Tableau Interview Questions and Answers

One of the easiest chart types is the filled map. To create one, follow these steps:

• Go to the Dimensions shelf
• Click on Geographic Dimension
• Choose “Filled Maps” under Show Me

The Page Shelf is a feature in Tableau which allows users to break a view into a series of individual pages to help understand and analyze how one specific field affects the rest of the data in a visual mode.

The Page Shelf creates a set of pages, each with a different view. Each of these views is based on a member of the field. These newly generated views can be used to compare data with each other in a visual format, hence making the data understandable on a micro-level.

To create a Calendar in Tableau, follow these steps:

• Create a DATE FIELD
• To start Calendar view, right-click drag the Date Field to Column Shelf and select Month/Year as the format
• Now, Right-Click Drag another instance of the Date field towards the Column shelf. Now select Weekday as the discrete format.

Note: The following tableau interview questions are a guide to a basic understanding of the subject. Must read for Engineers switching to Tableau.

Filters are used in Tableau to restrict the number of records in a said dataset.

There are 5 types of Filters that are used for various purposes.

• Extract Filters: This type of filter is used to extract data from a specific data source and creates a copy in the local Tableau Repository. The extract filter is on the top right corner of the data source tab.
• Data Source Filter: This kind of filter is used to filter data at the source level. Its main function is to restrict the number of records in the dataset. It has the same features of Extract Filter on securing data.
• Context Filter: This is a type of an independent filter which is able to create a separate datasheet out of a data set, compute and display the selections made in a worksheet.
• Dimension Filter: This type of filter is used to segregate data on the basis of dimensions. It’s a type of non-aggregated filter in which multiple dimensions, groups, sets, and bins can be added. This type of filter can be applied through the top or bottom conditions, wildcard match and formula.
• Measure Filters: A type of aggregated filter is used to filter on the basis of calculations applied on specific measures. While you may use data values in a Dimension Filter, Measure Filter allows users to segregate measures on the basis of calculations subjected to it.

Most of the performance tuning or optimizing tableau comes down to 3 major points:

• Optimizing for User traffic: This involves optimizing the server to reduce the time spent on processing a user request.
• Optimization for Extracts: This optimization helps the server to refresh the extracts on a published data source. This is highly relevant for organizations having to deal with large amounts of data which changes frequently and needs to be updated.
• Optimizing for Query Heavy Environments: This is a custom server configuration to enhance tableau for query performance in workbooks using extracts as a data source.

Note: The following tableau server interview questions are a guide to a basic understanding of the subject.

A parallel query in Tableau is used to save time while rendering queries. The basic logic behind is that Tableau will make multiple queries, i.e. when data from multiple sources are being used, Tableau makes queries side by side without waiting for one query to finish, hence saving time.

Shadow extracts are a kind of data that Tableau stores when using a file(non-legacy excel) to load data faster. It has a (.ttde) extension. Tableau can store 5 of these files.

Dual Axes in Tableau are independent data measuring parameters that are layered on top of each other. Tableau allows users to compare multiple measures and dual axes are used for comparing different measures having different scales.

To add bins to a histogram, follow these steps:

• Create a parameter to drive the size of the bins in the view section
• Now, have a manual formula ready to create the bins
• The bin is now created in the histogram

Follow these steps to split a column:

• Select a major field
• Right-click on it and select “Split”
• If the above does not work, click on “Custom Split” and select the data point ranges as start and endpoint for splitting