Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it

Last updated on Sep 27 2021
Dayanand Salve

Table of Contents

Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it

Tableau – Overview

As a leading data visualization tool, Tableau has many desirable and unique features. Its powerful data discovery and exploration application allows you to answer important questions in seconds. You can use Tableau’s drag and drop interface to visualize any data, explore different views, and even combine multiple databases easily. It does not require any complex scripting. Anyone who understands the business problems can address it with a visualization of the relevant data. After analysis, sharing with others is as easy as publishing to Tableau Server.

Tableau Features

Tableau provides solutions for all kinds of industries, departments, and data environments. Following are some unique features which enable Tableau to handle diverse scenarios.

Speed of Analysis − As it does not require high level of programming expertise, any user with access to data can start using it to derive value from the data.

• Self-Reliant − Tableau does not need a complex software setup. The desktop version which is used by most users is easily installed and contains all the features needed to start and complete data analysis.

• Visual Discovery − The user explores and analyzes the data by using visual tools like colors, trend lines, charts, and graphs. There is very little script to be written as nearly everything is done by drag and drop.

• Blend Diverse Data Sets − Tableau allows you to blend different relational, semi structured and raw data sources in real time, without expensive up-front integration costs. The users don’t need to know the details of how data is stored.

• Architecture Agnostic − Tableau works in all kinds of devices where data flows. Hence, the user need not worry about specific hardware or software requirements to use Tableau.

• Real-Time Collaboration − Tableau can filter, sort, and discuss data on the fly and embed a live dashboard in portals like SharePoint site or Salesforce. You can save your view of data and allow colleagues to subscribe to your interactive dashboards so they see the very latest data just by refreshing their web browser.

• Centralized Data − Tableau server provides a centralized location to manage all of the organization’s published data sources. You can delete, change permissions, add tags, and manage schedules in one convenient location. It’s easy to schedule extract refreshes and manage them in the data server. Administrators can centrally define a schedule for extracts on the server for both incremental and full refreshes.

 

Introduction to Tableau Server

Tableau Server is the most secure way to distribute Tableau workbooks. It helps you to embed live interactive dashboards and provide high security to your data. This Tableau Server Tutorial, allows you to have an overview regarding the basics of Tableau Server. Following are the topics covered in this tutorial,

• Tableau Server Components
• Tableau Server Installation
• Activating the Product
• Configuring the Server
• Setting Up Distributed Server
• Adding Users

So, let us get started with this Tableau Server Tutorial

Tableau Server Components

The following are the various server components of Tableau:

• Application Server: This process handles browsing and permissions for Tableau Server Web and mobile interfaces.
• VizQL Server: It sends queries to the data source upon request from clients and returns a result set that is rendered as images. Ultimately, it presents them to the users.
• Data Server: It lets users manage and store Tableau data sources, while also maintaining the metadata from Tableau Desktop.

Moving on with this article on Tableau Server Tutorial

Tableau Server Installation

• Double-click on the installation file.
• Follow the directions on your screen to complete the Setup Wizard.
• Install the application.
• After the installation, click on Next to open the Product Key Manager window

Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it
Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it

Moving on with this article on Tableau Server Tutorial

Activating the Product

After installing Tableau Desktop/Tableau Server, you need to activate your product. Both of them require product keys to activate these products.

Tableau Server requires at least one product key. It should be one that both activates the server and determines the number of license levels which can be assigned to users. Product keys can be accessed from the Tableau Customer Account Center.

Activate and Register

After installing and configuring the server, the product key manager opens up automatically so you can enter your product key and register the product.

• Select the Activate the Product

Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it
Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it

• Paste your server product key into the corresponding text box and click on Activate.

Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it
Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it

• When you are online, it gets over here. But when you’re offline, activation will fail and you are given the option to save a file that you can use for offline activation. Click on Save.

Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it
Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it

Go ahead and select a location for the file and click on Save. The file will be saved as tlq and will contain information about the host the license is to be activated on.

Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it
Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it

Moving on with this article on Tableau Server Tutorial

Configuring the Server

During a Tableau Server installation, the Tableau Server Configuration utility opens where you can set configuration options at this time, before the server starts. The server starts at the end of the installation process.

