On this page, we describe how to replace a data source with a newer version.

Overview

We recommend replacing data source(s) in Tableau using a few steps:

1. Open the workbook with the visualizations that was connected to the “old” data source;

2. Add the “new” data source and run Replace Data Source;

3. Replace references to any fields that may have been lost

4. Check for deprecated fields used in on-the-fly calculations and fix references accordingly

Open the workbook connected to the “old” data source

First, open the workbook where you plan to replace a new data source for the old.

Add the “new” data source and Replace Data Source

Once you have opened this workbook, select New Data Source from the Data menu, click on the icon, or use the keyboard shortcut to add a new data source. Then create your new data source, or add one from a data mart / data store that you have access to:

Open

With the new data source added, right-click on a data source in the pane, or open the Data menu, and then select Replace Data Source… from the menu that pops up (you will need to do this from a sheet rather than a dashboard):

Open

After selecting this value, a new window should pop-up that lets you select which Data Source to replace. Make sure the “old” data source is listed first (as “Current”), and the “new” data source is listed in the “Replacement” drop-down, and click OK.

Replace references to any fields that may have been lost

Sometimes, field names do not match perfectly when we replace data sources. When this happens, you will usually see a red next to the field that is “broken”. In this example, notice that the field Master Dept is broken. This is because in the new data source, we renamed the field as Master Department Description. So, every time we used Master Dept on the old data source, we want to replace it with the new version (Master Department Description). Luckily, Tableau provides an easy way to do this.

To re-point the “broken” field names to the corrected one(s), right-click on the field name (or left-click on the on the right-side of the field name) to open the menu, and select Replace References:

In the window that pops up, select the name of the field from the “new” data source that points to this field name. Notice that the box explains that you will be replacing all references to Master Dept with the field selected (in this case (in this case, it is the Master Department Description field):

This will replace anytime the field Master Dept appeared on the Rows/Columns shelf, as a filter, or in a Calculated field, with the new value Master Department Description. However, this will NOT replace on-the-fly calculations that are built directly onto the Rows/Columns shelf or onto the Marks card (see the next step for how to replace these references).

Check for deprecated fields used in “on-the-fly” calculations

If you have built an on-the-fly calculation directly onto the Row/Columns Shelf or on the Marks card in Tableau, the Replace References technique above will not resolve in these calculations. They will appear as red pills on the shelf / marks card where they are being used:

It is not recommended practice to use these “on-the-fly” calculations - especially if you plan to use the same calculation more than once. However, if you encounter this issue, and you know the correct field to be used, simply double-click on the red pill to open up the text, and then replace the text accordingly. Click Ctrl + Enter to apply the change, or simply hit Enter to complete the calculation.

Alternatively, build a calculated field, and simply drag that field over the red pill to replace it in-place.

Close the Old Data Source

Once you have confirmed that the new data source fulfills your needs, close the old data source.

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