I tried importing a Tableau .twbx file using the /importBI command in Databricks AI/BI Dashboard

This is Kawabata.

A new feature has been added to Databricks AI/BI Dashboard: the /importBI command, which allows you to import files from external BI tools. This feature reconstructs Tableau workbook/data source files and Power BI template files as AI/BI Dashboards.

https://docs.databricks.com/aws/en/dashboards/manage/import-bi

Previously, migrating BI from Tableau to Databricks often required a lot of manual work to rebuild dashboards, but this feature now enables automatic generation of AI/BI Dashboards based on Tableau .twbx files. I actually tried importing a .twbx file obtained from Tableau Cloud, so I've summarized the steps and results.

Feature Overview

/importBI is a command available in Databricks AI/BI Dashboard's Genie Code (Agent mode). It imports Tableau workbook/data source files and Power BI template files and reconstructs them as AI/BI Dashboard visualizations and Metric Views.

There are two import methods.

• Direct upload: Upload a file directly after executing the /importBI command (up to 100MB)
• Volume reference: Reference a file placed on Unity Catalog Volume (used for files exceeding 100MB, or when you want to manage files in a permission-controlled location)

This time, I'll try the Volume reference method.

Supported Formats

This time I'll verify with a .twbx file. .twbx is the Tableau Packaged Workbook format, a package containing the workbook definition (.twb) along with extracted data and related files. Downloads from Tableau Cloud are often obtained in .twbx format, which is also directly supported by /importBI. It is well suited for scenarios where you migrate and reconstruct existing BI assets while mapping them to tables and views on Unity Catalog prepared on the Databricks side.

Prerequisites

Official Requirements

• Required setting 1: Partner-powered AI features must be enabled at both the account and workspace levels
• Required setting 2: The "Import from External BI to AI/BI" Beta feature must be enabled in the workspace

Verification Prerequisites for This Time

• Databricks workspace: AWS cloud version
• Feature status: Beta as of June 27, 2026
• Data source: Tables corresponding to the data used in the Tableau workbook are already prepared on Unity Catalog
• Tableau: An environment where .twbx files can be downloaded from Tableau Cloud

Preparation

Download the .twbx File from Tableau Cloud

Open a workbook in Tableau Cloud, click the Download button at the top of the screen, and select Tableau Workbook to download the workbook file. In this environment, it was downloaded as a .twbx file. Depending on the environment, permissions, and workbook configuration, the available format may be either .twb or .twbx.

Note that the download formats available in Tableau Cloud depend on permissions granted by the content owner or site administrator. Be sure to check in advance before proceeding.

Upload the .twbx File to Unity Catalog Volume

Upload the downloaded .twbx file to a Unity Catalog Volume in Databricks.

Open Catalog in the Databricks workspace and navigate to the destination Volume (/Volumes/{catalog}/{schema}/{volume}/). Click the Upload to this volume button to upload the .twbx file.

Clicking "Upload to this volume" will pop up the following screen.

After uploading, you're good if the .twbx file appears in the file list.

Make a note of the upload destination path. It will be used in a later step.

/Volumes/{catalog}/{schema}/{volume}/{filename}.twbx

Enabling Beta Features

The following two settings must be enabled to use the /importBI command.

1. Partner-powered AI features

At the account level, log in to the Account Console (https://accounts.cloud.databricks.com), go to Settings → Feature enablement tab, and enable "Enable partner-powered AI features".

At the workspace level, from the username menu in the upper right of the workspace, go to Settings → Advanced tab under Workspace admin, and confirm that Partner-powered AI features is enabled.

https://docs.databricks.com/aws/en/databricks-ai/partner-powered

2. Import from External BI to AI/BI (Beta feature)

From the username menu in the upper right of the workspace, open Previews and enable "Import from External BI to AI/BI".

https://docs.databricks.com/aws/en/admin/workspace-settings/manage-previews

There's no problem if both settings are enabled.

Let's Try It

Execute the /importBI Command in AI/BI Dashboard

Create a new AI/BI Dashboard. If using an existing dashboard, open it in draft mode.

Click the Genie Code icon in the upper right of the screen.
Type /importBI in the chat field. Then specify the Volume path you noted in the preparation steps with @ prefix.

/importBI
@/Volumes/{catalog}/{schema}/{volume}/{filename}.twbx

When executed, the import process begins. {Note the approximate processing time during verification}

You're good once the import is complete and visualizations are generated on the dashboard.

Review the Import Results

Review the content of the generated dashboard.
Compare it with the original Tableau dashboard to verify that the key visualizations have been reproduced.

Since the details seemed incomplete, I attached a screenshot and made a request to Genie Code.

It got much closer to the original dashboard.

By checking the details and configuring the settings from here, it seems like we'll be able to fulfill the purpose of the dashboard we had been looking at before.

Closing Thoughts

I confirmed that using the /importBI command in Databricks AI/BI Dashboard, it is possible to import a Tableau .twbx file and reconstruct it as an AI/BI Dashboard.

In situations where you want to migrate existing Tableau assets to Databricks, I think it's worth trying as a first step in your evaluation.

I hope this article is helpful in some way!