Tableau is a robust tool that allows you to build dashboards in a multitude of ways, which is part of what makes it great. The flip side is that it can be easy to let little inefficiencies pile up and affect the ultimate performance of your Tableau dashboards. What do we mean when we talk about optimizing a Tableau dashboard’s performance?
- From a user experience standpoint, we want to optimize the total time it takes a user to gain the information they need. Load times are the most obvious pain point, but we should also consider time spent finding key insights and processing complex visuals.
- From a developer experience standpoint, we want to optimize the time and effort required from developers over the lifespan of the dashboard. Difficulties in maintaining a complex dashboard that breaks more often make it worth the initial investment to productionalize.
Fortunately, the InterWorks team spends a lot of time helping others build beautiful Tableau dashboards that are optimized for performance, and we’ve learned exactly where and how to fine-tune your work. I recently presented at Tableau Conference 2024 on this very subject, and I’ve taken the content from that talk and collated it into what we’re calling the Tableau Dashboard Optimization Checklist.
Here are the key areas of Tableau dashboard performance we focus on:
- Data Structure: Here we cover the finer points of how your data comes into Tableau as well as how to optimize blends, filters, relationships and more.
- Calculations: Here we focus on the structure of your Tableau calculations as well as which calculations and parameters are more easily processed by Tableau.
- Visual Complexity: Here we talk about how to streamline formatting, filters and what you’re actually showing on your Tableau dashboard.
- Clean Up: Here we quickly list some dashboard housekeeping items to eliminate what you’re not using and keep workbooks organized.
- Productionalize: Finally, we talk about iteration and dashboard maintenance to ensure things run smoothly in the long term.
Ready to start optimizing your Tableau dashboards? You can download the full Tableau Dashboard Optimization Checklist for free by filling out the form below.
Complete the Form to Get the Tableau Dashboard Optimization Checklist
