Tableau Server Certified Associate Exam
Create Performance Recording
"recording_performance=yes" at the end of the URL
Creator License abilities
- All Viewer & Explorer capabilities - Access to Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep - Create and publish new workbooks from a new data source - Edit embedded data sources in the Data pane - Create and publish new data connections - Create new workbooks using Dashboard Starters (Tableau Online only)
Explorer License abilities
- All Viewer capabilities - Full set of collaborator features - Workbook authoring using web browser
Monitor Desktop License Usage
- Enable reporting on TS (Configurations tab > Notifications > Events >Server health monitoring > Send emails for Tableau Server license reporting) - Configure Desktop for reporting (before or after install)
Identity Store Options
- Local identity store - External identity store (AD, LDAP) - SSO can be added (SAML, Kerberos, OpenID, Mutual SSL, Trusted Auth)
Viewer License abilities
- View and interact with Tableau Server and Tableau Online - Access Tableau Mobile - Add comments to workbooks - Download .png and .pdf versions of workbooks - Download workbook summary data - Create subscriptions for themselves - Receive data-driven alerts
Important Ports to open up to a firewall
80 - Gateway 443 - SSL 8850 - TSM 8060 - PostgreSQL 8061 - PostgreSQL backup 8000-9000 - Range of ports reserved by default for dynamic mapping of Tableau processes 27000-27009 - Range of ports used by Tableau Server for License Service. This range must be open on the node running the License Service and accessible from other nodes
TS Installation Steps
1. Install TSM 2. Activate and Register TS 3. Configure Initial Node Settings 4. Add an Administrator Account
Minimum Hardware Recommendations for Single Node Installation (Processor, CPU, RAM, Free disk space)
64-bit, 8 physical cores (16 vCPU) 2 GHz or higher, 64 GB RAM, 500GB-1TB free disk space
Core-Based Licensing
A Core-Based licence metric imposes no constraints on the number of user accounts in TS. Instead, the license specifies the maximum number of computer cores on which you can run TS. You can install TS on a single computer or across multiple computers as a multi-node cluster, as long as the total number of cores in all the computers does not exceed the total number that the license allows.
Cache Server
A query cache distributed and shared across the server cluster. This in-memory cache speeds user experience across many scenarios. VizQL Server, Backgrounder, and Data Server (and Application Server to a lesser extent) make cache requests to the Cache Server on behalf of users and jobs. The cache a single-threaded, so if you need better performance you should run additional instances of Cache Server.
OpenID
A standard authentication protocol that lets users sign into an IpD, such as Google. After they've successfully signed in to their IdP, they are automatically signed into TS.
Gateway
A web server that handles all requests to TS from browsers, Tableau Desktop, and other clients
SAML Service
Acts as a proxy between Tableau Server and teh SAML Identity Providers (IdPs)
Trusted Tickets
Allows you to set up a trusted relationship between TS and one or more web servers. When TS receives requests from a trusted web server, it assumes the web server has already handled the necessary authentication. TS receives the request with a redeemable ticket or token and presents the user with a personalized view which takes into consideration the user's roles and permissions.
SAML
An external identity provider (IdP) authenticates the user's credentials using SAML 2.0 and then sends a security assertion to TS that provides information about the user's identity.
Anti-virus Concerns
Antivirus software that scans directories used by TS can interfere with installation and ongoing use of TS. In some cases, this can result in installation failures, problems starting TS, or impacts on performance
File Store
Automatically replicates extracts across Data Engine nodes
Backup & Restore Tableau Server
Backup - tsm backup AND tsm maintenance backup Restore - tsm maintenance restore
Configure Email Alerts/Subscriptions
Configuration tab > Notifications > Events
Data Engine
Creates data extracts and processes queries
Load Balancer
Distributes requests across gateways. All gateway processes are active, if one gateway becomes unavailable, the load balancer stop sending requests to it
Difference between File, Relational, and Cube data sources
Files are located on a local file storage, while relational data sources are located on a centralized server. Cube data sources are data sources that have been pre-aggregated and hierarchies ahve been established by the cube's creator. This leads to some missing functionality when connecting to a cube data source in Tableau Desktop
Search and Browse
Handles fast search, filter, retrieval, and display of content metadata on the server
TSM License Manager
Handles licensing
TSM Administration Controller
Handles requests to TSM and orchestrates configuration and topology changes and workflow across service processes. The Controller also serves as the REST API endpoint
Kerberos
Kerberos is a three-way authentication protocol that relies on the use of a trusted third party netrowk service called the Key Distribution Center (KDC) to verify th eidentity of computers and provide for secure connections between computers through the exchange of tickets. These tickets provide mutual authentication between computers or services, verifying that one has permission to access the other. With TS in an AD environment, the AD domain controller also serves as the Kerberos KDC and issues Ticket Granting Tickets to the other nodes in the domain. Users authenticated by the KDC do no t have to authenticate further when connecting to TS.
