Tableau Desktop 9.3 latest features with examples

Desktop installer improvements

To streamline the install experience for Tableau Desktop for Windows, the four most common database drivers are now included as part of the setup process and are automatically installed by default. The following drivers are included:

• MySQL (version 5.3.4)
• Microsoft SQL Server (version 2008 R2)
• PostgreSQL (version 9.3.400)
• Amazon Redshift (version 1.2.1)

Note: Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable is also automatically installed as a prerequisite for MySQL.

To view the list of drivers, or to clear the option to install these drivers, accept the license agreement on the installer page, and then clickCustomize.

You can clear the option to install the drivers in either the user interface or from the command line.

If you want to perform a quiet install for Tableau Desktop 9.3, use the installer (.exe) file. The installer package (.msi) is included as part of the installer file and can no longer be extracted separately.

For more information about how to perform a quiet install of Tableau Desktop, see Performing a Quiet Installation of Tableau desktop or Tableau Reader in the Tableau Knowledge Base.

Stay connected to Tableau Server or Tableau Online

When you connect to Tableau Server or Tableau Online, Tableau Desktop saves each connection from session to session if you don't sign out. Next time you launch Tableau Desktop, you are signed in to your most recent server connection. You can also sign into different servers and easily switch between your available server and site connections.

For more information, see Quick Start: Stay Connected with Automatic Sign-In.

Forecasting improvements

Forecasting in Tableau Desktop has been improved in the following ways:

• You can now forecast values ordered by an integer dimension. Formerly it was only possible to forecast measures that are ordered by time. For more information, see Forecasting When No Date is in the View.
• Automatic selection of the best season length for a forecast has been improved. For more information, see the Seasonality section in How Forecasting Works in Tableau.
• Tableau forecasting will now skip null or missing values when estimating model parameters. However, the nulls remain in the series so the indexes of the values remain the same. For example, for a daily time series that is missing weekend days, the algorithm computes the model, potentially with parameters for a weekly cycle, but without using the missing values. But because the missing values are in the series, the cycle length is still seven days.
  Due to this change:
  • Forecasting now supports irregular time series without zero fill. So no error will result if you do not select Fill in missing values with zeros in the Forecast Options dialog box.
  • The Fill in missing values with zeros option is no longer selected by default in the Forecast Options dialog box.

New data source support for Tableau functions and aggregations

For Tableau 9.3, more functions and aggregations are available for more data sources:

• The PERCENTILE function and aggregation are now available for Cloudera Hive, Hortonworks Hadoop Hive, and EXASolution data sources.
• The MEDIAN function and aggregation are now available for Cloudera Hive, Hortonworks Hadoop Hive, and EXASolution data sources.
• Regular expression functions (beginning with REGEXP_) are now available for HP Vertica, Pivotal Greenplum, and Teradata (version 14.1 and above) data sources. See Additional Functions. In addition, REGEXP_MATCH is now supported for Impala 2.3.0 and higher in Cloudera Hadoop data sources.
• The SPLIT function is now supported for Impala 2.3.0 and higher in Cloudera Hadoop data sources. Split functionality in the Data source pane is also now supported for Impala 2.3.0 and higher in Cloudera Hadoop data sources. See Quick Start: Split a Field into Multiple Fields.

Add color to sheets in sorter view

To make it easier to identify or group worksheets, you can now add color to the sheet tabs in the sheet sorter.

Workbook updates to use published data source

When you publish a data source to Tableau Server or Tableau Online, the workbook you're publishing it from is updated to connect to the published data source. At the same time the local data source is closed. To continue using the local data source, clear the Update workbook to use the published data source check box in the Publish data source to Tableau Server dialog box.

If you click Undo after publishing a data source, Tableau will revert to using the local data source, but it will not "un-publish" the data source.

Tableau does not replace the local data source when you publish a cube (multidimensional) data source.

For more information, see Publish a Data Source.

Union your data

In your Tableau data source, you can now append rows of data from one table to another table thereby creating unions. If columns in the union do not align correctly, you can merge the columns whose names don't match. For more information, see Union Your Data.

