Using 2 Tableau Workbooks to Pull Data

Users of UW-Madison’s Institutional Tableau workbooks may need to utilize more than 1 workbook to achieve all the desired information. This KB article explains how.

How to Use Multiple Tableau Workbooks to Achieve Results

There may be times when users need data from multiple Tableau workbooks to achieve complete results. This can be done by generating a list of identifiers from one workbook and pasting them into the filter of another workbook.

For example, say you need to know the average age of students who received a BS in Botany in the Summer of 2018. The Student Academic Plans IDE can provide this list of students but does not provide their ages. On the other hand, the Student Demographics IDE provides student age data, but you first need to know which students to search on. Used together, these 2 workbooks can give you the information you need.

To use 2 workbooks collectively, follow these instructions:

  1. Generate a list of results from a workbook. In this example, use the Student Academic Plans IDE to pull a list of students that received a BS in Botany in the Summer of 2018.

  2. Follow these steps to export the Crosstab data into Excel. Refer to the KB Article on Exporting Tableau Data into Excel for more detailed instructions.

    1. Click on the chart to activate it.

    2. Click Download.

    3. Click Crosstab.

    4. Click Download again

    5. Open the Excel created by your browser.

  3. In Excel, copy the identifiers to be used in the next workbook. In this example, copy the Campus IDs.

    Copy the Identifiers
  4. Go to the second workbook.

  5. Paste the identifiers into the appropriate filter of the second workbook. In this example, paste the Campus IDs into the filter of the Student Demographics IDE.

    Paste the Identifiers
  6. The pasted identifiers will appear as a list below the filter box.

    Identifiers appear as a list
  7. To remove an identifier, hover and click the X. To remove all and start again, select Clear List.

    Tip for Removing Identifiers
  8. Select any other filters necessary for generating results.

  9. Export the Crosstab data into Excel (see Step 2).

Need More Information?

If you have questions about this document, please contact the Office of Data Management and Analytics Services (ODMAS, https://data.wisc.edu/) at info@data.wisc.edu.