Tableau Admin

Why Does This Matter?

The Tableau Server repository is a PostgreSQL database that stores critical information about user interactions, extract refreshes, and overall server performance. Enabling access to this repository empowers you to build custom administrative views and dashboards, which can help you monitor server performance, track user activity, and quickly identify issues. Whether you're optimizing performance or simply gaining deeper insight into your server's operations, accessing this data is a key step toward more informed, data-driven decision-making.

In this guide, you'll learn how to enable external access to the Workgroup database by creating a readonly user with a secure password, ensuring that the necessary network configurations (like port 8060) are in place, and understanding how to connect to the repository using PostgreSQL tools.

1. Prerequisites and Network Configuration

• Tableau Server Installed: Ensure that your latest version of Tableau Server is running.
• Maintenance Window: Enabling repository access requires a server restart, so plan accordingly.
• Network Port: Open port 8060 on the Tableau Server host to allow remote connections.
• TSM Access: Verify that you have administrative rights to execute TSM commands.

2. Enabling Repository Access and Configuring Credentials

To access the Workgroup database externally, you must enable it using TSM and configure the readonly user with a secure password. The readonly account gives you access to additional tables for in-depth analysis, which is ideal for building custom administrative views.

tsm data-access repository-access enable --repository-username readonly --repository-password "YourSecurePassword"

Replace "YourSecurePassword" with a strong password. Tableau Server will restart after executing this command, enabling external access to the Workgroup database.

3. Connecting to the Workgroup PostgreSQL Database

Once access is enabled, you can connect using any PostgreSQL client. Use the following details:

• Server: The hostname or IP address of your Tableau Server.
• Port: 8060
• Database: workgroup
• Username: readonly
• Password: The password you set in Step 2.

For example, using a command-line tool like psql, you can connect with:

psql -h <TableauServerHost> -p 8060 -d workgroup -U readonly

Alternatively, in Tableau Desktop, choose PostgreSQL as the connection type, fill in the details, and enable the “Require SSL” option if needed before clicking Connect.

4. Verifying and Disabling Access

Once connected, you can explore the repository’s tables and views to create custom administrative views. To disable external access at any point, run:

tsm data-access repository-access disable --repository-username readonly

This command turns off remote connections while retaining internal access.

Additional Considerations

Beyond the basics of enabling and connecting to the repository, keep in mind that:

• The repository contains detailed data on user interactions, extract refreshes, and more. This data can be used to monitor performance and create custom dashboards.
• The tableau built-in user has access to tables prefixed with an underscore (e.g., _background_tasks) and hist_ tables, whereas the readonly user provides broader access for in-depth analysis.
• You can verify the PostgreSQL version either by running select version() from the database or by checking the properties of a postgres.exe process on your server.