Tableau Community Tips on Asking a Question in the Forums
❓Got a question? Well you have come to the right place!
Our Forums are packed with the best and brightest users and as a Community we are eager to help you out and answer your questions. But before you hit that “Ask Question” button, here are a few tips to greatly increase your chances of getting a response.
1. Start with a Search 🔎
There are tens of thousands of questions in the Tableau Community Forums; there is a good chance you are not the first person to have the problem you are encountering. However we understand with all that information, it is not easy to find exactly what you are looking for. The Search option within the Tableau Community Forums contains all of the Forums, Ideas, Knowledge Base and Product Help sources from Tableau to allow you to filter out what you need and don’t need. Also to further enhance your search, check out some examples on using search operators in our video
2. Share what you have tried so far 💬
Kindly note that Tableau Community Forum Volunteers (Tableau Ambassadors and Data Diplomats) answer the bulk of the Questions. They are much more inclined to help you to find a solution when you share what you have tried so far.
Perhaps you have already spent some time attempting to resolve a Tableau error code. Including details in your question regarding the troubleshooting you have tried or the Knowledge Articles you have referenced will mean that others will not waste time in suggested steps that you’ve already tried.
If your question is in any way related to a Workbook, you are much more likely to get a response if you attach a .twbx workbook (or .tflx for Tableau Prep Flows)
📌 Tip: When attaching a workbook, make sure it is a .twbx file - not a .twb (or if using Tableau Prep make sure it is a .tflx).
Difference between a .twb and a .twbx
🔏 We understand you may not want to share a confidential workbook, so one option is to anonymize it before sharing Alternatively you can use the Superstore data source that comes bundled with every Tableau install. Recreate your question using Superstore and you can share it with anyone!
Screenshots 📸 “A picture is worth a thousand words!”
If your issue is not workbook specific (for example related to Tableau Server errors, data refresh issues etc.), then a screenshot showing what you have done and what is not working is recommended.
3. Give Details and Be Specific 🗒️
Give as much relevant detail as possible when writing your question. Use the “Details” section to add in any additional information that will help. This could include:
- Which Tableau Product you are working with
- What version of Tableau you are using
- What is the desired outcome (sometimes this will be obvious - for example if you are getting a Tableau Desktop error, but for areas such as dashboard design the described outcome should be described)
- If you are working under any restrictions. For example, if you need help with a Calculation that must be done in a certain way, be specific so that fellow Community Forum members don’t direct you towards solutions that won’t work
- The data sources you are working with - Is it a live connection or extract?
- If appropriate, attach an image using the paperclip icon
4. Use Topics
📑 Topics are your friend when asking questions! This allows the Questions to go to places where knowledgeable people in that Topic can see them. Remember you can always add more than one Topic to a question.
For example if you had a question about a Tableau Cloud Subscription you could apply the Topics “Tableau Cloud” and “Exports & Subscriptions” and it will appear in both Topics and increase your chances of getting a response. When you type a Topic in it will suggest a name for you but you can also view all Topics at community.tableau.com/s/topics
5. Got an Answer but have more questions? Make a new Question!
Great to hear you found a solution! Other users will use the answer you found to help them also. This is why we recommend that if you have any follow up questions that you create a brand new Question. This means the comments and discussions under the question are always relevant to the specific question. Feel free to link a previous question into the discussion but avoid having multiple questions within the same discussion thread. It can be difficult for other Users to have to sift through solutions if it is contained within a long discussion.
6. Keep track via your 'My Activity' page
To see your recent activity, and keep track of conversations on the Topic boards you fellow, check out your personalised My Activity page (linked on the top navigation bar of the Forums).