The Right Way to Query Across Data Sources in Tableau (or, The Cross-Database Join Is Not Always Your Friend)

In the article, the author discusses the challenges of using Tableau's cross-database joins for large-scale data queries, highlighting that while the feature allows for cross-database querying, it can be inefficient and costly when dealing with significant data volumes. The author explores an alternative approach using Starburst, a tool designed for federated queries, which significantly improves performance by minimizing data movement and reducing query execution time. Through a practical example involving TPC-H sample data, the author demonstrates how Starburst efficiently handles federated queries by dynamically filtering and joining data from various sources, resulting in faster visualization rendering in Tableau. This approach is presented as a more effective solution for handling large datasets, emphasizing the flexibility and scalability of Starburst, especially with its SaaS offering, Starburst Galaxy, which provides easy deployment and resource management options for users.