Data grid enhancements

From the grid on the Data Source page, you can now do the following:

• See extract data and extract-only calculations, including data from the Web Data Connector
• Review data after applying extract filters and aggregating extracts
• Create groups and bins
• Join on pivot columns
• Join on merged columns
• See sheet and table name information for unioned tables

Zooming improvements for maps

Zooming in map views just got easier. You can now scroll to zoom in and out of a point on a map.

WMS Support for Web Mercator

Tableau now supports WMS servers that use Web Mercator. For more information, see Supported Spatial Reference Systems in the Use WMS Servers topic.

New default tool for maps

When you click and drag in a map view, you can now automatically select marks with the rectangular tool. This is a change in behavior to Tableau Desktop version 9.2, where clicking and dragging in a map view would automatically allow you to pan across the view instead.

View tools remain active

When you select a tool from the view toolbar (the pan tool, zoom area tool, radial tool, rectangular tool, or lasso tool), it remains active until you select to use another tool. The same is true if you use keyboard shortcuts to switch between tools. This is a change in behavior to Tableau Desktop version 9.2, where a tool would revert back to the default after one use.

The last tool you select will be saved with the workbook and available when you reopen it or publish it to the web.

Totals are no longer included in color encoding

Totals are no longer color encoded by default when you add them to the view.

To include totals in color encoding, click Color on the Marks card and then select Edit Colors. In the Edit Colors dialog box, select Include Totals.

Default	Totals included in color encoding

New Snowflake data connector

Use the Snowflake connector to connect to a Snowflake data warehouse. For more information, see Snowflake.

Data preview for Web Data Connectors

When you connect using a Web Data Connector, Tableau now opens on the Data Source page so that you can prepare your data (for example, change data types or hide columns) before you start your analysis.

Kerberos support for PostgreSQL and Teradata

Kerberos support has been added for PostgreSQL and Teradata connections. For more information, see PostgreSQL or Teradata. For information about configuring Tableau Server for Kerberos, see Kerberos in the Tableau Server Help.

OAuth support for Salesforce in Tableau Desktop

You can now use OAuth when you connect to Salesforce in Tableau Desktop. After you provide your Salesforce credentials and allow Tableau access to the data, Salesforce.com creates an OAuth access token that is used to connect to the data. Instead of having to embed your credentials in data sources or workbooks, you can use the access token.

Initial SQL support added to more data sources

Oracle, Pivotal Greenplum, and Microsoft SQL Server now support initial SQL statements.

Initial SQL parameter support

For data source connections that support initial SQL, you can now perform parameter substitution for a set of useful parameters, such as ServerUser and WorkbookName. For more information, see Run Initial SQL.

Why Use a distributor?

Yesterday, a new manufacturer asked me a straightforward

question, “Why should I use a distributor?”  He bore no malice to the world of wholesale distribution, but, as he contemplated the company's future path to the market, he righteously wondered about the whole distributor model.  Clearly, the question demanded an answer.  Fortunately, there are a lot of answers. 

The Old Answers
There are a ton of old-school distributor justifications which are still tossed out.  For instance, I could have gone into the finances of the whole distributor thing.  Distributors pay their bills and most pay them on time.   This can be huge; however, in a world moving toward corporate credit cards and other financial instruments, the credit subject is getting a little worn out.

Local inventory used to be a big deal.  Last week I blogged on the changing role of inventory in a world crowded with next day shipping capabilities.  While I still believe inventory is important, for this manufacturer’s product it was viewed as only marginally interesting. 

Customer Intimacy takes on a Different Meaning

Customer intimacy might be something we can still hang our hats on, if we actually possess a few basic components.  Back in our fathers’ day, customer intimacy meant we knew the people, had personal relationships with them, and they liked us.  Typically, this also meant business flowed our way.  In our environment, customer intimacy translates into knowledge about the customer. 

