Straight off the back of Tableau conference, 2023.2 is the first opportunity to see some of the announced features in action.
Hello everyone! Today, we're diving into an exciting feature in the newly released Tableau 23.2 for Tableau prep, also an idea from the Tableau community. This novel feature allows users to add the date dynamically to output files when running Tableau Prep, a fantastic tool for data analysts everywhere.
The reasoning behind the addition of this feature is simple: efficiency and organisation. If you're running a flow and producing an output file that you do not wish to overwrite previous files with, adding the date or time of the flow's run allows you to establish a form of version control. This gives you the ability to take a step back in time and assess previous iterations of the data.
Another application is for those who run a flow daily, capturing data snapshots each time. The feature allows these flows to carry a timestamp, which can then be used in subsequent flows to bring together all the individual files. This feature is indeed the fruit of the labor of Tableau community member Owen Price, who first proposed the option to parameterise the output file names five years ago.
Initially, Tableau users created a workaround by adding a date column in their data and using that date in the parameters. However, this process was rather clumsy. But thanks to Tableau's latest innovation, there's no longer a need for such convolutions. Instead, the system parameter within the flow allows for the dynamic addition of the run date without the need for date parameters in the data set itself.
Upon selecting the output and navigating to the name option on the left-hand side, you'll encounter the parameter and system parameter options. These options hint at the possibility of adding more system-related information in future versions of Tableau.
The run date is an available parameter, which can be formatted according to user preferences. For those who need more granular control, the run time can also be included, extending accuracy down to the second.
Let's consider a scenario where we select the run date and choose a year, month, day format for simplicity. Upon doing so, you will notice the output change accordingly. You can choose to add a hyphen or other character for better clarity and organization. The location of the saved file can also be selected; for instance, you may choose to save it to your desktop for easy access.
One important note: avoid removing the brackets around the run date parameter in the output name, as this could result in removing the parameter altogether. This was a hiccup I encountered during my initial exploration. Despite this minor glitch, the process is rather straightforward, and this feature indeed makes life easier for data analysts and Tableau users.
The 2023.2 Playlist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3E5efnM3qg&list=PLRfaJ7ZL0cF6QFlYCU-QQDH81HSYJAHTV&pp=iAQB
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:16 The use case for this feature
1:19 How to add a timestamp to files in Tableau Prep
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