Tableau is a powerful tool that helps you make sense of data. It's also an extremely scalable product: it can grow with your needs. However, like with any other software, Tableau Server needs to be updated on a regular basis in order to stay on top of any security patches, bug fixes, and new features.
There are a number of reasons why upgrading Tableau server makes sense. You might need to upgrade in order to ensure you're still able to receive security patches, or perhaps you want to take advantage of new features in the latest release. Whatever your reason may be, this blog post will cover some best practices for upgrading Tableau Server. We'll talk about why you should upgrade your server, how to plan out a strategy and schedule for your upgrade process, what steps need to take place during the actual upgrade process, as well as outlining why ongoing upgrades are important.
Why You Should Upgrade
As you grow your business and your needs change, it may become necessary to upgrade from the version of Tableau Server that you started with. Newer versions of Tableau Server may introduce new features and if you want to take advantage of those features, then you need to upgrade your server. Other times, there are bug fixes and performance improvements which could dramatically improve your work experience!
Upgrading can be a significant undertaking because many aspects of the current environment are likely customized or configured specifically for the current version of Tableau Server. In addition, there is no “one-size fits all” approach when upgrading an existing deployment; each situation has unique requirements and considerations. The process can also take time—anywhere from a few hours up to several months depending on how complex the environment is—and resources must be dedicated towards this effort during that period.
Creating a Strategy and Plan
Upgrading your Tableau Server is not a difficult process if done right! It's important to make sure you have a strategy and plan in place before starting the upgrade. The first thing that you need to do when planning your Tableau Server upgrade is figure out what Tableau Server version you are currently running. You will also want to collect information on the hardware specs of the existing server and any other software or applications that are installed on it. This way, when you do make a new Tableau Server machine, you can try to match those specs as closely as possible. Tableau Server is installed on top of an operating system, which means that you will need enough RAM and disk space for both Tableau's requirements in addition to the OS'.
Once you have all this information collected together, it’s time to think about what version of Tableau server you will be making. Tableau Server comes in several different versions depending on the components, security features and support that is required for your organization. You should also think about how Tableau Server fits into your existing IT infrastructure as well as other networked technologies, such as Active Directory or Single Sign-On (SSO) systems. This information will be useful when planning Tableau Server upgrades.
You should also make sure you have backups before upgrading Tableau Server because there's always risk involved when modifying such an important system with lots of data and features. Make sure you test the upgrade on an identical instance beforehand so that when it comes time for the real thing, all will be well.
Completing the Upgrade
When it is time to actually upgrade Tableau Server, one of the first things that you need to do is make sure that your Tableau Server machine or machines are taken offline. This means shutting down all Tableau services on each server and then making a copy of the existing data before you start the upgrade process.
The steps to upgrade Tableau Server from here are relatively simple. You will need to download the appropriate installer from your account, and use it to install the new version on a fresh instance of Windows or Linux server.
When you install Tableau Server, you can license it either online or offline. If your server is connected to a network that allows you to access the internet, you’ll want to license Tableau Server online. On the other hand, you may have security or regulatory requirements that don’t allow your Tableau Server to be exposed to the internet or require you to have a proxy in place. If that’s the case, you will need to do an offline activation (you may also find this blog post useful: How to Stand Up a HIPPA compliant Tableau Server). This essentially requires someone to behave as a manual proxy themselves. It’s easier to license your Tableau Server online, so go that route if you are able to.
Once Tableau Server has been upgraded, you will need to migrate your data from the old Tableau server to the new one. Tableau provides a command line tool for this process that is simple and straightforward to use, but some Tableau versions require additional steps. The Data Migration Tool can be used with any version of Tableau Server, but anything older than Tableau Server 2018.x requires that you use Tableau Prep Conductor to migrate data before the upgrade can be completed or on Tableau Data Extracts (TDE) files created with a version of Tableau Server earlier than 2017.
The Importance of Upgrading Frequently
While it can be hard to keep up with the latest features and bug fixes Tableau releases, if you don't upgrade regularly, your server will become outdated and less useful over time, and may even start slowing down or even crashing unexpectedly. Thankfully when you upgrade to a new version of Tableau Server, all sorts of old bugs are removed from the codebase and they never come back!
We recommend creating a schedule to upgrade your server on a regular basis so that you always have the most current version of Tableau Server available. This way, you'll always be able to get the most out of your server environment!
If you’re interested in learning more about whether it’s time for your organization to upgrade Tableau Server, please feel free to reach out. Our expert resources have been working with Tableau for over 13 years and are happy to assist with your next upgrade or helping you figure out how to navigate your evolving Business Intelligence needs. You may also want to consider automating your upgrades as well as your deployments and backups using our infrastructure management service, Vizstack.