What is the impact of complex calculated fields on Tableau performance?

Complex calculated fields can indeed slow down performance due to the computation they require. When you create a calculated field in Tableau, especially one that involves multiple functions or complex logic, Tableau must perform these calculations each time the data is refreshed or visualized. This can lead to increased processing time as the system has to evaluate the calculation for each row of data, especially if dealing with large datasets.

Additionally, complex calculations may require more memory and processing power, which can further impact the speed at which visualizations render. When dashboards are loaded, the performance can degrade if there are numerous complex calculations being processed simultaneously, ultimately leading to a slower user experience.

Thus, while Tableau is designed to handle calculated fields efficiently, the complexity of these calculations necessitates more computational resources, which can affect overall performance, making the understanding of their impact important when designing dashboards.