Optimizing Images in Tableau

Learn how to optimize images or Tableau Desktop is slower. Optimize images in Tableau Desktop before publishing to Tableau Server dude. 

This blog will help you make your dashboard not so damn slow! And if you need tableau help austin, we are here to help.

Optimizing Images in Tableau Desktop is the true path to split second reporting and dashboards will load fast.

I just recently optimized 2.9k images for a local store e-commerce website. In an attempt to migrate and increase ranking.

We are transitioning from files that are 500kb to 1mb – down to sizes of <60kb. Our client is about to dominate their competition with this kind of onsite SEO. Optimizing in Tableau Desktop should be no different than a web page if end user happiness is key.

Split second is the goal and just because Tableau Dashboards you publish to Tableau Server are not going to carry a Google Ranking, you should still take care of it like an SEO Expert.

Learning Tableau desktop and Need to speed up your workbook?

Speeding up your workbook requires compressed images and optimized calculations.

So, ding ding, at the sound of the bell, let’s see who can optimize their photo the fastest!

Not familiar with Tableau Desktop – Learn about Tableau here!

Learn about what we do and where you can be a tableau consultant.

Our Tableau Consulting team understands how important split second speed is with large vendors and small! Everyone wants split second speeds.

Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server will perform slower if you have large files that need to load.

Speed up your workbook with Tableau Desktop

We consider workbooks like a website. We optimize every image to ensure the burden time is instant because our clients demand split-second response time – it’s 2017 for Chuck’s sake.

Optimize images in Tableau is like boxing if you need to clean up a lot of pictures or images. Just stick and move!

At Dev3 we also like to speed up work – with things like automating coordinates. Any speedup will do, and getting coordinates is a huge piece of Tableau mapping.

Optimize Images in Tableau and Help End Users

You heard me! How many workbooks do you think exists with un-optimized images today? That would be a fun project to scrape Tableau public, unzip each extract, open image folder, and check to see if the file size is >30kb.

That would be a fun project to scrape Tableau public, unzip each extract, open image folder, and check to see if the file size is >30kb.

We could aggregate what consultancies have the least optimized workbooks rather quickly.

These are micro wins, and Tableau desktop and server can handle your content without the extra work here. Optimizing images in tableau desktop is for customers who care about every aspect of speed, which is the majority of our current and previous work.

How does Dev3lop optimize images?

Dev3lop has been actively designing and optimizing images for 13 years. We thrive on being the absolute best from end to end.

Pressing 4 buttons in photoshop you gain access to optimizing any image.

Photoshop is a great solution and there even compression apps on your phone that are 100% free.

Others don’t know how to optimize images.

Our thought process is, we’ve seen a lot of solutions and companies who have paid Shadow IT teams to build content for them.

Now that content doesn’t work because data increased or requirements changed. Sure they made an awesome dashboard.

That content stops working because no one knows how to optimize calculations and the product consultant is long gone!

This content is not the best, and that’s where this blog comes in to solve your problem!

Are you a consultant and have made hundreds of workbooks without optimizing images?

We use Photoshop, click the image to see a larger picture. Our client here has images around 500kb; we optimized it to 13kb.

If you’re going to to be a consultant for years, at least learn the basics. This message is for you!

We need to work together to add more value to our client’s solutions!

Photoshop is very affordable, and although your right manager will stop you from getting it because it comes out of their budget and they have no clue what it does.

Let me tell you right now.. it’s mandatory. Almost as necessary as having a MacBook Pro in consulting.

Before we continue, here’s a few blogs that may interest you!

Four best practices or steps to optimize images in TableauDesktop.

Optimize Images in Tableau Desktop – Like Rocky!

1. Do away with massive quality pictures, and optimize the image
2. Drop the ratio size if it’s massive, or your file will not be optimized
3. If you can’t tune it beyond 30kb – we prefer to find a better image – hero’s we look to stay under 100k.
   • Heroes are the big header image want to keep those from being pixelated, and people are more relaxed for those from a file size perspective.
   • Even little pictures need to scale down – we use photoshop!
4. A resized image is an unoptimized image

Optimizing Images Steps Explained

Optimize your image in Tableau with a color palette in mind! We use color palettes across every client engagement making awesome dashboards.

#1 Drop big quality pictures. They have free apps on the phone that optimize and compress image file sizes instantly or hire someone that uses photoshop for a living.

#2 If the file is bigger resolution than the dashboard, you’re asking your software to resize it for you, this is unnecessary – bring the file in at the appropriate canvas size.

#3 We may be biased here, but we do have a standard for production released content – we always peel back significant file sizes to avoid perpetually slow workbooks. Shaving off 1-second thousands of times a day is a big number.

#4 If you are resizing the image in Tableau Desktop, you should bring it in at that size to increase the speed of the workbook.

Your average enterprise website is <3mb per page. They never release images on their website before optimizing the file size. We prefer doing POC’s with whatever size and start optimizing the image in tableau desktop after everyone signs off on this being the right direction.