The following is a short list of points we should know about the customer:

• Specifically, how does the customer make money?  For instance, a few weeks ago we wrote about OEM’s looking to spare parts as a profit center.  If we instead referred to contractors, wouldn’t it be nice to know what kind of projects they found most profitable and understand why?
• What processes does the customer use in their business?  How do materials flow?  What portions of their business are highly automated?  What are the training requirements for workers?
• Are there issues where the customer is in search of new technology to advance the way they provide products?
• Do certain components of the customer’s business create ongoing issues?

Simply stated, we know the inner workings of the customer well enough to provide “targeted opportunities” with a high probability of success.  Distributors should be able to look at a new product and quickly rattle off the best candidates for the manufacturer’s product.  This is something we need to be able to do more efficiently than a telemarketer working a list or script.

Product Expertise provided by the Distributor

Knowledge-based distributors bring product expertise to the customer.  They help select the right product from a confusing catalog.  Solution providing distributors work with their customers to design the customer’s future.  They assist in developing specifications for products which will serve the customer well into the coming five years or more.  These activities multiply the manufacturer’s time.

Think about the value brought to the manufacturer when a distributor does one of the following:

• Gets a product specified for a new application.  The sale continues for years creating opportunities for more sales, repair part MRO sales and many others which bring value to the manufacture for years following the transaction.
• Serves as the first line of product support.  New customers need hand holding.  They have issues reading the user’s manual.  They get stuck midway through the installation.  A good distributor takes care of many of these calls and raises the customer perception of the product.
• Trains customer people on the product.  Stating it once more for the record: For distributors, training is the new marketing.  When distributors train customers on a manufacturer’s product they create a pool of workers ready to apply the product.  With a highly mobile workforce, trained customers move to new organizations and bring along their application knowledge.
   
• Amalgamate products to provide a solution.  Many new manufacturers cover a narrow band of the customer’s need.  In the case of the guy who asked my original question "why should I use a distributor?", I wonder how many customers would even give him an appointment.  His product was cool and neat, but alone it just didn’t solve that big of an issue for most customers.  When a distributor adds his product to a total solution, he wins. 

How do you stack up?

To answer the question about distributors in the channel, we need to think about where we fit into the equation.  If you’re a distributor and all you really do is shuffle paper (as well as phone calls, emails, quotations and requests for support) back to the manufacturer, I can’t really think of many good reasons for you to survive in the future.  If you provide the skills outlined above, I am fairly confident you will be around for the long haul. 

 

I know I missed out on a good many things you may do to create value for your suppliers.  Share them and I will send you a postcard from Iowa.

Inventory on the Shelf vs. Inventory When You Need It

Over the years I have heard some pretty amazing things said about distributor inventories.  Let me share a few of these:

• A peddler can’t sell from an empty wagon and a distributor can’t sell without a full warehouse.
• It’s the distributor’s job to provide local inventory.
• If the distributor doesn’t stock your product and lots of it, you’ll never get its full commitment.
• We want distributors to prove their commitment to our company by placing a large stock order up front.
• The distributor’s stock provides a margin of error for logistics problems at its suppliers.

While all of these probably made sense back in the day, those days are finito, over, dead and gone.  Or at least they are for the knowledge-based distributor.  Astonishingly, I still hear most of these words of wisdom bantered about; mostly by the sales teams of distributor supply partners.  What’s really bizarre is most of these folks never took the time to think seriously about their comments.

Let’s shoot a few holes in these antiquated theories.  First, a peddler selling from an empty wagon story predated Sears and Roebuck setting the retail world on fire by selling from a catalog.  It definitely came years ahead of Amazon Supply where many of the items are shipped directly from somewhere other than an Amazon warehouse. 

The local inventory argument…

The distributor role in local inventory is critical, but things have changed.  Allow me to share a story.  Back in the early days of my Iowa career (1978), I worked for a manufacturer with a plant 217 miles away.  We had a warehouse in Iowa to serve emergency needs.  Why?  Because (and I know this fact will be hard for Millennials to fathom) back in the days before Fed Ex and UPS arrived in Iowa, shipment time from Milwaukee to Davenport, Iowa was 4-5 days. 

