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I just downloaded the data (or what I believe it is the data) that someone posted online. The result is two twbx files. How can I convert these or export these files to something more common (xls, csv etc) without buying their software (which might have the export option) Not sure if a trial version will allow me to do that

MiniMe
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3 Answers3

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Are you wanting to see the data or to see the tableau dashboards? If you want to see the tableau dashboards you could download Tableau Public (a free version of tableau desktop) or simply Tableau Reader (which allows you to view tableau workbooks but not author).

Alternatively, you can extract the data from a tableau workbook by doing the following. You will need an unzip software program such as 7zip 1) Open 7 zip 2) Navigate to the folder where the packaged workbook is stored. 3) right click on the packaged workbook and select open inside. You will now see a folder structure that should contain a folder called data The data will be in this folder, you will be able to see what type of data it is. If it is a xls then you will be able to copy it straight out but if the packaged workbook has used a Tableau TDE your best option will be downloading Tableau Public or Reader.

Hope that helps

smb
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  • yes I read about this option too (Google) but it does not work, maybe the file format changed – MiniMe Sep 14 '17 at 12:28
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You've downloaded a Tableau file and not the datasource. It seems you've come across an education portal or some community support sites since there'll be no other case where any publisher will allow you to download files in twbx format.

1) Look on the portal again, the person might have shared the datasource (in the csv, xlsx etc) format along with the dashboard (.twbx files)

OR

2) Go to the sheet whose data you want to export. Click on:

Data --> [Name of Datasource from the dropdown] --> Add to Saved Data Sources...

Save the file as "filename.xlsx" and you'll be able to access it through MS - Excel

Yusuf Hassan
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  • Thid did not work as described above but it gave me a clue where to look and I was able to export to CSV via that menu under the Data Soruce options , so I will mark this answer as correct – MiniMe Sep 14 '17 at 12:27
  • Thanks :) But may I know why it didn't work? Maybe a Tableau version issue? Any specific error and at what stage? I tried it on v10.1 and worked perfectly for me. What else did you do to get the data? – Yusuf Hassan Sep 14 '17 at 13:08
  • there was no option to export or save as xls or xlsx there. Downloaded the latest demo available – MiniMe Sep 16 '17 at 14:11
  • Ohhh... Okkkay. Mine is a licensed version. They might not be extending this in the trial one. – Yusuf Hassan Sep 16 '17 at 16:10
  • This answer does not address the question directly. "I have Tableau twbx files. How do I convert them to xls or csv or export the data? ...without buying their software (which might have the export option)" The OP needs a converter or exporter, without buying their software. Tableau has always required a paid commercial subscription get export capability "on the menu". They do not provide any way to convert proprietary workbook format to open data format like CSV or XML. It has been this way for many years. – Rich Lysakowski PhD Aug 19 '22 at 03:41
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You have to write code to get full access to your data...

Tableau is notorious for locking up data tighter than a pocupine's derrier, and making it about as much fun to extract as a wisdom tooth.

Tableau Workbook files (.twbx) are zip containers of nested folders and data files. They are formatted as a zip file that contain an XML file extracted from Tableau's SQL Redshift databases. The ".twbx" file is a package of folders, XML schema data, and typically) one (or more) embedded binary file(s).

I experimented with a ".twbx" file downloaded from a website, for this example called "MyData_v2022.1.twbx". I unzipped the file first using 7zip, which give a structure as follows:

> MyData_v2022.1.twbx (container file)
>     - "Data" (folder)
>           - "MyDatatrend.twb Files" (folder)
>                 - "redshift.hyper" (binary file)
>     - "Image" (folder)
>           - "MyData-Logo-Web-Small.png" (image file)
>     - "MyData.twb" file (XML file)

This inner file "MyDatatrend.twb" is an XML file that contains the SQL Custom Query code.

"redshift.hyper" is a binary file. I opened it in Notepad++, but it is not human readable. It starts with "Hyper" and then has about 4000 bytes of mostly binary NUL characters before the next readable string.

So a binary converter or ".hyper" file reader is needed to decode Tableau's "redshift.hyper" file.

Next, a Google search returned links to Tableau's "Hyper API URL https://help.tableau.com/current/api/hyper_api/en-us/index.html

This Tableau website shows MS.NET, C++, Java, and Python programming examples on how to extract the Amazon redshift.hyper SQL files.

To crack open these obfuscated eggs requires pretty good programming skills.

This Tableau "openness" is a beginning, but the Hyper API is very new, and probably a result of complaints by customers for access to their own data stored in Tableau's cloud database (Marketing must have finally caved in).

The Tableau "Extract v2.0 API" is their latest API for using Tableau "Hyper SQL" binary files. The Hyper API toolkit is brand new ("0.0.15305" revision number as of August 19, 2022.)

https://www.tableau.com/support/releases/hyper-api/0.0.15305#esdalt

I hope this helps folks get started to crack open these (unnecessarily) proprietary Tableau files and set your data free!

Rich Lysakowski PhD
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