Introduction to Tableau Server

Tableau Server is one of the famous and centralized storage where you can bring all your related documents at a single central point which will safeguard your data and provide you the best outcome.

In this article, we will learn how to install Tableau Server. Tableau is a very famous tool nowadays and it has two kinds of methods to deal with the data.

Tableau Desktop
Tableau Server

What is the Use of Tableau Server?

Let us find out why Tableau Server came into the picture when we have already Tableau Desktop. Tableau Desktop is along with us because of the following reasons:

If you have a huge attachment of documents.
Where’s is the data source?
Where are the SharePoint files are?
Have you forwarded the sensitive workbook data to someone now it will go to create some problem?
If you want this on a mobile device.
Why is this so slow?
Which version are we using?
Which email was that attached to?

When do we need to bring Tableau Server?

When you have high growth, an uncontrolled environment and you want more security, collaboration, governance, and performance.
If you want to rule in the number of data sources being used along with the rapid increase of dashboards and workbooks, each with its own metadata layers, extracts, and copies.

How is Tableau Server different from Tableau Desktop?

Below the points explain the differences between Tableau Server and Desktop:

Security
Web Authoring Environment
Performance
Cost
Scale Tableau to the enterprise means you can scale the Tableau Server as per your requirement (Scalability)
Add self-service Capabilities
Centrally Manage Collaboration
Centralized Data Sources
One more advantage of the tableau server is you can install the Tableau Desktop on your Tableau Server and publish your data.

Technical Specification

Below are the technical specifications:

1. Minimum Hardware Requirements

Small Deployments<25 concurrent users
CPUà2 core-64 bit
RAMà8 GB
Free Disk Spaceà40 GB

2. Recommended Hardware Requirements

Medium Deployments<100 concurrent users
CPUà8 core-64 bit
RAMà32 GB
Free Disk Spaceà100 GB – 500 GB

Note: Free Disk Space is calculated after the Tableau Server Setup program is unzipped. The setup program uses about 1 GB of space. Concurrent user means how many users can access a server at a time.

How to Install the Tableau Server?

Let us know, What you should take care of before you install the tableau server:

Checklists

License based on users or cores.
Hardware Specification.
Authenticate (Active Directory as in domain means it takes the same credentials for sign in the Tableau Server if you have access or using local authentication in that we have to create different credentials for different users)

Before Install (Awareness)

Right Version of Tableau Server.
Get a product key.
Do you have Admin Permissions?
Installing on a “clean” computer i.e. Performance and Security.

Installation Part

Run Server Setup: First install the tableau server by selecting the run as administrator and after installation, you have to select the destination where you actually want your Tableau Server and if you want to change the path you can just click on the browse but it is always advisable to keep the default path. And always make a note of the path for your future point of view to change the version with the latest one.
The default installation path is C: \Program Files\Tableau\Tableau Server. You can choose a different location, including a different drive, either by browsing or typing in a new path.
For Upgrading and Migration: When you upgrade a Tableau Server that’s been installed to a non-default location, you need to navigate to that non-default path during the upgrade.
And then it will also show the free disk space also and then click on install and it will take 2-3 minutes.
Activate Server
Configure Server
Create Admin User: Provide the proper E-mail Id and Password for the authenticate one.

Steps to Install Tableau Server

Below are the following steps to install tableau server:

Step 1: First you need to search in Google i.e. Download Tableau Server for free.

Step 2: Second you have to click on the first link i.e. https://www.tableau.com/support/releases/server

Step 3: Now you will get the below screen after clicking on the above link and you have to click on the first link i.e. Tableau Server | Tableau Software.

Step 4: Now after clicking on the above link you will get the screen like this:

Step 5: Then after that on the top of the right-hand side, you will see the “Try Now” button with this you can able to download the Tableau Server.

Step 6: After Clicking the “Try Now” button you can get the screen like this as shown below and click on the download for the trail after providing your protected and verified E-mail id.

Step 7: After that, you can able to download the tableau server for free and after completion of a particular download and it will take almost 2-3 mins for downloading the software. You can find the downloaded file at the download section and then you can Authenticate (Active Directory as in domain means it takes the same credentials for sign in the Tableau Server if you have access or using local authentication in that we have to create different credentials for different users). Here have shown you have to get it in run as administration, Simply right-click on the software and click on the first option i.e. Run as administrator.

Step 8: Then you will get the below screen where you have to click on the “RUN” button.

Step 9: Lastly, you will get the screen where you have to accept certain terms and conditions for betterment purposes and click on “Install” and there you go.

Hierarchy of the Admin

Server
Multiple sites – Client-Specific or Project Specific Users – Sub Server – Subset of Server
Multiple Projects
Subprojects
Workbooks
Views – Sheets or Dashboards
Data Sources

Job Role of the Admin

Add users.
Create/Manage Groups, Workbooks and Projects, Database Views, Data Sources, and Data Connections.
Add/Edit Sites and corresponding administration rights.
Create/Modify/Manage server task schedules.
Monitor server activity/usage statistics to identify possible performance issues/enhancements.
Run cleanup and create backups of the database.
Upgrade server software.
Work with program manager as necessary regarding issues such as server downtime, versioning.
Provide Tableau support to users.

Conclusion

From all this we have concluded that Tableau Server is well known for its Storage capacity and security, in short, we can access, modify, load, view and create ‘N’ number of data at only on a single centralized server i.e. nothing but the Tableau Server and it has its own authentication criteria where we need the proper user E-mail id along with the password to get the properly authorized user so no one can access the server without their own credentials. If you want your document should be a proper place you should switch to Tableau Server instead of Tableau Desktop and if you are really found of Tableau Desktop so you can also install your Tableau Desktop on Tableau Server with the full protection and that will give safeguard to your documents.