The ideal local stock today would be items required for immediate use by the customer.  Pulling an example from the Automation Industry, I can’t even imagine a customer decided during lunch that he needs to start and complete an automation project during the afternoon.  The human time required to engineer and design the system requires days, sometimes weeks to accomplish.  This lag typically provides plenty of time to acquire and receive any parts and pieces needed to finish the job. 

What might be an immediate need for the customer and thus justify inventory?  Common spare parts for emergency breakdowns qualify.  Consumables may be justified.  Anything a customer requires on the spur of the moment are important.  OEM customers often place blanket orders with monthly estimated usage quantities, typically these are easy to drop ship, but things happen.  Distributors need to be prepared to immediately replenish failed items and handle those instances where larger quantities are required with short notice.

Distributor commitment tied to inventory?

Somewhere, somehow, manufacturers came to the conclusion distributors were more committed to suppliers with a ton of inventory sitting in the back warehouse.  Perhaps it appears this way on the outside looking in.  Here’s an example.  Friendly Frank’s Distributing has a great relationship with Acme Manufacturing.  Over the years, Friendly Frank (FF) and his team have developed a number of mutual customers.  Acme helps by providing leads, support and a quality product.  Customers make many purchases and, as described above, FF finds it necessary to carry more stock to service those sales.  To the supplier on the outside, it might appear as though the inventory drives the selling activities.  In reality, it is the other way around.

A few manufacturers, who are just launching their products, depend on distributors to assist in funding their launch.  Often, they covet the “initial stock order” as a tool for driving their profitability.  While a nice stock order does provide them with instant cash, one can only wonder what happens if the distributor stocks the wrong mix of product or, worse yet, the market doesn’t embrace their new products.  The whole thing turns into a force fit situation.  Distributors clamor for expensive stock rotations.  Product ages on the shelf creating issues with revision levels and old dusty boxes.

I have suggested this idea a couple of times without much acceptance, but wouldn’t it be easier for the distributor to pay something resembling a “franchise fee” which provides funding to the manufacturer without the hassles of inventory issues?  Perhaps this fee would enable the distributor to get better margins in the future.  Or maybe, the manufacturer could provide some other benefit to the distributor. 

If not inventory, how does the distributor show commitment?

For knowledge-based distributors commitment comes by way of investment in (in order of importance) product knowledge, application skills, careful selection of target customers and customer education.  By definition, knowledge-based distributors don’t just ship boxes.  They wrap every transaction in their unique blend of customer application and product knowledge. 

Covering breakdowns in Manufacturing Systems and Logistics…

Covering breakdowns in manufacturing systems does justify inventory.  However, we should set some parameters.  First, we’re not referring to breakdowns with regularly moving “A” products.  In today’s manufacturing environment, these come quite rarely.  Instead, the issue often falls with items which fall further down the line.  Items which are sometimes referred to as “pre-engineered;” the design work is finished, but the build is still done on an as needed basis.  The factory doesn’t necessarily stock all of the parts and pieces of the product so lead times can be lengthy. 

For most distributors, keeping a spare of this type of item is dependent on customer mix and customer usage.  To provide an example, a distributor in Gary, Indiana may have enough steel plants on its account list to justify a part specifically developed for a steel mill, but the guy in South Texas, with only a single small steel facility, may not.  Referring to the recent massive rainfalls in Texas, what happens when that single plant is flooded by 15 inches of rain in a two hour period?  Factory delivery times hamper restarting the plant. 

Most times, this type of emergency requires plenty of scrambling: Calls to the manufacturer, expediting of component parts and occasionally mad scrambles by distributor and factory people alike to find a replacement somewhere.  But there is an option…

A new solution is pushing to the forefront…

Distributors have looked for easy ways to share inventory for eons.  Some of the more progressive manufacturers have created plans for distributors to report inventory back to a central point for better sharing.  In spite of great enthusiasm along the way, the plans have mostly fizzled out with time.  For the most part the reason is simple, the work required didn’t justify the results.   At the same time, I have observed several informal distributor networks develop plans for sharing inventory.  Typically, these are established from the top down at the distributor, owner to owner or president to president.  These guys decide to attack the issue by promising to help one another.  They work, but often the cost of interaction is high because nearly every call involves some kind of touch by high level folks who are often hard to reach on a moment’s notice.  Good idea, but way too much human interface.

