show trends, patters and
correlations through various data visualization software and tools; Tableau is one such
data visualization software used by businesses and corporates.
3.What are the differences between Tableau desktop and Tableau Server?
While Tableau desktop performs data visualization and workbook creation, Tableau
server is used to distribute these interactive workbooks and/or reports to the right
audience. Users can edit and update the workbooks and dashboards online or Server
but cannot create new ones. However, there are limited editing options when compared
to desktop.
Tableau Public is again a free tool consisting of Desktop and Server components
accessible to anyone.
4.Define parameters in Tableau and their working.
Tableau parameters are dynamic variables/values that replace the constant values in
data calculations and filters. For instance, you can create a calculated field value
returning true when the score is greater than 80, and otherwise false. Using parameters,
one can replace the constant value of 80 and control it dynamically in the formula.
The second is how they are structured which impacts how they are loaded into memory and used
by Tableau. This is an important aspect of how TDEs are “architecture aware”. Architecture-awareness
means that TDEs use all parts of your computer memory, from RAM to hard disk, and put each part to
work what best fits its characteristics.
27.How to use group in calculated field?
By adding the same calculation to ‘Group By’ clause in SQL query or creating a
Calculated Field in the Data Window and using that field whenever you want to group
the fields.
While blending requires two completely defined data sources in your report.
30.What are Extracts and Schedules in Tableau server?
Data extracts are the first copies or subdivisions of the actual data from original data
sources. The workbooks using data extracts instead of those using live DB connections
are faster since the extracted data is imported in Tableau Engine.After this extraction of
data, users can publish the workbook, which also publishes the extracts in Tableau
Server. However, the workbook and extracts won’t refresh unless users apply a
scheduled refresh on the extract. Scheduled Refreshes are the scheduling tasks set for
data extract refresh so that they get refreshed automatically while publishing a workbook
with data extract. This also removes the burden of republishing the workbook every time
the concerned data gets updated.
Create a Performance Recording to record performance information about the main events you
interact with workbook. Users can view the performance metrics in a workbook created by Tableau.
Help -> Settings and Performance -> Start Performance Recording
Help -> Setting and Performance -> Stop Performance Recording.
Reviewing the Tableau Desktop Logs located at C:\Users\\My Documents\My Tableau
Repository. For live connection to data source, you can check log.txt and tabprotosrv.txt files. For an
extract, check tdeserver.txt file.
32.How to do Performance Testing in Tableau?
Performance testing is again an important part of implementing tableau. This can be
done by loading Testing Tableau Server with TabJolt, which is a “Point and Run” load
generator created to perform QA. While TabJolt is not supported by tableau directly, it
has to be installed using other open source products.
The second is how they are structured which impacts how they are loaded into memory and used
by Tableau. This is an important aspect of how TDEs are “architecture aware”. Architecture-awareness
means that TDEs use all parts of your computer memory, from RAM to hard disk, and put each part to
work what best fits its characteristics.
37.Mention whether you can create relational joins in Tableau without creating a new
table?
Yes, one can create relational joins in tableau without creating a new table.
Discrete data roles are values that are counted as distinct and separate and can only take individual
values within a range. Examples: number of threads in a sheet, customer name or row ID or State. Discrete
values are shown as blue pills on the shelves and blue icons in the data window.
Continuous data roles are used to measure continuous data and can take on any value within a
finite or infinite interval. Examples: unit price, time and profit or order quantity. Continuous variables
behave in a similar way in that they can take on any value. Continuous values are shown as green pills.
45.How to create stories in Tableau?
There are many ways to create story in Tableau. Each story point can be based on a
different view or dashboard, or the entire story can be based on the same visualization,
just seen at different stages, with different marks filtered and annotations added. You
can use stories to make a business case or to simply narrate a sequence of events.
In the lower-left corner of the screen, choose a size for your story. Choose from one of the
predefined sizes, or set a custom size, in pixels.
By default, your story gets its title from its sheet name. To edit it, double-click the title. You can
also change your title’s font, color, and alignment. Click Apply to view your changes.
To start building your story, drag a sheet from the Story tab on the left and drop it into the center
of the view
Click Add a caption to summarize the story point.
To highlight a key takeaway for your viewers, drag a text object over to the story worksheet and
type your comment.
To further highlight the main idea of this story point, you can change a filter or sort on a field in
the view, then save your changes by clicking Update above the navigator box.
46.What is the DRIVE Program Methodology?
Tableau Drive is a methodology for scaling out self-service analytics. Drive is based on
best practices from successful enterprise deployments. The methodology relies on
iterative, agile methods that are faster and more effective than traditional long-cycle
deployment.
A cornerstone of this approach is a new model of partnership between business and IT.
Published data source: It contains connection information that is independent of any workbook
and can be used by multiple workbooks.
Embedded data source: It contains connection information and is associated with a workbook.
49.Mention what are different Tableau files?
Different Tableau files include:
You can do the following to embed views and adjust their default appearance:
Get the embed code provided with a view: The Share button at the top of each view includes
embed code that you can copy and paste into your webpage. (The Share button doesn’t appear in
embedded views if you change the showShareOptions parameter to false in the code.)
Customize the embed code: You can customize the embed code using parameters that control the
toolbar, tabs, and more. For more information, see Parameters for Embed Code.
Use the Tableau JavaScript API: Web developers can use Tableau JavaScript objects in web
applications. To get access to the API, documentation, code examples, and the Tableau developer
community, see the Tableau Developer Portal.
51.Design a view in a map such that if user selects any state, the cities under that state has
to show profit and sales.
According to your question you must have state, city, profit and sales fields in your
dataset.
All you need to do is replace the api src and server url with yours.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang=”en”>
<head>
<script type=”text/javascript”
src=”http://servername/javascripts/api/tableau_v8.js”></script>
</head>
<script type=’text/javascript’>
var options={
hideTabs:True,
width:”100%”,
height:”1000px”
};
</script>
</body>
</html>
53.Suppose my license expires today, will users be able to view dashboards or workbooks
which I published in the server earlier?
If your server license expires today, your username on the server will have the role
‘unlicensed’ which means you cannot access but others can. The site admin can change
the ownership to another person so that the extracts do not fail.
55.Can we place an excel file in a shared location and and use it to develop a report and
refresh it in regular intervals?
Yes, we can do it. But for better performance we should use Extract.
57.What is the maximum no. of rows Tableau can utilize at one time?
Tableau is not restricted by the no. of rows in the table. Customers use Tableau to
access petabytes of data because it only retrieves the rows and columns needed to
answer your questions.