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.

Comments on visualizations foster collaboration in Tableau Server—let’s break down the requirements:

Commenting Prerequisites:

Site-Level Enablement: Comments must be activated for the site.

Permission: Users need the "Add Comment" capability on the content.

Site Role: Minimum role of Viewer allows commenting if permissions are set.

Option B (Add Comments must be allowed in permissions): Correct.

Details: In the Permissions dialog (e.g., for a workbook), set "Add Comment" to "Allowed" for users/groups. Default is "Denied" unless explicitly enabled.

How: Content > Workbooks > Actions > Permissions > Edit Rule.

Why: Permissions are granular—site enablement alone isn’t enough.

Option D (Comments must be enabled on the site Settings page): Correct.

Details: Go to Site > Settings > General > Allow Comments—check the box.

Why: This is a site-wide toggle (default: off). Without it, no one can comment, regardless of permissions.

Option A (Minimum site role of Explorer - can publish): Incorrect.

Why: Viewer role suffices if permissions allow—Explorer (can publish) isn’t required (it adds publishing, not commenting).

Option C (Server Settings page): Incorrect.

Why: Comments are a site-level feature, not server-wide—no such toggle exists in TSM’s Server Settings.

Why This Matters: Enabling comments at both site and content levels ensures controlled collaboration—key for team insights.

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.

When Tableau Server uses Active Directory (AD) for authentication, group synchronization imports AD groups and assigns a minimum site role (e.g., Viewer, Explorer) to users in that group. This ensures users meet a baseline access level. The behavior for existing users during sync is:

If the user’s current site role provides more access than the minimum (e.g., Explorer vs. Viewer), their role remains unchanged.

If the user’s current role provides less access than the minimum (e.g., Unlicensed vs. Viewer), their role is upgraded to the minimum.

This preserves higher privileges while enforcing a floor. “Reduces access” means the minimum role is lower than the current role (e.g., Viewer vs. Explorer), in which case the existing role stays.

Option A (It will change to the minimum site role only if the minimum site role reduces access): Correct. The user’s role changes only if the minimum increases access (e.g., Unlicensed to Viewer); otherwise, it stays higher.

Option B (It will change only if the minimum provides more access): Incorrect wording. This is the inverse of the actual behavior—change occurs when needed to meet the minimum, not to exceed it.

Option C (It will always change): Incorrect. Existing higher roles are preserved.

Option D (It will never change): Incorrect. It changes if the current role is below the minimum.

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.

Tableau Server’s minimum hardware recommendations for a production single-node deployment ensure reliable performance for small to medium workloads. As of the latest documentation:

CPU: 8 cores (2.0 GHz or higher) to handle concurrent users, rendering, and background tasks.

RAM: 32 GB to support in-memory processing (e.g., VizQL, Data Engine) and caching.

Disk Space: 50 GB free for installation, logs, extracts, and temporary files.

Let’s break it down:

Option C (8-Core CPU, 32 GB RAM, 50 GB free disk space): Correct. This matches Tableau’s official minimum for production:

8 cores ensure sufficient parallelism for processes like Backgrounder and VizQL.

32 GB RAM supports multiple users and extract refreshes.

50 GB disk space accommodates growth (initial install is ~1–2 GB, but logs and extracts expand).

Option A (4-Core, 16 GB RAM, 50 GB): Incorrect. Too low for production—4 cores and 16 GB RAM are below the threshold for reliable performance under load.

Option B (2-Core, 8 GB RAM, 15 GB): Incorrect. This is for non-production (e.g., trial) setups, insufficient for production stability.

Option D (4-Core, 64 GB RAM, 50 GB): Incorrect. 4 cores are inadequate, though 64 GB RAM exceeds the minimum (32 GB).

Why This Matters: Under-spec hardware can lead to slow performance, failed refreshes, or crashes in production—adhering to the minimum ensures stability.

Tableau Server uses internal secrets (tokens) for secure communication between its processes (e.g., Repository, File Store). These are automatically generated during installation and can be regenerated if compromised or for security maintenance. The command to update these is:

tsm security regenerate-internal-tokens: This regenerates the internal security tokens, ensuring all processes use the new tokens after a restart.

Option C (tsm security regenerate-internal-tokens): Correct. This is the documented command for updating internal secrets.

Option A (tsm data-access caching set -r 1): Incorrect. This command configures caching behavior, not security tokens.

Option B (tsm licenses refresh): Incorrect. This refreshes license data, unrelated to internal secrets.

Option D (tsm security validate-asset-keys): Incorrect. This validates encryption keys for assets, not internal tokens.