Share a Tableau workbook

Sharing Tableau Workbooks Without Sensitive Data

You need to share your Tableau workbook but can’t expose your Tallyfy data? Here’s how to share visualizations with external parties while keeping your credentials and connection details completely secure.

Methods for Secure Workbook Sharing

Method	Best For	Data Protection Level
Data Source Disconnection	One-time sharing	Medium - Structure remains visible
Data Extraction with Filtering	Recurring sharing	High - Only selected data visible
Published Data Source	Team collaboration	High - Centralized permission control

Requirements

• Tableau Desktop installed
• Working Tallyfy Analytics connection in Tableau
• Visualizations and dashboards already created

Method 1: Disconnect Data Sources

Share your workbook structure - recipients connect their own data. Perfect for one-time sharing.

Step 1: Prepare Your Workbook

Make sure your Tableau workbook has all the visualizations and dashboards you want to share.

Step 2: Disconnect Data Sources

1. Navigate to Data > Data Source
2. For each data source, right-click and select Close

Alternatively, you can:

1. Go to the Data Source tab

2. Click the dropdown menu for each data source

3. Select Edit Connection

   

4. Change the connection path to a non-existent location

   

Step 3: Save and Share the Workbook

1. Save the workbook with a new name to preserve your original
2. Select File > Save As
3. Choose an appropriate location and filename
4. Share the saved file with your intended recipients

Step 4: Recipient Reconnection Process

Recipients will see connection errors when they open the workbook (that’s expected!):

Want more details? Click to see the full error:

To reconnect to data sources:

1. Click Yes when prompted to connect to data

   

2. Select Edit Connection to enter their own connection details

   

3. If Edit Connection doesn’t work, they may need to remove the existing connection and create a new one:

   

4. After successful connection, the dashboard will populate with their data

Data Type Configuration

Once reconnected, your recipients might need to fix data types - especially dates. Takes about 2 minutes:

1. Navigate to the Data Source tab.

2. Locate date fields like “due_by” and “completed_on”.

3. Right-click the date field.

4. Select Change Data Type > Date & Time.

   

5. Repeat for other necessary date fields.

6. Verify that date comparisons and calculations now work correctly.

Alternative Sharing Methods

Method 2: Create a Data Extract with Filtering

You want more control? Filter your data before sharing:

1. Create a Tableau Data Extract (.tde or .hyper file)
2. Apply filters to limit exposed data
3. Save and share the workbook with the extract

Method 3: Use Tableau Server or Tableau Online

Got Tableau Server? This is your best bet for enterprise sharing:

1. Publish the workbook to Tableau Server/Online
2. Set appropriate user permissions
3. Allow recipients to access through a browser
4. Enable or disable download capabilities as needed

Method 4: Export Dashboards as PDF/PNG

Need a quick share without any connectivity hassles? Export to static files:

1. Select Dashboard > Export
2. Choose PDF or Image format
3. Share the static file with recipients

Best Practices for Workbook Sharing

A few things to remember:

• Remove unnecessary sheets and dashboards before sharing
• Document required data sources and connection steps
• Test the reconnection process before sharing
• Consider creating a template with sample data for demonstration
• Remove any sensitive calculations or parameters

That’s it! You can now share Tableau visualizations while keeping your Tallyfy data completely secure - your recipients just connect their own data sources and they’re ready to go.

Related articles

Tableau > Troubleshoot issues

Setting up reliable Tableau connections to Tallyfy Analytics requires using Access Key authentication while following proper data connection protocols and implementing preventive maintenance steps to avoid disruptions.

Analytics > Tableau

Tableau integration enhances Tallyfy Analytics by offering extensive data visualization tools for creating interactive dashboards and reports to analyze workflow performance through direct connectivity with Amazon Athena.

Tableau > Connect Tableau to Tallyfy

This content explains how to connect Tableau to Tallyfy Analytics data through Amazon Athena by installing required drivers setting up authentication credentials and configuring the connection to create workflow visualization dashboards.

Analytics > How Tallyfy Analytics works

Tallyfy Analytics transforms workflow data through a five-step process of event detection data extraction format conversion to Apache Parquet secure storage in Amazon S3 and credential provisioning for seamless integration with business intelligence tools like Power BI and Tableau.