---
schema_version: "1"
id: 06431b0a7adadafae4a8623f7a5192e2b606fd2eec2d4dbf0454b24550e6769e
title: View Data Model
collection: tableau
version: next
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/tableau/next/en-us/pro/desktop/viewdatamodel.md
canonical_url: https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/pro/desktop/en-us/viewdatamodel.htm
source_site: help.tableau.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 63909b093c934742167f1318c0b9f245832c9f9a7cd0383a12ac4c4cd5f8e658
description: Use View Data Model to understand the structure of your data source.
---
[Skip to main content](#main-content)

# Use View Data Model to Understand the Data Source

View Data Model lets you see the structure of your data source while in the context of the viz. Rather than switching back and forth between a viz and the data source tab to verify how tables are related, you can open a dialog while on a sheet tab. Like the calculation editor, this dialog allows you to interact with the viz with it open.

## Turn on View Data Model

To access the View Data Model dialog, open the Worksheet menu and select View Data Model.

- Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows) or Command+Shift+I (Mac).

A dialog appears that shows the data model of the active data source as a visual aid while creating visualizations.

![The Tableau authoring UI with the View Data Model dialog open](/tableau/next/en-us/pro/desktop/en-us/Img/viewdatamodel.png)

## Use View Data Model

**Hide Unused Tables**

With Hide Unused Tables turned on, adding and removing fields in the viz will automatically update the View Data Model diagram. This can be especially useful for [understanding field-level relatedness in data sources with multiple base tables](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/datasource_mfr_multiple_base_tables.htm%23fieldlevel-relatedness-in-the-analysis&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1732549180113477&usg=AOvVaw3EpjTNuL_nmSIkkr5zC28v).

**See which table a field is from**

Select a pill on a shelf to see the data model highlight its native table. In this image, the **Bus Rider** field on the Color shelf is from the **Students** table, as indicated by the glow around that table.

![](/tableau/next/en-us/pro/desktop/en-us/Img/viewdatamodel_indicatedtable.png "Glow effect around the relevant table in the view data model dialog")

**Read only**

View Data Model is read-only and doesn't allow you to inspect details of the data model (such as relationship clauses or performance option settings for a relationship, or the underlying physical layer of a table). Those details are available only on the Data Source tab.

## Work with multiple data sources

View Data Model displays the active data source. Which data source is considered active depends on if there is a field in the viz or not.

- **If the sheet tab has at least one field in use**, the dialog will always show that data source regardless of what data source is selected in the Data pane.
    - The data model can't be displayed for cube data sources or worksheets with active data blending.
- **If the sheet tab is empty**, the view data model dialog will display whatever data source is selected in the Data pane. You can toggle between the data sources to view each data model in turn.
- **If there are map layers** involving multiple data sources, whichever map layer is active determines which data source is active.

## Hide Unused Tables

With the Hide Unused Tables toggle, you can change between seeing the entire data source and a pared down version that only shows tables in use in the viz. In this context, _in use_ means the table either:

- has a field in the viz
- is a pass-through table that is used to relate fields used in the viz from tables with no direct relationship between them.

![the view data model dialog showing three tables when only two fields are in use in the viz](/tableau/next/en-us/pro/desktop/en-us/Img/viewdatamodel_passthroughtable.png)

In this case, the viz consists of two fields, one from the Inventory table and one from the Subcategory table. The Products table is present when Hide Unused Tables is on because the Inventory and Subcategory table are both related to Products but not directly to each other. Products is a pass-through table and is required in the data model diagram.

**Note**: Hide Unused Tables isn't available for blank worksheets.