Using filters wisely

Filters generally improve performance in Tableau. For example, when using a dimension filter to view only the West region, a query is passed to the underlying data source, resulting in returned information for only that region. By reducing the amount of data returned, performance improves. Basically, this is because less data means reduced network bandwidth load, reduced database processing requirements, and reduced processing requirements for the local computer.

Filters can also negatively impact Tableau's performance. For example, using only relevant values causes additional queries to be sent to the underlying data source, thus slowing the response time. Also, creating quick filters from high-cardinality dimensions can slow performance.

Navigating filter usage so as to maximize efficient usage and minimize inefficient usage will be the focus of this section.

Extract filter performance

Extract filters remove data from the extracted data source. Simply put, the data isn...