Tableau File Types & Extensions
This Tableau file types tutorial will provide an overview of the different types of Tableau files. There are approximately seven to eight different types of file extensions and folders that can be used to save your work on Tableau. Tableau uses a variety of file extensions, and we will explore their use and significance here.
Tableau File Types
This section provides an overview of the different file types in Tableau.
- Tableau Workbook (.twb)
Tableau Workbook files are the most common file type used when working with Tableau. This file type has the extension .twb and is the default file type for users. In Tableau, a workbook consists of sheets, dashboards, etc. Therefore, this Tableau file type contains information about worksheets and dashboards within a workbook. These files contain information regarding fields, aggregation types, styles, formatting, filters, etc.
One important aspect of this Tableau file type is that we can only create them if we are using live data connections and share them only with users who have access to the same live data connection. Additionally, the .twb files contain metadata pertaining to the existing data connection. A .twb file, however, does not contain any actual data about the workbook.
A .twb file can be created by going to the data source control panel of the active data connection, selecting File from the toolbar, and then selecting Save As. You can then select Tableau Workbook from the Save As Type drop-down menu.
- Tableau Packaged Workbook (.twbx)
Tableau Packaged Workbooks contain both information about the components of a workbook and data extracted from the data source. A .tde file contains the data extract from the source. The extension of Tableau Packaged Workbooks is .twbx. In order to share a workbook with a user without access to the live data connection, you can use a .twbx file type instead of a .twb (Tableau Workbook) file. In this situation, you will need a file containing the data extracted from the source as well as information about the workbook.
Tableau Packaged Workbook files may also include information about attached images or customized geocoding. You can create a .twbx file by selecting File, then selecting Save As, and then selecting the .twbx option.
- Tableau Data Source (.tds)
Tableau Data Source files contain all the necessary information regarding a data connection made in Tableau. When we set up a new connection to a data source, we modify it extensively based on our requirements, such as setting data types, aggregations, custom fields, etc. Tableau Data Source files contain all the necessary information for setting up a data connection, as well as metadata regarding modifications made by the user.
Data connections with custom fields and table joins are stored in the .tds file. In contrast, this Tableau file type only stores the information necessary to establish a connection to a data source, not the data itself. It is therefore possible to share information between users who have access to the same data source using such files.
On the toolbar, click the Data tab to create a .tds file. Next, select the data source you wish to connect to and click Add To Saved Data Source. This file should then be saved as a Tableau Data Source.
- Tableau Packaged Data Source (.tdsx)
Tableau Packaged Data Source files contain information regarding a data source connection as well as data extracted from that source. The extracted data is saved as a .tde file and the source information as a .tds file (as shown above). The extracted data can be found in any local file, such as a text file, an extract file (.hyper or .tde), an Excel file, an Access file, etc.
In contrast, Tableau Packaged Data Source files have the extension .tdsx. The Tableau Packaged Data Source files are used when we wish to share data from a data source with a user who does not have access to the data source.
Go to the Data tab on the toolbar to create a .tdsx file. Next, select the data source that you wish to connect to and click Add To Saved Data Source. This file should then be saved as a Tableau Packaged Data Source.
- Tableau Data Extract (.tde)
A Tableau Data Extract file has the extension .tde. It is important to note that these Tableau file types only contain a local copy of the entire or a subset of data from its source. Please be aware that the .tde files do not contain a file path or information about the data source, workbooks, dashboards, etc. The Tableau Data Extract files are important and useful because they are highly compressed and optimized to improve Tableau’s performance (especially when using a slow connection to the internet). .tde files can also be used for offline work. It should be noted that such Tableau file types have the disadvantage that the data in them cannot be automatically refreshed when the source data is refreshed. It is necessary, however, to follow a few steps in order to refresh the data that is present as an extract in the .tde files.
In order to create a Tableau Data Extract (.tde) file, click on the Data tab on the top left of the Tableau toolbar. Click on the Extract Data option after selecting a data source. Following this, you can either select the fields from the data source that you would like to extract or simply click Extract to create an extract file (.tde) containing all of the data from the data source.
- Tableau Bookmark (.tbm)
Tableau Bookmark files have the extension .tbm. In Tableau, these file types are most commonly used for saving worksheets and sharing them with others, so they can use them in their workbooks without having to create a new worksheet.
You can create a .tbm file by selecting the Windows option from the toolbar. Select Bookmark and then click on Create Bookmark. It will create a .tbm file of the active worksheet.
However, with the release of the newer version of Tableau, the use of Bookmark files has decreased. As of Tableau version 8.1 and later, worksheets can be copied and pasted directly between workbooks without the need to create a .tbm file.
- Tableau Map Source (.tms)
A Tableau Map Source file contains information about maps and their elements. These files have the extension .tms. The default settings in Tableau will fetch map details from a certain map server or provider, such as background and other layers. Tableau allows you to add map details from a WMS server of your choice or from a custom map from Mapbox. In the event that you create a map file (.tms) of your choice, Tableau will use that file instead of the default one to fetch map details and load map images and information accordingly. These .tms users can also be shared with others in your group.
Click on Map from the toolbar to create a Tableau Map Source (.tms) file. In the Background Maps menu, select WMS Server from the Map Services>Add menu. As soon as you have added the map server of your choice, you can export it to your desktop by selecting an Export option in the WMS Server connections window. It is recommended that the .tms file be added to the Tableau Repository in the Map source directory in order to utilize this map in the future.
- Tableau Preference (.tps)
Tableau Preference files contain all the information related to a customized color palette. You can create a custom color palette or theme and save it as a .tps file so that you can use it uniformly throughout the workbook. Tableau Preference files are in XML format and have the extension .tps.
This was all about Tableau file types and extensions.