Last summer I became aware of a fresh approach to the issue, WarehouseTWO.  WarehouseTWO provides internet technology to an age old issue and takes things a few steps further.  Here’s a short list of the things I like:

• Distributors can get started for Free.  It’s the “freemium” model applied to distribution.  It cost nothing for a distributor to purchase from other distributors.  And, the costs to sell products is nearly free.  For instance, a distributor can list up to 1,000 items online for less than $70 per month (10,000 for $99 per month.)  Plus, there are no transaction fees; the cost is the cost.  A low monthly subscription fee is the only cost to use this service.
• The selling distributor sets the price.  Got overstocks, you can sell them for distributor cost less 10%, 20% or any other price that makes sense.  Other distributors can quickly shop for bargains and help you balance your inventory.  If you normally stock a “D” item and want to improve your turns, you can sell the product for cost plus 10%, 20% or “whatever.” You set the margin.
• This is a Distributor only program.  There are no concerns with your local end-customers “trolling” for bargains or checking out their local distributor’s price on products just purchased. 
• The site automatically limits interaction to only other authorized distributors.  Many distributor contracts prohibit the sale of products to non-authorized distributors.   This is not a source for bootleg materials.  Instead, authorized distributors share inventory within the authorized channel only.

One more point that appeals to our industry is this: Manufacturers can sponsor distributor interaction.  This allows the manufacturer to see what’s in stock throughout its distribution channel without massive IT outlays and without the constant maintenance tied to creating such a site.

Importantly, this outlet provides the subscribing distributor the option of automating the system.  You can easily send broadcast messages out to other distributors, simultaneously search for multiple items or establish a “bargain hunting” list.  And, if you really want to resort to selling on the web, WarehouseTWO allows for uploading a “browser searchable” list that anyone can locate using Google (or Yahoo or something else). 

Finally, I have had conversations with a half dozen distributors already using this service.  They report great results and are quick to report the value is getting better every month.  Why?  More distributors joining the program.  One was quick to point out that nearly every new distributor that joins the network adds a few more new items to the inventory.  One distributor was so enthusiastic he asked me to get the word out to everyone.  Consider it done.  Check out WarehouseTWO at www.WarehouseTWO.com.

 

Analytics Have Become a “Must Have” Tool

It’s Thursday afternoon, I’m on the beach in Florida with my friends, and I’m energized.  

Let me share…

I just finished spending the afternoon with attendees of the Association of High Technology Distribution spring meeting where the topic of the day was driving more value from your ERP system.  But let me digress for a moment…

During the course of the last couple of downturns, analytics have gone from the growth tool of a few progressive distributors with a technology bent, to a “must have” instrument for longer range survival.

To be clear on this survival thing; I’m not saying lack of analytics will put you out of business today, next year or even over the next five, but I do believe companies with analytics are getting more sales during this year’s downturn.  They are also capturing customer “wallet share” today, which will grow when economic winds blow in a more favorable direction.  They are more productive in gross margin.  They are likely finding it easier to develop new salespeople as well.

The key to analytics for distributors comes via business data served up by the company’s ERP System.  Since literally everyone uses an ERP Business System, we should be able to assume data is readily available.  But, it’s not as available as you would think.

Based on my observations, only a few distributors have the ability to instantly access data from their ERP system and review it in meaningful ways.  Those who have invested in “smart front ends” for their ERP using systems like MITs, Sales Management-plus or other organizations seem to have more and better reports and make more analytical data.  But the data is there, lurking just below the surface.

Real Networking and Benchmarking

The Association for High Technology Distribution, hosted a round-table event to facilitate an exchange of ideas tied to the use of ERP systems.  This was pure networking the way it should be done.  Two groups of non-competing members of the distributor community talking about what worked, didn’t work and some of the tricks they had learned along the way.

