Tableau TSM Command Cheat Sheet: Essential Commands for Server Administration

Tableau Server administrator, having a handy reference guide to commonly used Tableau Server Manager (TSM) commands can significantly streamline your server administration tasks. In this article, we will provide you with a comprehensive cheat sheet of essential TSM commands, along with explanations for each command. Whether you’re starting, stopping, or configuring Tableau Server or managing users and sites, this cheat sheet will serve as a valuable resource for your daily server administration needs.

1. Start TSM: To initialize TSM, use the following command

tabcmd initialuser --server <servername> --username <adminusername> --password <adminpassword>

Explanation: This command allows you to create the initial TSM user with administrative privileges, enabling you to start managing Tableau Server.

2. Start Tableau Server: To start Tableau Server, use the following command:

tabadmin start

Explanation: This command initiates the startup process for Tableau Server, making it accessible to users.

3. Stop Tableau Server: To stop Tableau Server, use the following command:

tabadmin stop

Explanation: This command gracefully shuts down Tableau Server, ensuring that all processes are halted correctly.

4. Restart Tableau Server: To restart Tableau Server, use the following command:

tabadmin restart

Explanation: This command stops and then starts Tableau Server, ensuring a clean restart of all services.

5. Set the product key for Tableau Server: To set the product key for Tableau Server, use the following command:

tabadmin set license_key <license_key>

Explanation: This command allows you to specify the product key required to activate Tableau Server or update an existing key.

6. Configure Tableau Server: To configure Tableau Server, use the following command:

tabadmin configure

Explanation: This command launches the Tableau Server Configuration utility, which provides an interactive interface for configuring various server settings.

7. Join a node to a cluster: To add a node to a Tableau Server cluster, use the following command:

tabadmin initialize --configDir <config_directory>

Explanation: This command initializes a node and joins it to an existing Tableau Server cluster, allowing for horizontal scalability.

8. Add a worker to the cluster: To add a worker (additional server) to the Tableau Server cluster, use the following command:

tabadmin worker add

Explanation: This command adds a new worker to the cluster, enabling load balancing and increased server capacity.

9. Remove a worker from the cluster: To remove a worker from the Tableau Server cluster, use the following command:

tabadmin worker remove --worker-id <worker_id>

Explanation: This command removes a specified worker from the cluster, reducing the server load and rebalancing the resources.

10. Promote a worker to a primary server: To promote a worker to a primary server within the Tableau Server cluster, use the following command:

tabadmin worker promote --worker-id <worker_id>

Explanation: This command designates a worker as the primary server, allowing it to handle administrative tasks and serve as the main access point for users.

11. View server status: To check the status of the Tableau Server, use the following command:

tabadmin status -v

Explanation: This command provides detailed information about the current status of the Tableau Server, including the status of various server components and processes.

12. Perform a backup: To create a backup of the Tableau Server, use the following command:

tabadmin backup <backup_path>

Explanation: This command creates a backup of Tableau Server’s configuration, content, and data, ensuring that it can be restored if needed.

13. Restore from a backup: To restore Tableau Server from a backup, use the following command:

tabadmin restore <backup_path>

Explanation: This command restores Tableau Server using a previously created backup, ensuring that the server is reverted to a specific point in time.

14. Configure authentication settings: To configure authentication settings for Tableau Server, use the following command:

tabadmin set wgserver.<setting_name> <value>

Explanation: This command allows you to modify various authentication-related settings, such as enabling Active Directory integration or configuring SAML authentication.

15. Configure SMTP settings: To configure SMTP settings for Tableau Server (for email notifications, alerts, etc.), use the following command:

tabadmin configure smtp --<setting_name> <value>

Explanation: This command enables you to set up and customize SMTP settings, including the SMTP server address, port, and authentication details.

16. Publish a workbook: To publish a workbook to Tableau Server, use the following command:

tabcmd publish <workbook_path> --name <workbook_name> --project <project_name>

Explanation: This command allows you to upload a workbook file to Tableau Server, specifying the desired name and project location.

17. Create a site: To create a new site within Tableau Server, use the following command:

tabcmd createsite --name <site_name>

Explanation: This command creates a new site, which is a distinct space within Tableau Server where users can collaborate and share content.

18. Delete a site: To delete a site from Tableau Server, use the following command:

tabcmd deletesite --name <site_name>

Explanation: This command removes a specified site from Tableau Server, deleting all associated content and user data.

19. Add a user to a site: To add a user to a specific site within Tableau Server, use the following command:

tabcmd createsiteuser --name <site_name> --username <username> --role <role>

Explanation: This command adds a user to a particular site, assigning them a specified role (such as Viewer, Interactor, or Publisher) within that site.

20. Export data from Tableau Server: To export data from Tableau Server, use the following command:

tabcmd export --csv <csv_file_path> --query "<tableau_server_data_query>"

Explanation: This command allows you to export data from Tableau Server into a CSV file format using a specified query.

Conclusion: Mastering the essential TSM commands for Tableau Server administration is key to efficiently managing your Tableau deployment. This cheat sheet provides a quick reference guide for performing common tasks such as starting and stopping Tableau Server, configuring settings, managing users and sites, and more. By familiarizing yourself with these commands and their explanations, you’ll be equipped to effectively administer and maintain a smooth-running Tableau Server environment.