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

 

Tableau server has a built-in All Users group in each site.  It consists of all users as it is named. It can be useful when you need to share content to all users. However we found that All Users group is a really bad feature for large enterprise server  – it is too easy for content owners to mistakenly grant permissions to All Users group unintentionly since it always shows at the top of user & group list when grant permissions.  The impact can be huge when a sensitive dashboard is shared mistakenly to All Users.

How to fix this problem?  I tried many things and what works is automatically removing any permissions granted to All Users group. Before I share more how to do this, let’s explain what other options I explored and why did not work:

• Can you delete All Users group? Server admin can’t delete it from server UI but I found a way to delete it from Postgre database directly (you will need R/W user/password). The problem is that every user lost his or her permissions after All Users group is deleted. It appears to me that Tableau uses All Users for internal permission process.
• Can you rename All Users group? Server admin can’t  All Users group either  from server UI but again you can rename it from Postgre database directly (you will need R/W user/password) to something like ZZ_All Users group. Unfortunately it still shows on the top even after it is renamed to ZZ_All Users.

How to make sure nobody uses All Users group? Unfortunately I can’t find any other option but delete any possible ‘wrong’ permissions after the fact. It actually works well.

How t query All User group permissions?  Pls see the key joins of Postgre.  Then set filter out = All Users

 

 

 

You need to join Next_gen_permissions with  identities Custom SQL (select ‘User’ as Type, users.id as id, system_users.name as name
from users
join system_users on users.system_user_id=system_users.id
UNION
select ‘Group’ as Type, id, name from groups)

The objects is another custom SQL (select ‘Workbook’ as Type,id,name,site_id from workbooks
UNION
select ‘View’ as Type,id,name,site_id from views
UNION
select ‘Project’ as Type,id,name,site_id from projects)

You can find the workbook @ Unused groups share.twb

You can you Python or Java or whatever your prefered script tool. Run it daily would be good enough.

BTW, this is NOT a Tableau Supported approach, you are on your own risk.