--- schema_version: "1" id: a016d90d06792d465f96871a36848983c7da917872e75980c18a0f603004b530 title: Use Relationships for Multi-table Data Analysis collection: tableau version: current locale: en-gb portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/tableau/current/en-gb/server-linux/datasource_multitable_normalized.md canonical_url: https://help.tableau.com/current/server-linux/en-gb/datasource_multitable_normalized.htm source_site: help.tableau.com content_type: documentation content_hash: 8accdda500e80e1f06e71d026de7b424caf136a073246d90348d1f7dcc769cae description: Use relationships to combine multiple tables for analysis without flattening them. --- [Skip to main content](#main-content) # Use Relationships for Multi-table Data Analysis Tables that you drag to the data source tab canvas use relationships. Relationships are a flexible way to combine data for analysis in Tableau. Think of a relationship as a contract between two tables. When you’re building a viz with fields from these tables, Tableau brings in data using that contract to build a query with the appropriate joins. We recommend using relationships as your first approach to combining your data because it makes data preparation and analysis easier and more intuitive. [Use joins only when you absolutely need to](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-gb/datasource_datamodel_faq.htm#can-i-use-joins-between-logical-tables). Learn more about the basics of creating relationships in this 5-minute video. **Note**: The interface for editing relationships shown in this video differs slightly from the current release but has the same functionality. Learn more about how relationships work in these Tableau blog posts: - [Relationships, part 1: Introducing new data modelling in Tableau](https://www.tableau.com/en-gb/about/blog/2020/5/relationships-part-1-meet-new-tableau-data-model) - [Relationships, part 2: Tips and tricks](https://www.tableau.com/en-gb/about/blog/2020/5/relationships-part-2-tips-and-tricks) - [Relationships, part 3: Asking questions across multiple related tables](https://www.tableau.com/en-gb/about/blog/2020/6/relationships-part-3-asking-questions-across-multiple-related-tables) Also see video podcasts on relationships from [Action Analytics](https://action-analytics.com/library/), such as [Why did Tableau Invent Relationships?](https://action-analytics.com/ep-1-why-did-tableau-invent-relationships/) Click "Video Podcast" in the [Library](https://action-analytics.com/library/) to see more. In Tableau version 2024.2 and later, the Tableau data model supports multi-fact analysis and shared dimensions through multi-fact relationships. For more information, see [About Multi-fact Relationship Data Models](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-gb/datasource_mfr_multiple_base_tables.htm), [When to Use a Multi-fact Relationship Model](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-gb/datasource_mfr_when_to_use.htm) and [Build a Multi-fact Relationship Data Model](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-gb/datasource_mfr_build.htm). Are you building a new data source and workbook? Drag a table to the Data Source page canvas to start building your data source. A data source can be made of a single table that contains all of the dimension and measure fields you need for analysis... ![Data model with a single-table analysis.](/tableau/current/en-gb/server-linux/en-gb/Img/data_model_singletableanalysis.gif) Or, you can create a multi-table data source by dragging out more tables and defining their relationships... ![Create a data relationship on the data source pane.](/tableau/current/en-gb/server-linux/en-gb/Img/data_model_createrelationship.gif) Watch this 1-minute video about getting started with using relationships. **Note**: The interface for editing relationships shown in this video differs slightly from the current release but has the same functionality. For more information about using relationships, see [Relate Your Data](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-gb/relate_tables.htm), [How Relationships Differ from Joins](https://help.tableau.com/current/server-linux/en-gb/datasource_relationships_learnmorepage.htm), [The Tableau Data Model](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-gb/datasource_datamodel.htm), and [Create and define relationships](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-gb/relate_tables.htm#create-and-define-relationships). For more information, see [What’s Changed with Data Sources and Analysis](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-gb/datasource_datamodel_whatschanged.htm) and [Questions about Relationships, the Data Model and Data Sources](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-gb/datasource_datamodel_faq.htm). Are you opening an older workbook or data source? When you open a pre-2020.2 workbook or data source in 2020.2, your data source will appear as a single logical table in the canvas, with the name "Migrated Data" or the original table name. Your data is preserved and you can continue to use the workbook as you did before. ![If your data source contained multiple joined or unioned tables, the single logical table is displayed with the name "Migrated Data".](/tableau/current/en-gb/server-linux/en-gb/Img/data_model_migrated_data.gif) To see the physical tables that make up the single logical table, double-click that logical table to open it in the physical layer. You’ll see its underlying physical tables, including joins and unions. For more information, see [What’s Changed with Data Sources and Analysis](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-gb/datasource_datamodel_whatschanged.htm) and [Questions about Relationships, the Data Model and Data Sources](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-gb/datasource_datamodel_faq.htm). ## Other articles in this section