How to Disable the “Cross-Database Joins for Snowflake” Feature in Tableau 2023.1 and Later

Starting from Tableau 2023.1, a new feature automatically includes database information in table relationships to enable cross-database joins for Snowflake.

However, this can cause issues when switching a Snowflake connection from one database (e.g., Database A) to another (e.g., Database B). Even after changing the connection settings and republishing, Tableau may continue retrieving data from the original database (Database A).

To disable this behavior, follow one of the two options below:

Option 1: Tableau Cloud and Tableau Desktop 2023.1+

Steps:

1. Place the TDC File on Your Client PC:

   • Download the attached snowflake.tdc file from this knowledge article.

   • Save it to the following location:

     • Windows:

       C:\Users\<UserName>\Documents\My Tableau Repository\Datasources

     • Mac:

       ~/Documents/My Tableau Repository/Datasources

      

    

2. Create or Update the Datasource:

    

   • Create a new Snowflake datasource (or a workbook with an embedded Snowflake datasource) and save it using Tableau Desktop.

   • Alternatively, open an existing datasource or workbook, and simply save it again — no changes are necessary.

    

3. Publish to Tableau Cloud:

    

   • (For Tableau Cloud users) Publish the saved datasource or workbook to Tableau Cloud.

    

Reference:

See Use the TDC file with Tableau Desktop for more details.

Option 2: Tableau Server 2023.1+

Steps:

1. Place the TDC File on All Tableau Server Nodes:

    

   • Download the attached snowflake.tdc file.

   • Save it to the following location on each Tableau Server node:

      

     • Windows:

       C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\vizqlserver\Datasources

     • Linux:

       /var/opt/tableau/tableau_server/data/tabsvc/vizqlserver/datasources

      

    

2. Restart Tableau Server:

   • Restart the server to apply the changes.

    

Reference:

See Using a .tdc File with Tableau Server for more information.

Important Note:

• The .tdc file customizes the Snowflake connector behavior to prevent Tableau from binding database information to table relations, effectively disabling the new cross-database join functionality for Snowflake.

• Always verify that .tdc file usage aligns with your organization’s security and governance policies.