What is Data Source Filter in Tableau ?
In Tableau, a data source filter is a type of filter that limits the data that is imported into a Tableau workbook. Data source filters can be used to reduce the amount of data that is imported, which can improve performance and make it easier to work with the data.
Data Source filter can be applied on both Live and Extract data source connection. Where Extract filter only can apply on Extract data source connection.
In Tableau, a data source filter is a type of filter that applies to the entire data source, rather than just to a specific worksheet or visualization. Data source filters allow you to limit the data that is loaded from a particular data source into your Tableau workbook, which can improve performance by reducing the amount of data that needs to be processed.
Data source filters are useful when working with large data sources, as they allow you to reduce the amount of data that needs to be loaded into memory. By limiting the data that is loaded, you can improve performance, desig complex grap easly like combined graph, butterfly graph etc.. and make it easier to work with large data sets.
Key features of Data Source filters in tableau:
- They are applied before any data is loaded into memory, so they can improve performance.
- They can be used to filter data based on specific criteria, such as a date range or a specific category.
- They can be used to combine data sources by applying the same filter to multiple data sources.
- They can be edited or removed at any time, which allows you to change the data that is loaded into your workbook.
Overall, data source filters are a powerful tool for working with large data sets in Tableau. They allow you to limit the data that is loaded into memory, which can improve performance and make it easier to work with large data sets. By applying data source filters, you can focus on the most important data and create insightful reports and visualizations.
Steps to apply filter:
Lets take first look of data , here we are “order priority” field and we have 4 members of “order priority”.
Let’s follow steps to put Data Source filter on “order priority” = M and H only
1. Go to data source tab in Tableau desktop and click on filters “add” option on the top right corner
2. It will open the “Edit Data Source Filter” window option, where you need to click on “Add..” button
3. Now it will open the list of all field/dimension available in the data source, You need to select “order priority” fields and click on OK.
4. Now it will open the “Filter [order Priority]” window where you need to select members like H and M. Click on OK
5. now click on OK again as shown below image
6. Now you will see the 1 number in filter option at the top right corner of Tableau desktop
7. Once you will see the sheet you will see only two member of M and H in “Order Priority”
Three examples of Data Source Filters in Tableau:
Example1: Date Range Filter
Suppose you have a large dataset with sales data for the past 10 years, but you only want to analyse the data for the last year. You can apply a data source filter to only include data from the last year. This will significantly reduce the size of the data and make it faster to work with.
You can apply this filter by going to the “Data” menu in Tableau Desktop and selecting “Edit Data Source”. From there, you can select the “Date” field and choose the date range for the last year.
Example2: Region Filter
Let’s you have a dataset with region data for multiple regions, but you are only interested in analysing data for a specific region. You can apply a data source filter to only include data for that region.
You can apply this filter by going to the “Data” menu and select “Edit Data Source”. From there, you can select the “Region” field and choose the region you want to include. like Europe and Asia as show below image
Example3: Category Filter
lets take example if you have dataset with product data for multiple categories, but you are only interested in analysing data for a specific category. You can apply a data source filter to only include data for that category.
You can apply this filter by going to the “Data” menu and selecting “Edit Data Source”. From there, you can select the “Item type” field and choose the items you want to include as shown below image
Conclusion
Data Source filters can be used to limit the amount of data that is imported into a Tableau workbook, which can improve performance and make it easier to work with the data. By using data source filters, you can focus on the data that is most relevant to your analysis and save time in the process.