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INTRODUCTION
Unique features of Tableau are, allow data real time collaboration, data blending, data sourcing, etc. Tableau share information about the types of data stored in data source.
There are 7 different types of data, that function of Tableau is to automatically detect the data types of various fields as soon as the data is uploaded from the source and allocate it to the fields. These seven data types are:
String values
Number/Integer values
Date values
Date & Time values
Boolean values
Geographic values
Cluster or mixed values
1. String Values:
String data type is collection of characters, which always enclosed with a single or double inverted quotes.
The sample of strings are- "Learning" or 'Learning'. String data types are divided into two types: - Char and Varchar.
Symbol for String data type.
Char string type- Alpha-numeric data values are normally stored in char string data, in which length of string is pre-defined or fixed, if not then the system returns an error.
Varchar string type- Varchar data type also stores alphanumeric data values, that have a variable length. The length of the string is variable so, enter as many values as you want.
2. Numeric Data type:
Numeric data type can be either integer type or floating type. Integers are more preferred over floating values as it’s difficult to accumulate decimal points after a certain limit. It also contains Round () function which can be used in rounding up float values.
integer type- 5, -5,0
floating type - 5.55, -5.555
Symbol for Numeric data type.
3. Date and Time Data type:
All forms of date and time like dd-mm-yy, or mm-dd-yyyy, etc. are supported in tableau. An extension of Date data type is data and time, in which time data can be a decade, year, quarter, month, hour, minutes, seconds, etc. If you want to add date value in the form of a string, add # symbol before,
Example: # 27 Nov 2022
Symbol for Data type.
Symbol for Data and Time type.
4. Boolean Data type:
Boolean data type values are formed because of relational calculation; data values are either True or False that represented by 1 or 0 respectively. For unknown relational data calculation Null data values are used.
Example: sum of profit = SUM([Profit]) > 0
Symbol for Boolean Data type.
5. Geographic Data type:
All data values are used in maps, comes under geographic data type. They associate each value in a field with latitude and longitude value, as country name, state name, city, region, postal codes, etc.
Symbol for Geographic Data type.
6. Cluster or Mixed Data type:
Sometimes, mixed values create a problem while analyzing the data in Tableau. Tableau can identify the data type; such values are known as cluster group values or mixed data values. At that time users have the option either to handle it manually or allow Tableau to operate on it. This problem can be resolved by creating a separate column that doesn’t contain mixed values.
Symbol for cluster or Mixed data type.
Advantages of using
In tableau, it is comfortable to implement and use data types.
Easy to build different and interactive visuals by using various data.
Hand large amounts of data is very easy and with quick access in tableau.
Easy to use and mobile-friendly.
Usage costs are minimal than other tools.
Moreover, customers have extensive resources and can use them widely for different purposes.
Changing Data Type
For changing data type,
first go the desired data.
Then click there and select the change data type.
From this drop-down u can easily select your required data types.
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Conclusion
There are 7 types of data in tableau, but according to our requirements and calculated field or for data filtering we can easily change the data types. Here we discussed different data types in tableau: string, numerical, date, date & time, Boolean, geographical, and mixed data type and how to change the required data type.
This article will help you in your data analyst journey with Tableau.
References
https://www.naukri.com/learning/articles/data-types-in-tableau/.
https://www.onlineitguru.com/blog/understanding-different-tableau-data-types.