Big ( 1GB) JSON data handling in Tableau

Question

I am working with a large twitter dataset in the form of a JSON file. When I try to import that into Tableau, there is an error and the upload fails on the account of data upload limit of 128 MB.

Due to which I need to shrink the dataset to bring it to 128MB thereby reducing the effectiveness of the analysis.

What is the best way to upload and handle large JSON data in tableau? Do I need to use an external tool for it? Can we use AWS products to handle the same? Please advise!

Answer 1

From what I can find in unofficial documents online, Tableau does indeed have a 128 MB limit on JSON file size. You have several options.

• Split the JSON files into multiple files and union them in your data source (https://onlinehelp.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/examples_json.html#Union)
• Use a tool to convert the JSON to csv or Excel (Google for JSON to csv converter)
• Load the JSON into a database, such as MySql and use the MySql as the data source

You may want to consider posting in the Ideas section of the Tableau Community pages and add a suggestion for allowing larger JSON files. This will bring it to the attention of the broader Tableau community and product management.