25+ Tips for Improving Tableau Performance

Best Practices and Methods for Improving Tableau Performance:

A dashboard with multiple worksheets can sometimes take longer to load. Below, I have listed some techniques and practices that will be very helpful in solving your dashboard performance issues. When the Tableau Server is very slow or Tableau Workbooks takes longer to load, you can follow these tips to sort out the performance issues.

Data

• Use the Extract connection instead of the live connection to your data source.
• Use the data source filter or use an extract connection to the data source.
• Minimize the number of joins.
• Analyze dimensions in new data sets using the Describe option.
• Unused columns (measures/dimensions)  should be removed to reduce loading time, custom SQL query time.
• Use a common published TDS file for dashboard creation to prevent each team member from creating their own data source. Use common metadata for dashboard creation.
• Use extracts connections wherever possible to improve performance.
• Hide unused and confidential data items.
• Roll up by aggregating or filtering to maintain the required data granularity.
• Remove hierarchies for invisible dimensions.

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Filtering

• Use fewer quick filters.
• Do not choose complex ranges for quick filters options. It will slow down the query performance.
• Minimize the use of multi-select, drop-down type lists in quick filters. It will take a long time to load and render.
• Do not select specific values for quick filters. This will impact query loading time.

Custom SQL

• Do not use custom SQL in live connections.
• Use views to implement your custom SQL and try to connect Tableau to the view.
• Do not use parameters in custom SQL in Tableau.
• Tableau creates sub-queries for custom SQL, which will be very difficult for many databases to handle.
• Try using views in the database or use multiple joins instead of using custom SQL.

Calculations

• Do not use calculations that requires data blending. The query will take a long time to load the data. Instead, try to use a view.
• Do not use row-level calculations that use parameters

Rendering

• High usage of mark counts will increase the rendering time of Dashboards.
• Do not use large file size images. This will increase the loading time.
• Avoid using more no of custom shapes in the dashboard.

Dashboard Layout

• Do not use multiple worksheets on a single dashboard.
• While creating dashboards, fix the dashboard size as per the customer requirement. Avoid using automatic sizing for fixing dashboard size.