1. The Tableau Server runs by employing the Network Service account, by default.

Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it
Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it

2. Select whether you want to use Active Directory to authenticate users on the server.

Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it

 

Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it
Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it

Data Connection Configuration

The Data Connection tab is used to configure aspects of cache and initial-SQL-statement usage that applies to complete data connections.

Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it
Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it

The views published to Tableau Server are very interactive and often have a live connection to a database. As users interact with the views in a web browser, the queried data gets stored in a cache. Subsequently, the visits will pull the data from this cache if feasible.

To configure caching

• Select the tab called Data Connections in the Tableau Server Configuration dialogue box.

• Then you can select from one of the following options;

1. Refresh Less Often – Select this option when data is not changing frequently. Data is cached and reused whenever it is available regardless of the time of its addition to the cache. This option minimizes the queries sent to the database and enhances the performance.

2. Balanced – Data is removed from the cache after a specified time. If the data is added to the cache within the specified time range, the cached data will be used, otherwise, new data will be queried from the database.

3. Refresh More Often – The database is queried each time the page is loaded. The data is still cached and will be reused until the page is reloaded by the user. This option will ensure users see the most updated data. However, it may decrease performance.

Setup Tasks

The following few steps are to add an administrator account.

Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it
Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it

So, this brings us to the end of blog. This Tecklearn ‘Overview of Tableau Server and How to install it’ blog helps you with commonly asked questions if you are looking out for a job in Tableau Administration. If you wish to learn Tableau Server and build a career in Business Intelligence domain, then check out our interactive, Tableau Server Administration Training, that comes with 24*7 support to guide you throughout your learning period. Please find the link for course details:

Tableau Server Administration

Tableau Server Administration Training

About the Course

Tecklearn’s Tableau Server training builds all the necessary skills required to work in the Tableau Server domain. It enables you to master the core concepts of Tableau Server 10 through hands-on training sessions. You will be well-versed in the aspects of Server processes, reconfiguration, creation of dashboards, publishing data sources, troubleshooting and database maintenance.

Why Should you take Tableau Server Administration Training?

• The average salary of a Tableau Professional ranges between $108,697 to $158,000 per annum -Indeed.com.
• Tableau has been positioned as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms – Gartner.com.
• Fidelity Investments, Capgemini, EY, Deloitte, EY, JP Morgan, Verizon, Facebook, Dell, General Motors, KPMG, Bank of America and 40,000 other MNCs worldwide across industries use Tableau.

 

What you will Learn in this Course?

Tableau Server Overview

• Understanding Tableau Products
• Understanding day to day responsibilities of Admin
• Desktop-Server overview

Tableau Single Server Installation

• Server components/Processes and Functions
• Before installing server – Technical Specifications & Checklist
• Installation
• Configuring Server Installation options
• Resolutions for Common Installation Issues
• Understanding high-availability

User Experience

• Creating Tableau admin/User credentials
• Understanding Content Navigation, searching and filtering
• Setting Custom Start page per user
• Creating new Site, project, User, and Group
• Mapping Users to Groups
• Server Administrator Vs Site Administrator
• Publishing data Source
• Web authoring:Editing views directly in server
• Modifying Admin Settings
• Customizing Server for Enterprise

Monitoring Tableau Server

• Viewing Server Status
• Built-in admin views
• Licensing information
• Performance Recording

Security

• Security overview

Authentication

• Active Directory or Local authentication and
• Single sign-on options
• Assigning permissions to Projects
• Changing content Ownership

Authorization

• Site roles and Permissions

Data Security

• Row Level Security-Understanding multiple ways of controlling what users can access
• Network Security

Extracts, Schedules and Subscriptions

• Publishing Extracts
• Understanding Backgrounder tasks
• Extract refresh
• Subscriptions
• Revision History: Saving copies of workbooks

Tableau Log File Administration

• Overview and Generating snapshot of Logs

Automating and Programming Server tasks

• Tabcmd: Automate tasks
• Tabadmin: Change Server configuration
• REST API: Manage and change Server resources programmatically
• JavaScript API: Hosting your viz over web

Upgrading Tableau Server

• Understanding When/How to upgrade with different real-time scenarios
• Modifying the Authentication method

Performance Tuning of Tableau Server

Understanding alerts, Monitoring, Tuning and Troubleshooting

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