Tableau is a self-service tool and is different from our traditional Business Intelligence services. There are no reports, dashboards or datasets readily available for you to use, like Business Objects that you get from EDDIE. For Tableau, you need to have Tableau Desktop tool (Tableau Desktop is the only gateway for Tableau server to publish content) to build content on your own, while connecting to your own data access (i.e. Banner, EDW, or any other databases, server log files, or excel files that you have access).  

Tableau Desktop is an independent tool that has an interface to connect different supported databases, files, and servers (Oracle, SQL, MSSQL, Clouds dB, Google analytics, Amazon server, Excel, Text file, etc.) and required knowledge and training for development. Clients around the campuses connect to their own datasets and create dashboards, reports, datasets which they publish on Tableau server. If you have a “how to” question, you can find additional assistance from visiting tableau.com or by visiting Tableau community pages. You can also contact Tableau at support@tableau.com for developing content related questions. Tableau Desktop licenses have to be purchased directly from Tableau.

AITS only supports the Tableau server. Clients can use our Tableau enterprise server infrastructure to publish and share content. Once you’ve created content and are ready to share with your team or audience, you need to request Tableau server project access to publish on the server. Upon publishing your project content on the server, your team members/audience can access via the web browser (License is not required to view or customize a view on the web.)

The benefits of Tableau enterprise service include:

1. Connecting to your data from Tableau Desktop tool to build reports, dashboards, datasets, etc. on your own.
2. Managing your security, determining who should have access (via Active Directory (AD) groups. AD group name(s) are needed to set the permission of the publisher or viewer group.)
3. Having access to the Enterprise Server, where your content is available anywhere, anytime at no cost to you.

For additional University of Illinois Tableau service questions, please visit Tableau FAQs at https://answers.uillinois.edu/search.php?q=tableau or https://web.uillinois.edu/tableau or contact AITS Service Desk via email servicedeskaits@uillinois.edu or phone (217) 333-3102 (Urbana/Champaign, Springfield), or (312) 996-4806 (Chicago).