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September 13, 2012

Tableau Tip: Exporting data from a dashboard on Tableau Server (or Public)

32 comments
A request was made for a project I’m working on to allow the user/interactor to export the data on the dashboard into an Excel file from a dashboard that resides on Tableau Server.

I totally over complicated this request and was convinced that it couldn’t be done.  I was trying to create a URL link to export the data, but then I suddenly remembered that scrawny export button on Tableau Server and Tableau Public.

Consider this dashboard that resides on Tableau Public:


Look at the middle of the footer.  Notice this little arrow pointing right.  That’s the export button!

image

When you first click on it, it very well may look like this, where the Data and Crosstab options are disabled.

image

The trick is to click on the chart that has the data you want to export.  You can’t export all of the data for the entire dashboard at the same time, but you can export the data for a single chart or table.

Once you click on a chart, you’ll see a light gray border appear around the chart and now when you click on the export link, the Data and Crosstab options are enabled.

image

Way too simple!

NOTES:

  1. The Data option displays a web page which shows a table of the data.  You then have to click on the export link.
  2. If you want to directly download the data, click on the Crosstab option and you’ll get a nice clean CSV file.

32 comments :

  1. Hi Andy,

    I have a simple table that I need to export to CSV but when I use the Data option I get the columns in a different order and when I use the Crosstab option I get them separated by spaces.

    Do you know if there is a way to get them in the same order when exporting the data or using .csv in the URL or a way to change the character used to separate them when exporting as Crosstab?

    The order is important because is going to be used by an ETL that needs to get it in that exact order.

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't know of a way to specify the order of the columns when you export them. To export the data, you can add .csv to the end of the URL. E.g., http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/ArsenalPerformance/TheDominanceofRVP.csv

    Does that help?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for this question! I was wondering the same thing!

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  4. Is there still a way to offer a download link to the csv-version of a worksheet (something like http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/ArsenalPerformance/TheDominanceofRVP.csv)? I would like to embed a link in the dashbaord, since some users might not be able to identify the export button.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like to put an image on the dashboard and add a URL to it. That should work.

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    2. Is there a way to do this to have multiple downloads? For example, two different .csv files?

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  5. Replies
    1. Hi Unknown, whoever you are. One dashboard = one download.

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  6. Does anyone know if there's a way to link directly to a CSV of the crosstab, instead of the raw data?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you looking for something other than the export button?

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  7. Thanks for the quick reply, Andy. Yes. Many of our dashboards have many worksheets or "zones" within them, and we're finding that the process of selecting the correct zone before exporting as a crosstab is fairly cumbersome for our users. My hope is to be able to place a "button" next to each zone that is directly linked to the crosstab export of that particular worksheet. Make sense?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, this totally makes sense! Unfortunately there's no standard URL syntax for exporting. I would love this feature too!!

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  8. Hey Andy, just wondering if there is and update to your first reply in this tread regarding "specify the order of the columns when you export them". I'm running 8.1. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rob, I don't know of a way to specify the order of the column upon export.

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    2. There is a workaround for this. If you prefix your column names with a, b, c, d... in the order you prefer, the export would be in that order too.

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  9. Hi Andy, Hoping you could help me with this - Currently have a few dashboards published on the tableau server containg a crosstab report with a set of filters. The main 'hope' behind these dashboards is to allow the user to filter the data set and export the cross tab. But everytime the user tries exporing to the crosstab, the excel file appears to be blank.

    Any insight into this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have you tried the technique from this post?
      http://vizwiz.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-greatest-tableau-tip-ever-exporting.html

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  10. Hi Andy,

    Is there a way to disable "Data" option from export and have only the "Crosstab" option enabled?

    Thanks
    MS

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Andy,

    I had a doubt, Is there a way to export the filters applied at that point with the data/Crosstab using the export button?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ankit, the export button applies to the sheet on which you are currently clicked, so I would expect the filters to apply. You might want to read this post for another method: http://vizwiz.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-greatest-tableau-tip-ever-exporting.html

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  12. Why does the .csv option for Export via the link not work for some machines and works only on random occasion. Any help would be much appreciated.
    I want the data to always open directly into excel and never into notepad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The csv will open in whatever the default application is for opening csv's on that machine. That's not a Tableau issue.

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  13. I want the data to be exported in excel format, which I can see is not available in tableau server,
    Is there any alternate way for exporting the report in excel

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  14. Export to CSV, and open it in Excel.

    ReplyDelete
  15. clicking and activating does not work for the crosstab charts or simple text chart.
    Any suggestions?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hey Andy,

    Is it possible to apply filters to the text table and make it a customized download?

    Thanks

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  17. So I've been using a similar method to export the crosstab to excel. Where I get stuck is that the user also wants to see the list of filters applied in the csv. Is there a way i can display the filters that are being applied in the csv? Some way maybe i can put the filters in the table name and export the table title as well in to the csv?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hey Andy,

    When I use .csv in the url, it opens a new tab. Is there a way we can avoid new tab?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why would that be important? But to answer your question, URL actions will always open in a new dashboard.

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  19. Hi Andy ,

    I have dashboards on tableau server, and I need to schedule automatic extracts of crosstabs of tables present in dashboards. The format needs to be retained as is in the table. Is there a way to automate cross tabs to csv?

    ReplyDelete
  20. You don't have control on the order of output that I am aware of. I'd recommend you use a tool like Alteryx or whatever other ETL tool you have to extract the data. You're trying to use a hammer here when you need a screwdriver.

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