All that (Server) Jazz

# T C 1 8

David Pires

Consultant

InterWorks / Tableau Ambassador

Traditional BI

CONSTRAINTS• Replicating same issues as in other tools

• Too much/wrong governance

• Restriction burdens creators

Modern BI

• Not wild west

• Give your business a voice

• Guide not Limit

(JAZZ) STANDARDS

GUIDE NOT LIMIT

The Tableau PlatformData Sources

File-based

Tableau data files

Server-based

Web data

Cloud-based

Product & Platform

Product & Platform

The Tableau Platform

Tableau Online• Hosted version of

Server• Sync with on-premise

data

Tableau Public• Free, public instance of

Tableau Online• Access using a web

browser

Tableau Reader• Free desktop application• Offline• Interact with packaged

workbooks (.twbx)

Tableau Mobile

Free mobile app on iPhone, iPad,

Android, or mobile browser

Tableau Server• Online• Secure • Create/Save/Publish

Share/StoreData Sources

File-based

Tableau data files

Server-based

Web data

Cloud-based

Tableau Desktop

• Create/Author• Ad hoc analysis• Save/Publish

VisualizePrepare

Tableau Prep

• Combine Data• Shape/clean• Save/Publish

Where?

CloudOn premise

Tableau Server Releases

Latest Features

Certified Data Sources

Understanding Your Server

GatewayApplication

Server

File StoreRepository

Cache Server

Data Server

Backgrounder

Data Engine

Cluster Controller

Search & Browse

VizQLServer Licensing

Server Processes

Operational

Storage

Backend

GatewayApplication Server

File StoreRepository

Cache Server

Data Server

Backgrounder

Data Engine

Cluster Controller

Search & Browse

VizQLServer Licensing

Application Server

• Creates your lovely server

web page.

• Makes Rest API calls and

allows you to search.

You can have one per node

GatewayApplication

Server

File StoreRepository

Cache Server

Data Server

Backgrounder

Data Engine

Cluster Controller

Search & Browse

VizQLServer Licensing

• Web Server

• Handles all requests to

Tableau Server

If you are planning on having a

clustered environment you’ll need a

load balancer

Gateway

GatewayApplication

Server

File StoreRepository

Cache Server

Data Server

Backgrounder

Data Engine

Cluster Controller

Search & Browse

VizQLServer Licensing

• Stores queries to speed up

the time it takes for a view

to load

• Configurable

• Add more if you have many

users (same as

VizQL/Backgrounders)

Cache Server

TIP use cache warming on those super important views

GatewayApplication

Server

File StoreRepository

Cache Server

Data Server

Backgrounder

Data Engine

Cluster Controller

Search & Browse

VizQLServer Licensing

Data Server

• Manages connections to

Tableau Server data

sources

• Every time someone uses a

published data source, Data

Server is being used

• Add more if your

deployment uses many

published data sources

Search & Browse

• Powers your searches on

Tableau Server

• Filter in the ApplicationGateway

Application Server

File StoreRepository

Cache Server

Data Server

Backgrounder

Data Engine

Cluster Controller

Search & Browse

VizQLServer Licensing

TIP do not rebuild unless absolutely necessary

Data Engine

• Creates data extracts

• Before 10.5 you could

choose whether to install

GatewayApplication

Server

File StoreRepository

Cache Server

Data Server

Backgrounder

Data Engine

Cluster Controller

Search & Browse

VizQLServer Licensing

Installed automatically by:

• File Store

• VizQL

• App Server

• Data Server

• Backgrounder

Repository

• PostgreSQL DB

• Stores account details

(passwords on local

authentication)

