Tableau Interview Questions and Answers
Tableau is a powerful and growing Data Visualization tool. This is mostly used in the Business Intelligence sector. Its main purpose is to simplify raw data into a very readable and easy to understand format using interactive charts.
We have prepared a list of Tableau interview questions which might be helpful for candidates interested in getting acquainted with this data analytics tool.
Data analysis is its main use and users can create engaging visuals based on the data stored in workbooks in the dashboard. The main advantage of using Tableau is that it can be used easily by a person not having a technical background. The best features Tableau which makes it a very popular choice is:
- Data Blending
- Real-time analysis
- Collaboration of data
Most Frequently Asked Tableau Interview Questions
Follow these steps to create an action in Tableau:
- Go to Workbooks > Actions
- In the action text box, click on the Add Action button and click on Highlight
- Name the action to make it identifiable in the action box
- Next, use the drop-down menu and select a data source to export data to this action
- Selected whether you want the action to be triggered by Hover, Select or Menu
- Now, select a target sheet
- Select the fields which need highlighting
- Click on OK, an action has been created
| Extract | Live |
|---|---|
| Is a connection with a static database | Is a connection with a dynamic database |
| User has to manually refresh to update the data set | Users don’t have to refresh as this connection will query underlying data from the source |
| Data is copied from Data Source to local Tableau Server | Since data is called from the source, no data is stored for pre-processing |
One of the most basic operations to have in a Business Intelligence tool is to connect it to a data source to analyze the data for further use. Tableau offers a wide range of options to export your data in the form of local text files, MS Excel, PDFs, JSON or database & server connections like Tableau Server, MySQL Server, Microsoft SQL Server and many more.
There are in general four ways of joins used to combine data in Tableau.
They are:
- Right
- Left
- Inner
- Full Outer
TDSX file refers to a Packaged Data Source file. It is basically a .zip file that contains the data source file(.tds) and any other local file data like extract files(.hyper or .tde), Excel workbooks, text files, local cube files, and access files. This kind of file is used to create a single file that can be then shared with others not having access to the original data source.
A Tableau workbook is similar to an Excel workbook and has many overlapping functionalities. It is designed to contain multiple workbooks or dashboards combining all work. Its main aim is to organize, save and share results with concerned users.
Note: These are tableau developer interview questions. Candidates who are deciding to switch to Tableau or looking for a job must read this.
| Sets | Groups |
|---|---|
| Is an extracted combination of multiple rows from a workbook | Used to combine items and compare with other values |
| Little hard to use but flexible | Easy to use with limited functionalities |
| Is dynamic in nature | Is static in nature |
Shelves are containers to store data, i.e. pills in the form of columns, rows, pages and filters which are used for the creation of visualizations.
To show a card in Tableau follow these steps:
- Go to the toolbar
- Click on Show/Hide Card
- Select the cards to be shown
Legends are time fields placed on Color, Size or Shape on the Marks Card. Using these legends can enhance the dashboard, interactivity and save a lot of space.
Follow these steps to create one:
- Go to the dashboard and select a sheet
- Go to the top right of the screen and click on the Drop-Down Menu
- Click on Legends and choose the one you require