A Hyper extract in Tableau is a snapshot of data created and optimized using Tableau's advanced data engine technology called Hyper.
Understanding Hyper Extracts
At its core, a Hyper extract leverages the Hyper engine, which is Tableau's in-memory Data Engine technology optimized for fast data ingest and analytical query processing on large or complex data sets. Before Hyper, Tableau used a different data engine and extract format (.tde). The introduction of Hyper significantly changed how extracts function and perform.
Beginning in Tableau 10.5, new extracts use the .hyper file format. This file format is specifically designed to work with the Hyper engine, replacing the older .tde format for newly created extracts. Existing .tde extracts can typically be upgraded to the .hyper format.
How Hyper Enhances Extracts
The Hyper engine brings several advantages to Tableau extracts:
- Faster Data Ingestion: Importing data into an extract is significantly quicker, allowing users to prepare data for analysis more rapidly, especially with large datasets.
- Accelerated Query Performance: Analyzing data within a Hyper extract is much faster. This means dashboards and visualizations connected to .hyper extracts will load and respond more quickly, even when dealing with complex calculations or querying vast amounts of data.
- Support for Larger Data Volumes: Hyper is built to handle larger datasets efficiently compared to the previous engine, making it more feasible to extract and analyze massive amounts of data within Tableau.
- Improved Stability: The Hyper engine offers enhanced stability when working with data operations.
In summary, a Hyper extract is a data file in the .hyper format, powered by Tableau's high-performance Hyper engine, designed to provide superior speed and efficiency for data preparation and analysis, particularly with large or intricate datasets.
