Tableau SCA-C01 - Tableau Server Certified Associate Exam

Installing Tableau Server on Windows requires an account with sufficient privileges to configure services, write to the file system, and manage registry settings. Let’s analyze this in depth:

Installation Requirements:

The installer creates services (e.g., Tableau Server Gateway), writes to Program Files and ProgramData, and configures TSM.

It needslocal administrative privilegeson the machine to perform these tasks.

Post-install, a "Run As" account can be set for services (e.g., NT AUTHORITY\NetworkService), but this is separate from the install account.

Option C (An account in the local administrator group): Correct.

Why: The account must be in the local Administrators group to:

Install software (UAC elevation).

Configure services and ports.

Write to protected directories (e.g., C:\Program Files\Tableau).

Examples: A local admin (e.g., Administrator) or a domain user added to the Administrators group (e.g., DOMAIN\AdminUser).

Process: Log in as this account, run the installer, and provide TSM admin credentials during setup.

Option A (A local user account): Incorrect.

A standard local user (not in Administrators) lacks permissions—installation would fail with "Access Denied" errors.

Option B (A domain user account): Incorrect unless clarified.

A domain user without local admin rights can’t install. If it’s in the Administrators group, it qualifies, but C is more specific.

Option D (NT AUTHORITY\NetworkService): Incorrect.

This is a built-in service account for running services (default "Run As" post-install), not for executing the installer—an interactive user account is required.

Why This Matters: Using the right account prevents install failures and ensures secure configuration—critical for production setups.

Data-driven alerts notify users when data meets conditions (e.g., sales > $10K). Let’s examine when Tableau checks these:

Alert Mechanics:

Enabled per site (Settings > General > Data-Driven Alerts).

Backgrounder evaluates conditions against extract data.

Check Intervals: Configurable via tsm configuration set -k dataAlerts.checkIntervalInMinutes (default: 60 minutes).

Refresh Trigger: Also checks post-extract refresh for immediate updates.

Option A (Every 60 minutes): Correct.

Details: Default interval—Backgrounder polls every hour to evaluate alert conditions.

Config: Adjustable (e.g., -v 30 for 30 minutes).

Option D (Whenever extracts in the related workbook are refreshed): Correct.

Details: An extract refresh updates the data, triggering an immediate alert check to catch changes promptly.

Why: Ensures timely notifications without waiting for the next poll.

Option B (Every 10 minutes): Incorrect.

Why: Not the default—possible via config, but not standard.

Option C (Whenever a new extract is published): Incorrect.

Why: Publishing creates the extract; alerts trigger on refreshes or polling, not initial publication.

Why This Matters: Timing affects alert responsiveness—balancing frequency and server load is key.

Importing an AD group into Tableau Server syncs user management—let’s analyze the process and options:

AD Group Import Process:

How: In the UI (Users > Groups > Add Group > Active Directory), enter the AD group name, set a site role, and sync.

Behavior:

Existing Users: If a user is already in Tableau Server, their site role remains unchanged unless manually adjusted—sync applies the minimum role only if it upgrades access.

New Users: Added to Tableau with the site role specified during import.

Config: Requires AD authentication enabled in TSM.

Option D (New users created are assigned the site role specified during import): Correct.

Details: When importing (e.g., "SalesTeam" group, site role: Explorer):

New users get Explorer.

Existing users keep their role unless it’s below Explorer (e.g., Unlicensed → Explorer).

Why: Ensures consistent onboarding—new users align with the group’s intended access.

Option A (Existing users’ roles change to match import): Incorrect.

Why: Existing roles persist unless lower than the minimum—e.g., Viewer stays Viewer if import sets Explorer, but Unlicensed upgrades. Not a full overwrite.

Option B (Requires a .csv file): Incorrect.

Why: AD import uses live sync via LDAP—no .csv needed (that’s for local auth imports).

Option C (Change group name during import): Incorrect.

Why: The AD group name is fixed—you can’t rename it in Tableau during sync (it mirrors AD). Post-import renaming is possible but not part of the process.

Why This Matters: Accurate AD sync ensures seamless user management—missteps can disrupt access or licensing.

In Tableau Server, schedules manage tasks such as extract refreshes and subscriptions. The execution mode of a schedule determines how tasks within that schedule are processed by the Backgrounder process:

Parallel: Tasks run simultaneously (up to the Backgrounder’s capacity), which is the default setting.

Serial: Tasks run one-at-a-time in sequence, ensuring that one task completes before the next begins.

To ensure tasks associated with a particular schedule run one-at-a-time, you must configure the schedule’s execution mode toSerial. This is done in the Tableau Server web interface:

Go toSchedules.

Select the schedule, clickActions > Edit Schedule.

UnderExecution, chooseSerialinstead ofParallel.

Option A (Set Execution to Serial): Correct. This directly addresses the requirement by forcing tasks to execute sequentially.

Option B (Set Default priority to 0): Incorrect. Priority (1–100) determines the order of task execution across all schedules, not whether tasks run one-at-a-time within a single schedule. Also, 0 is not a valid priority value (minimum is 1).

Option C (Set Frequency to Hourly): Incorrect. Frequency (e.g., hourly, daily) controls when the schedule runs, not how tasks within it are executed.

Option D (Set Execution to Parallel): Incorrect. Parallel execution allows tasks to run simultaneously, which contradicts the requirement.

The VizQL Server process in Tableau Server handles rendering visualizations and processing queries for users viewing dashboards or workbooks. During installation, Tableau Server automatically configures the number of VizQL instances based on the number of processor cores on the machine, following this rule:

Default VizQL instances = 2 per node, unless manually adjusted post-installation.

In multi-node setups, additional instances may be added based on core count, but the question specifies a single server with 16 cores.

The installer does not scale VizQL instances linearly with core count by default (e.g., it doesn’t set 1 instance per 4 cores). Instead:

For a single-node installation, the default is 2 VizQL instances, regardless of core count (assuming the minimum hardware requirements are met: 8 cores, 32 GB RAM).

Administrators can later adjust this using TSM (e.g., tsm topology set-process) based on performance needs, but the question asks for the default configured by the installer.

Option A (4): Incorrect. Four instances might be configured manually for a 16-core server, but it’s not the default.

Option B (6): Incorrect. Six instances exceed the default for a single node.

Option C (10): Incorrect. Ten instances are far beyond the default and would require manual configuration.

Option D (2): Correct. The installer sets 2 VizQL instances by default on a single-node installation.

Registering Tableau Server from the command line involves providing configuration details (e.g., identity store, license) via the tsm register command. Let’s explore this fully:

Registration Process:

Run during initial setup or to update settings (e.g., after changing AD/LDAP config).

Uses a configuration file to pass parameters to TSM.

Command: tsm register --file .

File Format:

Tableau Server usesJSONfor configuration files in TSM commands like tsm register.

Example:

json

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{

"identityStore": {

"type": "local",

"domain": "example.com"

}

}

JSON is structured, machine-readable, and aligns with Tableau’s modern CLI design.

Option C (JSON): Correct.

Official format for tsm register, per documentation and practical use.

Option A (YML): Incorrect.

While tabsvc.yml exists internally, it’s not for registration—tsm register uses JSON.

Option B (XML): Incorrect.

Older Tableau configs used XML (e.g., workgroup.yml pre-TSM), but TSM standardized on JSON.

Option D (HTTP): Incorrect.

HTTP is a protocol, not a file format—irrelevant here.

Why This Matters: Correct file format ensures seamless registration, avoiding CLI errors in setup or migrations.