Just in case we want to swap pictures – we won’t lose a lot of work! Optimizing Images is Extremely Important, so put your gloves on!

Optimizing Images is Extremely Important, so put your gloves on!

Go forth and optimize images for Tableau desktop like Rocky!

Didn’t expect another boxing joke! Come on!

Projects are like boxing, stick and move, stick and move.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask Rocky for some tips along the way.

He had a coach; the coach gave him intense criticism, he took that feedback to become a champion, he ran up a staircase and never got a trophy for participating.

Call up that last client – ‘Hey, can I optimize the images across that year long engagement?’

Whenever you’re using any software that needs to load a picture – why make people wait seconds on megabytes of files, especially if you’re working with a master workbook.

Just like with aggregating in SQL, something I’ve trained entire consultancies on ‘how to make the data smaller.’ The same principle applies to images with SEO too.

If you have any Tableau dashboards with an image that you resized – your workbook is not optimized! Oops.

Don’t spaz out though. We are talking tiny fractions of a cent, right? Wrong. Add up 100cents you get 1 dollar.

That’s why a lot of our Website Services customers were struggling; they also did not know of image optimization in web development.

Why are the images not being optimized for Tableau Desktop?

The new generation of consultants may not know any better. 

Optimizing is not on the forefront of product experts mind. Optimizing images in Tableau Desktop will help you in the long run. Do try to nudge your entire team to start making the content as lean as possible.

We use flat icons a lot for dashboards and always keep those files extremely minimal too.

So, with new years, most consultancies are getting less technical because automation of complex steps has increased.

Optimizing images in Tableau Desktop is a quick task to win!

New consultants do not know how to optimize images yet.

Every year we can see a new generation coming up the ranks, and making it into the workforce. Before internet and applications were fast, if you had a big file somewhere, it would take hours to load. Image optimization isn’t relevant until you start optimizing websites and dashboards for pros.

If you were born into the fast internet and fast applications world – you will have no idea about long term scalability or optimizing images to decrease file sizes.

A story of un-optimized images in tableau desktop.

Met a consultant that didn’t enjoy feedback and one of his images was causing a lot of lag.

That would have been useful insights to explain to him because he was taking his customer down multiple months of solving the workbook for performance, and never once considered the image. Whoops.

Knowing how to optimize images in Tableau desktop would have saved his customer a bit of time and money.

Little did he know, I had 10+ years of graphic design under my belt!

And within <1min I could have shown him how to optimize pictures and images for life. There are even free jpeg optimizers online and just a little googling would have saved him.

Instead, this dashboard was shipped off to thousands of customers with a large unoptimized image, and this is practically an everyday occurrence for unskilled consultancies or Shadow IT teams.

This file could have decreased by nearly 90% in file size, and when you multiply that by thousands of customers, you start to realize product experts need more technical training.

How do we miss unoptimized dashboards? 

No matter how fantastic the tableau server install is, how amazing the project folders are structure, none of that matters if the dashboard is ugly and slow! In this case, it was slow, really slow, and the project manager running the project had never once opened the product before.

Tableau Desktop training helps – and leaning on wizards helps more.

Technology is a ‘you know what you know’ field, and that’s why at Dev3lop we aren’t afraid to ask for feedback.

It’s not their fault; it’s manager’s fault.

These types of miscalculations are due to management involved in the hiring process, who also do not know the technology, or how to optimize images.

So, you see how understanding technology through and through makes it easy to see the inexperience. That’s why it’s important always to leave the ego at home when you’re new to the tech world or dated.

Optimizing images isn’t everything, being respectful is wise too!

What I’ve learned from wizardry friends, is that rather than convince you you’re wrong, we let you dig that deep hole, especially if you don’t respect basic technology!

It’s always good to consider experience over titles in corporate situations and to be available to hearing feedback from experienced specialists is essential. With lots of client touches.

Solving problems in more than just one environment – not just years of doing a thing that is out of date.

I would be nowhere without my colleagues in consulting and ability to avoid writer’s block.

They taught me how to respect everyone, not to get intimidated by talented individuals, taught me SQL, how to build databases, how to create data warehouses, and now today I can take that experience and work independently.

Interested in learning how we do that? Read about what a Tableau Consultant truly is.

Dev3lop can optimize your images. Or send you a few app ideas of ones that work for free.

We offer advanced content on the Tableau Community too.

Like; How to write Fast Calculations in Tableau Desktop, How to count wins in Tableau desktop.

We offer fun community challenges. Solutions to many to many using basic SQL.

Some call it a solution to dynamic parameters – which is the most requested product feature!

Also, we spend a good deal of time offering product feedback. We really know the product and love helping the community forum with all kinds of challenging use cases.

Tyler G.

I love whiteboarding and storytelling.

• Dev3lop, LLC
• University of North Texas

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