While the groups didn’t follow this list of questions precisely, they talked about the following points:

• What is your current computer system and how long has it been in place?
• If you had just one thing you could change about your computer system, what would it be?
• Have you ever attended the user’s group meeting of your software vendor?  
• Did you see value in attending?
• Based on your experience with your system, how long does it take for a new inside sales/outside sales person to master the system?
• Thinking about your routine (daily, weekly, etc.) activities, what reports could you NOT do without?
• What reports do you wish you could pull from your computer system?
• How long does it take for you to get the right information by way of a report?
• Does your system make any “upselling” recommendations to your inside sales people?
• Does your system have CRM functionality?

Real information flowed from member to member.  I could see lights going off and people scribbling down notes as the meeting progressed.  The good stuff was flowing around the room.  Nearly everyone left the meeting with solid takeaways.

Sometimes the manufacturer’s data is better

Many of the attendees were fresh from a similar meeting conducted with manufacturers and distributors discussing best practices with “Reverse POS”.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept, here’s a good description:

"Reverse POS is an analytical tool provided by manufacturers to distributors who provide them with POS data.  Often the data is benchmarked against nationwide statistics and offers objective tools for identifying customer opportunities for the distributor.

What's in your sales toolbox?

           

One such tool is product segmentation.  Based on a show of hands, most distributors have a difficult time segmenting manufacturer’s products into component parts (with examples being Electromechanical Contactors and Starters, Proximity Sensors, Photo Sensors and Power Supplies.)  This bit of analytical data (commonly called GAP analysis) is a huge tool for distributors; particularly during down economic swings.

Based on the comments of one distributor, a significant amount of their business growth can be traced to using the data provided by a select group of manufacturers via reverse POS.  One couldn’t help but notice the buzz recreated during the network session following the comment.

Analytics are must have tools

Previously, I mentioned that I was energized.  Here’s why.  Distributors and their supply partners are getting together to break down the analytics barrier.  Even distributors who were once cavalier in their attitudes around the topic are taking steps to improve their game. 

Quoting Allen Ray, who I view as one of the thought leaders in distribution and regular contributor to Electrical Trends:

“If your company bought an ERP software system 5-10-15-25+ years ago and set it up like most did, you may have built in limitations because the national average for ERP productivity usage is about 40%. This means that you may only use 40% of its capability.”

In my mind, the 40 percent Mr. Ray refers to comes centers mostly on the operational side of distribution, things like entering orders, handling inventory, billing and accounting.  The missing 60 percent is the ability to pull data and make data driven decisions. 

Thankfully, distributors are upping their ante on the process.

Before we go, what are today’s must have analytics

Here is a quick list of analytic related reports every distributor needs today:

• Product segment purchases made by customer – this allows the distributor to identify what’s missing from customer purchases.  It enables you to sell more to existing customers (which experts report is five times easier than finding new customers.
• Product segment sales by salesperson – A quick report to determine if seller "Frank" is not comfortable or effective in selling all the products you have for sale.
• Comparative sales and gross margin numbers for every customer showing the last several months and the same numbers for the time period last year.  Why?  Because it’s embarrassing when a customer flips their business to a competitor and you don’t notice it for six months.
• Purchases of new products by customer – we are constantly launching new products but often lack an easy feedback mechanism to determine if our efforts were fruitful.
• Purchases by new customers – discover when you break the ice with a customer.  This allows you to track sales progress and explore what products are the door openers to your business.  

Got questions?  Analytics are on our mind.

Resolving network issues in Tableau Server on Primary and Worker covered both Windows and Mac

Configuring Web Proxy Settings for Tableau Desktop

To adjust the proxy settings for Tableau Desktop:

1. Log in to the Windows computer where Tableau Desktop is installed.
2. Open Control Panel.
3. In Control Panel, click Network and Internet, and then click Internet Options. This will open the Internet Properties dialog box.
4. In the Internet Properties dialog box, select the Connections tab, and then click LAN Settings.
5. In the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings dialog box, do the following:
   1. For Automatic Configuration, clear all selections. Tableau does not support automatic configuration.
   2. For Proxy Server, select Use a proxy server for your LAN, and then type the server address and port. The server address can be a machine name or IP address.
   
