Tableau V2018.2 introduced Tableau Server Manager (TSM) that is actually a new Tableau server architecture. Tableau does not change its architecture often at all. I do not remember when Tableau had it last time. TSM comes with many awesome features like support for dynamic topology changes,  no dedicated backup primary, installing new server version while current version is still running. This blog talks about the dynamic topology changes.

The problem statement:  Tableau server licenses are expensive. How to get more out of your existing Core server licenses? Or how to get more efficiency out of your HW infrastructure for subscription model?

Contents: Tableau’s Backgrounder handles extract refresh and VizQL handles viz render. Often VizQL has more idle time during night while Backgrounder has more idle time during day. Is it possible to automatically config more  cores as Backgrounders during the night and more VizQL during the day? The dream becomes true with Tableau TSM.

How? Here is the scripts :

set PATH_BIN=”D:\Tableau\Tableau Server\packages\bin.2019.1.xxx”
set PATH_LOGFILE=”xxxx\topology.log”  ##location of the log###
set DATE_TODAY=%DATE:/=-%
set USERNAME=””
set PASSWORD=””
set BG=”4″
set VIZ=”0″
set NODE=”node2″
cd /d %PATH_BIN%

echo %date% %time%: ##### Topology change started ##### >>%PATH_LOGFILE%

echo %date% %time%: Check current topology >> %PATH_LOGFILE%
call tsm topology list-nodes -v -u %USERNAME% -p %PASSWORD% >> %PATH_LOGFILE%

echo %date% %time%: Changing topology to %BG% backgrounders >> %PATH_LOGFILE%
call tsm topology set-process –count %BG% –node %NODE% –process backgrounder -u %USERNAME% -p %PASSWORD% >> %PATH_LOGFILE%

echo %date% %time%: Changing topology to %VIZ% vizql >> %PATH_LOGFILE%
call tsm topology set-process –count %VIZ% –node %NODE% –process vizqlserver -u %USERNAME% -p %PASSWORD% >> %PATH_LOGFILE%

echo %date% %time%: Listing Pending Changes >> %PATH_LOGFILE%
call tsm pending-changes list >> %PATH_LOGFILE%

echo %date% %time%: Apply Pending Changes >> %PATH_LOGFILE%
call tsm pending-changes apply >> %PATH_LOGFILE%

echo %date% %time%: check changes have been applied >> %PATH_LOGFILE%

call tsm topology list-nodes -v >> %PATH_LOGFILE%

echo %date% %time%: ##### script completed ##### >> %PATH_LOGFILE%
:: Finish

Important Notes :

• It actually works better from V2019.1 onwards.  We found issue with in-fly extract tasks when backgrounder was reduced but issue is fixed in V2019.1.
• How to decide timing to swap the Backgrounder vs VizQL? All depends on your server usage patten that you can find from historic_events table for user clicks and backgrounder_jobs for number of extracts by hour

Pls comment if you have a better scripts or any other questions