To create a viz on Tableau Public, the first step is to connect to the data that you want to visualize. You have the option to connect to a file, use a connector to data in the cloud, or connect to a published data source. For more information about connecting to data on Tableau Public, see Creators: Connect to Data on the Web.
If you connect to a file or use a connector, the data extract and connection information is embedded in your viz. To use the same file as the data source for multiple vizzes, you must upload the file separately for each viz. A published data source separates the data from the viz so that multiple vizzes can connect to the same data source, and that data source is managed as its own entity. This means that if the published data source gets updated, those changes are available to all of the connected vizzes.
Create a viz from a published data source
Connecting to a published data source makes it easy to experiment on Tableau Public. With a published data source, you don't need to worry about finding appropriate data and getting it into the right shape to use with Tableau. Published data sources are listed on the Tableau Public website and ready for you to connect to.
Note: You can't connect to published data sources from Tableau Public Desktop Edition.
- On the Tableau Public website, navigate to Published Data Sources. Make sure that you're using a desktop computer to access this page. You can’t create vizzes on a mobile device.
- Read the descriptions of the data sources to find one that looks interesting.
- Under Actions for a data source, select Create Viz. You're taken directly to the Tableau Public web authoring canvas where you can start visualizing the data.
Create a published data source
To reuse the same data source across multiple vizzes, create a published data source. When you publish a data source to Tableau Public, other users can also create vizzes based on that data source. If you don’t see the option to create a published data source on your profile, you don’t have permission to create one.
- On your Tableau Public profile, select Create > Data Source.
- In the Connect to Data dialog, select the file or connector to use for your data source.
- On the Data Source tab, drag the data onto the canvas, then configure any relationships or joins. For information about configuring a data source, see Set Up Data Sources.
- When you're finished configuring your data, select Publish As…
- Enter a name for your data source, then select Publish.
- Add the description and tag for the data source. For the Description, enter information about what the data source contains, where the data came from, or other details. The description helps other users decide whether to use the data source. For the Tag, enter a single tag to categorize the data source.
You're taken to the data sources tab on your profile. From the Actions column, you can edit the data source.
Edit or delete a published data source
The data sources that you've published are listed on your Tableau Public profile. After you publish a data source, you can edit the metadata or the data source itself with the options in the Actions column. Any changes that you make to a published data source will be reflected in all of the vizzes that are connected to the data source. If you delete a published data source, and other users have created vizzes based on that data source, those vizzes will break.
- On your Tableau Public profile, select the Data Sources tab.
- In the Actions column, select the more actions (⋮) menu.
- Select the action to perform. You can edit the data source, rename the data source, change the tag for the data source, edit the description for the data source, and delete the data source.