Moving your business intelligence operations to the cloud offers a plethora of benefits – scalability, increased accessibility, and enhanced collaboration, to name a few.
But migrating from Tableau Server to Tableau Cloud can seem like a daunting task.
However, with careful planning and a well-defined approach, you can streamline the process and ensure a smooth transition.
In this blog post, we will outline the seven essential components for your move and offer detailed, step-by-step instructions for each one.
7 Key Assets Needed for Migration From Tableau Server to Cloud
Migrating the contents from Tableau Server to Tableau Cloud involves transferring seven key content types –
![Assets_Needed_for_Migration_From_Tableau_Server_to_Cloud](https://www.grazitti.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/blog-1-1-3.jpg)
- Users
- Groups
- Schedules
- Data sources
- Dashboards
- Subscriptions
- Alerts
While data sources and dashboards need to be downloaded and uploaded, other elements must be manually created in Tableau Cloud.
Users:
Write down all users in an Excel (.csv) format and upload them to Tableau Cloud along with their roles.
Columns required for uploading users:
- User Name: Must match an Active Directory user if configured.
- Password: Not used if configured with Active Directory.
- Display Name: Identifies a user on the server.
- License Level: Creator, Explorer, Viewer, or Unlicensed.
- Administrator Level: System, Site, or None.
Groups:
Capture screenshots of all groups, then create individual groups in Tableau Cloud.
Steps for creating a group:
- In Tableau Online, select Groups.
- Click on Add Group and select Local Name.
- Enter Group name and optionally grant a minimum role.
- Click on the new group and select Add Users.
- Add new users to the group.
Schedules:
Capture screenshots of all schedules and recreate them in Tableau Cloud.
Steps for creating a schedule:
- In Tableau Online, select Schedule.
- Click on the new schedule, enter name, type (extract refresh, subscription, flow), priority, execution, and frequency.
Data Sources:
Publish data sources to Tableau Cloud from local instances of .twbx files.
Steps to publish a data source to Tableau Cloud:
- Open Tableau Desktop file.
- Click on Server and sign in to Tableau Cloud.
- Click on Publish Data Source.
- Select project, name, add tags, refresh schedule, set permissions, and authentication.
- Click on Publish.
Dashboards:
Download dashboards from Tableau Server, reconnect to data sources in Tableau Cloud, and publish.
Steps to download dashboards and change data source –
- Click on the dashboard action and select Download.
- Open the dashboard and sign in to Tableau Cloud.
- Select the new data source.
- Replace the old data source with the new one.
- Remove the previous data source.
Steps to publish dashboards:
- Click on Server and select Publish Workbook.
- Select project, name, sheets, permissions, and more options.
- Click on Publish.
Subscriptions:
Capture screenshots of all subscriptions in each dashboard, then recreate them in Tableau Cloud.
Steps to create a subscription:
- Open the dashboard on Tableau Online.
- Click on the watch icon and open Subscription.
- Set users, include toggle, format, subject, frequency, and schedule.
Alerts:
Capture screenshots of all alerts in each dashboard, then recreate them in Tableau Cloud.
Steps to set up alerts:
- Create a new workbook with the necessary data source.
- Click on the watch icon, select alerts, and click create.
- Specify condition, threshold, subject, frequency, and recipients.
Conclusion
Migrating your Tableau Server assets to Tableau Cloud is a detailed process, but with careful planning and execution, it can be seamless and efficient.
By following the steps outlined for each of the seven key assets—users, groups, schedules, data sources, dashboards, subscriptions, and alerts—you can ensure that your transition to Tableau Cloud is smooth and that your data environment remains robust and effective.
Embrace the benefits of Tableau Cloud and continue to drive informed decision-making and business growth with powerful, cloud-based analytics.