   
   3. Click OK.
6. In the Internet Options dialog box, click OK again to apply the new proxy server settings.
7. To test that the new configurations are working, open a web browser and test one of the following URLs:
Tableau 8.2 and later versions: Miami and Havana (blue water), Miami and Havana (white water), or Miami and Havana (dark water).

Configuring Web Proxy Settings for Tableau Desktop on the Mac

When configuring proxy settings on a Mac, do the following:

1. Log in to the Mac where Tableau Desktop is installed.
2. Open System Preferences.
3. In System Preferences, click Network.
4. In Network, select your internet service, and then click Advanced.
5. Click the Proxies tab.
6. In the Proxies tab, do the following:
   1. Select the Web Proxy (HTTP) and Secure Web Proxy (HTTPS)protocols.
   2. For Secure Web Proxy Server, type the server IP address and port. The server address can be a machine name or IP address.
   Note: Both the Web Proxy (HTTP) and Secure Web Proxy (HTTPS) require a server address and port, and may require a password. If the server address and port are not the same for these proxies, configure them separately.
   
   
   3. If your proxy server requires a user name and password, selectProxy server requires password, and then type your user name and password.
   
   
   4. Click OK to save the proxy server settings.
7. In the Network dialog box, click Apply to apply your changes.
8. To test that the new configurations are working, open a web browser and test one of the following URLs:
Tableau 8.2 and later versions: Miami and Havana (blue water), Miami and Havana (white water), or Miami and Havana (dark water).

Configuring Web Proxy Settings for Tableau Server

If your organization uses a web proxy, the Tableau Server Run As user may not be configured to use this proxy when requesting content from the Internet.

To configure Tableau Server to use a proxy web server, you must have the following:

• An existing Tableau Server installation.
• A Tableau Server Run As user with interactive login rights.The Tableau Server Run As user is listed on the General tab of the Tableau Server Configuration window. To access it, click Start > All Programs >Tableau Server > Configure Tableau Server.

Review this document with your local network or system administrator before configuring Tableau Server to use a proxy web server.

Note: If you are using a distributed installation of Tableau Server, perform the following procedure on the primary server and on any worker servers where VizQL processes are running.

To adjust the proxy settings for the Tableau Server Run As user:

1. Log in to the Windows computer where Tableau Server is installed as the Tableau Server Run As User. This will require this account to have Interactive Login rights during troubleshooting.
2. Open Control Panel.
3. In Control Panel, click Network and Internet, and then click Internet Options. This will open the Internet Properties dialog box.
4. In the Internet Properties dialog box, select the Connections tab, and then click LAN Settings.
5. In the Local Area Network (LAN) Settings dialog box, do the following:
   
   
   1. For Automatic Configuration, clear all selections. Tableau does not support automatic configuration.
   2. For Proxy Server, select Use a proxy server for your LAN, and then type the server address and port. The server address can be a machine name or IP address.
      Notes:
      These settings will typically match the regular user settings for Tableau Desktop. If mapped views work from Tableau Desktop, compare the LAN settings for Tableau Server to your Tableau Desktop machine.
      Even though these settings typically match, Tableau recommends checking with your local network or system administrator before making these changes.
      
   3. Click OK.
6. In the Internet Options dialog box, click OK again to apply the new proxy server settings.
7. To test that the new configurations are working, open a web browser and test one of the following URLs:
   Tableau 8.2 and later versions: Miami and Havana (blue water), Miami and Havana (white water), or Miami and Havana (dark water).
   Note: After you have configured the proxy server, you may need to restart Tableau Server to ensure that all changes are implemented. If the URLs above don’t work, your local IT resources may need to troubleshoot the issue using the server address and port listed in this article.