Live vs Extract Data Sources
Live connections are convenient for real-time updates, though they rely heavily on the database for queries. Extracts are a snapshot of the database that are optimized for aggregation and loaded into the system memory to be quickly recalled for visualization.
VizQL Server
Loads and renders views, computes and executes queries
Data Server
Manages connections to Tableau Server data sources
TSM Client File Service
Manages most shared files in a multinode cluster. For example, authentication related certificates, keys, and files (OpenID, mutual SSL, SAML, and Kerberos) and customization files are managed by CFS
TSM Service Manager
Manages services
Supported OS
Microsoft Windows Server 2019, 2016, 2012 R2, 2008 R2 Amazon Linux 2 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7.3+ CentOS 7.3+ Oracle Linux 7.3+ Ubuntu 16.04 LTS & 18.04 LTS on x64 chipsets
TSM Administration Agent
Monitors the Coordination Service for changes to configuration or topology and delivers new configurations for each service or deploys new services and removes old ones
Revision History
On Tableau Server webpage Settings, a Server Admin can set the limit of number of revisions Tableau will hold (default=25)
Enabling Subscriptions
On Tableau Server webpage, sign in as a Server Admin > Settings > Subscriptions
Process Distribution
Over two nodes, can dedicate one node for Backgrounder or Tableau Prep Builder. For 3+ nodes, distribute what tasks the Backgrounder processes run (one node run all, one run only flows, one run all but flows)
Cluster Controller
Responsible for monitoring various components, detecting failures, and running failover when needed.
Tableau Prep Conductor
Runs a flow, checks connection credentials, and sends alerts if a flow fails
Backgrounder
Runs server tasks, including extract refreshes, subscriptions, 'Run Now' tasks, and tasks initiated from tabcmd
Identify SMTP Server
SMTP Configuration is done on the TSM interface or through CLI
Multi-node Hardware requirements
Same as Single Node (64-bit, 8 physical cores (16 vCPU) 2 GHz or higher, 64 GB RAM, 500GB-1TB free disk space) for each node, except in the following scenarios where a node can be configured with 4 physical cores - Dedicated node for Backgrounder - Dedicated node for Tableau Prep Conductor - Move all the licensed process from the initial node to additional nodes
TSM Coordination Service
Serves as a single source of truth
Silent Install
SilentInstaller.py is a community supported Python script used to automate a new install of TS. You can download the script and use it as is or modify it for your specific needs
Working with Log Files
Tableau Server creates log files as a normal part of its activities. You may need to use the server log files when you are troubleshooting issues with Tableau Server or if Tableau Support requests logs from you to help you resolve an issue. You create a zipped log file archive using the "tsm maintenance ziplogs" command
User-Based Licensing
Tableau offers multiple types of user-based term licenses that grant a range of capabilities at various price points, providing flexibility for organizations to pay for the data analysis and visualization capabilities that each type of user in their organization needs. User types = Viewer, Explorer, Creator
REST API
The REST API allows you to manage and change TS resources programmatically
Repository
The main database for TS. It stores workbook and user metadata
Elastic Server
Used by Ask Data to index and cache data
Ask Data
Used by the Ask Data feature
Application Server
VizPortal - handles the web application, REST API calls, and supports browsing and searching
Default number of instances for each TS Process
VizQL Server - 2 instances (# physical cores / 4; 4 maximum) Backgrounder, Cache Server, Data Server - 2 instances All other processes - 1 instance, regardless of hardware
SSL Setup
With mutual SSL, when a client with a valid SSL certificate connects to TS, TS confirms the existence of the client certificate and authenticates the user based on the user name in the client certificate. Configuration tab within TSM interface > User Identity & Access > Authentication Method > Mutual SSL Select User mutual SSL and automatic sign in with client certificates Upload your certificate authority issued certificate
Where to Install Database Drivers?
You must install database drivers for your data sources on the initial node in a TS Cluster. If you install TS on multiple nodes, you must also install drivers on any node that runs the Application Server, Backgrounder, Data Server, or VizQL Server processes
Storage Quotas
tabcmd createsite --storage-quote <value>
Difference between tableau and readonly users for PostgreSQL repository data
tableau user only has access to views readonly user has access to views and tables
Configure Data Cache
tsm data-access caching set -r <value> By default, TS will cache and reuse data for as long as possible, this command will specify how long it will cache data for.
Enable access to the PostgreSQL Repository data
tsm data-access repository-access enable --repository-username readonly --repository-password <PASSWORD>
View Tableau Server Status
tsm status -v TSM interface Tableau Server Status page
Identify Tableau Server version using TSM CLI
tsm version