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 uses JSON for 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.

The tsm maintenance backup command creates a backup file (with a .tsbak extension) that captures critical data needed to restore Tableau Server in case of failure or migration. This backup primarily includes:

Repository data: This encompasses the PostgreSQL database, which stores metadata such as workbooks, data sources, user information, permissions, schedules, and subscriptions.

Configuration data: This includes server settings like authentication methods, port configurations, and service layouts, but it does not include topology data as a separate entity (topology is part of the configuration).

The command does not back up the following:

Extract files (stored in the File Store), which must be backed up separately if needed.

Log files, which are archived using tsm maintenance ziplogs.

Option A (Notification settings) is incorrect because while notification settings are part of the configuration data stored in the repository, they are not the primary focus of the backup. The broader category is "repository data."

Option B (SMTP server settings) is also incorrect for the same reason—SMTP settings are configuration data within the repository, but the backup is not limited to just these settings.

Option D (Topology data) is incorrect because topology data (e.g., how services are distributed across nodes) is part of the configuration included in the backup, but it’s not stored as a standalone item. The .tsbak file is centered on the repository database.

Tableau Server uses a PostgreSQL database as its repository to store metadata, user information, and permissions. In a high-availability (HA) setup with multiple nodes, there are typically two repository instances: one active and one passive. The "preferred active repository" refers to designating which repository instance should take priority as the active one. This is managed through Tableau Services Manager (TSM).

The correct method to set the preferred active repository is by using the tsm configuration set command. Specifically, you would use a command like:

tsm configuration set -k pgsql.preferred_host -v

This command allows an administrator to specify the preferred host for the active repository, ensuring control over which node takes precedence in an HA environment.

Option B (tabcmd set command) is incorrect because tabcmd is a command-line utility primarily used for administrative tasks like managing users, groups, and content (e.g., publishing workbooks), not for configuring server topology or repository settings.

Option C (TSM browser client's Maintenance page) is incorrect because the Maintenance page in the TSM web interface is used for tasks like backups, restores, and cleanup, but it does not provide an option to set the preferred active repository.

Option D (TSM browser client's Configuration Topology page) is partially relevant since the Topology page displays the current configuration of services across nodes, including the repository. However, it does not allow direct modification of the preferred active repository; this must be done via the tsm command line.

In Tableau Server, projects are containers for organizing and securing content. They help manage permissions and structure content hierarchically. Let’s define what can be contained:

Workbooks: Visualizations and dashboards published to the Server.

Data Sources: Published connections or extracts reusable across workbooks.

Nested Projects: Sub-projects within a parent project, introduced in later versions (e.g., 2018.2) for deeper organization.

Option B (Workbooks): Correct. Workbooks are the primary content type in projects, containing views and dashboards.

Option C (Nested Projects): Correct. Nested projects allow hierarchical structuring (e.g., a "Sales" project with "Q1" and "Q2" sub-projects), with inherited or custom permissions.

Option D (Data Sources): Correct. Published data sources reside in projects, providing reusable data connections.

Option A (Groups): Incorrect. Groups are collections of users managed at the site or server level, not stored within projects. Projects contain content, not user entities.

Why This Matters: Projects are key to content governance—knowing what they hold helps administrators organize and secure assets effectively.

Tableau Server’s search functionality relies on an indexed catalog of content (workbooks, data sources, etc.) stored in the Repository. If a user can see a workbook in the UI (e.g., under Content > Workbooks) but not find it via search, the search index may be outdated or corrupted. This can happen due to:

Indexing delays after publishing.

Server maintenance or crashes affecting the index.

Option D (Run the tsm maintenance reindex-search command): Correct. This command rebuilds the search index, ensuring all content (including the user’s workbook) is properly cataloged and searchable. Steps:

Stop Tableau Server (tsm stop).

Run tsm maintenance reindex-search.

Start Tableau Server (tsm start).This is a server administrator task and resolves systemic search issues.

Option A (Re-publish the workbook with keywords): Incorrect. Re-publishing might update the index for that workbook, but it doesn’t fix a broader indexing problem. Keywords enhance relevance, not indexing itself.

Option B (Add tags to the workbook): Incorrect. Tags improve searchability but don’t address an index failure. If the workbook isn’t indexed, tags won’t help.

Option C (Log out, and then log back in): Incorrect. This refreshes the user session but doesn’t affect the server-side search index.

Why This Matters: A reliable search index is critical for content discovery in large deployments—reindex-search ensures consistency.

In Tableau Server, schedules manage tasks like extract refreshes and subscriptions. Each task within a schedule has a priority value (ranging from 1 to 100, where 1 is the highest priority and 100 is the lowest). Tasks with higher priority (lower numbers) are executed before tasks with lower priority (higher numbers) when queued by the Backgrounder process. If the Backgrounder is overloaded or delayed, lower-priority tasks may not complete on time, leading to inconsistent refreshes.

In this scenario:

The 7:00 AM Extract Refresh task is critical for the CEO’s workbook, but the data is only refreshed 70% of the time by 9:00 AM.

The server has a single node, meaning a single Backgrounder process handles all tasks. With five schedules (some overlapping in the early morning), contention or delays could prevent the 7:00 AM task from completing reliably before 9:00 AM.

Option C (Set the priority of this task to 1): Correct. Setting the task priority to 1 ensures it has the highest priority among all queued tasks. This increases the likelihood that the Backgrounder executes it promptly at 7:00 AM, completing the refresh before the CEO accesses the workbook at 9:00 AM. You can adjust task priority in the Tableau Server web interface under Schedules > Tasks > Edit Priority.

Option A (Set the default priority of this schedule to 50): Incorrect. The default priority for schedules is already 50, and this option refers to the schedule’s default, not the specific task. It wouldn’t address the contention issue.

Option B (Set the priority for all other tasks to 50): Incorrect. This keeps all tasks at the default priority (50), leaving the 7:00 AM task without a relative advantage. It doesn’t prioritize the CEO’s task.

Option D (Set the priority of this task to 100): Incorrect. Priority 100 is the lowest, which would deprioritize the task, making the refresh even less reliable.

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 needs local administrative privileges on 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.