Modifying Tableau Server Authentication Method

Important: The Tableau Server Administrator Guide strongly advises that the authentication method you initially choose should be considered permanent. However, if you must modify the authentication method, Tableau Server will lose all associations between published views and the people who published those views; and will no longer be able to filter published views by the publishers' names.

Step 1

Log in to the machine on which Tableau Server is installed, using your full administrative rights.

Step 2

Open Command Prompt, and go to:

• On a 32-bit machine: cd "C:\Program Files\Tableau\Tableau Server\[version]\bin"
• On a 64-bit machine: cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\Tableau\Tableau Server\[version]\bin"

Step 3

Type the tabadmin stop command to stop Tableau Services, and then type tabadmin backup {path\file name} command to perform a manual back up of the data in Tableau Server.

Note: Here, "file name" indicates the name you want to assign to your backup file, and "path" indicates the location you want to save the backup file.

Step 4

From the Start menu, go to Control Panel > Programs and Features, click Tableau Server, and then click the Uninstall button.

Step 5

When Tableau Server has been uninstalled, from the Start menu, go to Computer or Windows Explorer, and then type the following in the address bar:

• On a 32-bit machine: C:\Program Files\Tableau\Tableau Server

• On a 64-bit machine: C:\Program Files (x86)\Tableau\Tableau Server and C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server

Note: C:\ProgramData folder is hidden by default.

Step 6

Delete the "Tableau Server" folders.

Step 7

Go to the Tableau Software website, log in to your Customer Center account, and then download Tableau Server.

Step 8

Install Tableau Server. This step will allow you to set a new authentication method.

Important: After installing Tableau Server, a browser window will display and you will be prompted to create a new administrator account. Ignore this, and close the browser window.

Step 9

Open Command Prompt and go to:

• On a 32-bit machine: cd "C:\Program Files\Tableau\Tableau Server\[version]\bin"
• On a 64-bit machine: cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\Tableau\Tableau Server\[version]\bin"

Step 10

Type tabadmin restore {path\file name} --no-config to restore the backup file without inheriting the previous configurations.

Important: After restoring your backup file, a browser window will display and you will be prompted to create a new administrator account again. Ignore this, and close the browser window.

Step 11

Open Command Prompt and go to:

• On a 32-bit machine: cd "C:\Program Files\Tableau\Tableau Server\[version]\bin"
• On a 64-bit machine: cd "C:\Program Files\Tableau (x86)\Tableau Server\[version]\bin"

Step 12

Type tabadmin reset to reset Tableau Server back to a state that requires an administrator account to be set up.

Step 13

Open a browser window, and type http://localhost in the address bar to set up the administrator account for Tableau Server.

Note: If you are using Active Directory authentication, the administrator for the Tableau Server administrator account must be an existing Active Directory user.