• Stores workbook and user

metadata

• Historical tables = 183 days

• Background tasks = 30 days

GatewayApplication

Server

File StoreRepository

Cache Server

Data Server

Backgrounder

Data Engine

Cluster Controller

Search & Browse

VizQLServer Licensing

TIP Tableau Server is chatty, please use extracts when

querying Tableau Repository

GatewayApplication

Server

File StoreRepository

Cache Server

Data Server

Backgrounder

Data Engine

Cluster Controller

Search & Browse

VizQLServer Licensing

File Store

• Used to replicate extracts

across data engine nodes

• Decommission needed if

wanting to move/remove

GatewayApplication

Server

File StoreRepository

Cache Server Data Server

Backgrounder

Data Engine

Cluster Controller

Search & Browse

VizQLServer Licensing

VizQL Server

• Generates views

• Runs queries

• Add more if you have a large

number of users

GatewayApplication

Server

File StoreRepository

Cache Server

Data Server

Backgrounder

Data Engine

Cluster Controller

Search & Browse

VizQLServer Licensing

Licensing

• Process handling licensing

• Not configurable

• Automatically installed on the

initial node

• Can be moved

GatewayApplication

Server

File StoreRepository

Cache Server

Data Server

Backgrounder

Data Engine

Cluster Controller

Search & Browse

VizQLServer Licensing

Backgrounder

• Backend work-horse

• Tasks

• Extract refresh

• Subscriptions

• Data Driven Alerts

• Data Source

Recommendations

• Add more if you have many

extracts or subscriptions

GatewayApplication Server

File StoreRepositor

y

Cache Server

Data Server

Backgrounder

Data Engine

Cluster Controller

Search & Browse

VizQLServer Licensing

Cluster Controller

• Eagle eye monitoring• Keeps an eye on failures as

well as the various components

RIP tabadmin

Hello TSM

TSMTableau Services Manager

• Configure on the browser

TSMTableau Services Manager

• Configure on the browser

TSMTableau Services Manager

• Some processes can be

changed without restart

• VizQL

• Backgrounder

Scaling?

Scale UP

Scale UpSingle Machine

• Change configuration

• Backgrounder

• VizQL

• Cache

• Add memory

• Add CPU

Scale Outadd nodes(machines)

Node I

Backgrounders

Node III

VizQL

Node II

• Redundancy available during hardware failures

• Additional resources for peak times

• Distributed resources

Handy tools

Performance

Performance Recorder

Admin Views

LumberSnake

Scout

Monitoring

Admin Views

Repository

Data Driven Alerts

TabMon

LogShark

Scalability

TSM

TabJolt

Replayer

Maintenance

TabMigrate

TabCompare

Rest API

Performance

Performance Recorder

Performance

Performance Recorder

Admin Views

Performance

Performance Recorder

Admin Views

LumberSnake

Performance

Performance Recorder

Admin Views

LumberSnake

Scout

Monitoring

Admin Views

Monitoring

Admin Views

Repository

Monitoring

Admin Views

Repository

Data Driven Alerts

Monitoring

Admin Views

Repository

Data Driven Alerts

TabMon

Monitoring

Admin Views

Repository

Data Driven Alerts

TabMon

LogShark

Scalability

TSM

Scalability

TSM

TabJolt

Scalability

TSM

TabJolt

Replayer

Maintenance

TabMigrate

Maintenance

TabMigrate

TabCompare

Maintenance

TabMigrate

TabCompare

Rest API

Performance

Performance Recorder

Admin Views

LumberSnake

Scout

Monitoring

Admin Views

Repository

Data Driven Alerts

TabMon

LogShark

Scalability

TSM

TabJolt

Replayer

Maintenance

TabMigrate

TabCompare

Rest API

Tableau Server

Subscription

(2017)

Core Named User

Named User

• No distinction between users low-frequency vs power

users

• Low cost at low numbers but expansion was slow due

to High-Per-User-Cost

Core

• Disincentivized performance-heavy activity

• Web Edit

• Large Extracts

• Ad-hoc analysis (Self-Service)

Subscription

Creator

• All the things

Explorer

• Web Authoring

Viewer

• Report Consumer

Enable Self Service

The Tableau licensing and role changes create the possibility for implementations that are larger and more-complete than what’s previously been possible.

Myths• Tableau Server is too difficult to understand

• Tableau Server is difficult to manage

• Web Edit lacks features

Final Thoughts

david.pires@interworks.co.uk@davidmpires