What is Tableau Viewer?
Tableau is one of the most popular Business Intelligence (BI) software to this date. When you are upgrading from the free desktop version, three main upgrades are available for you to choose from. In this blog, the main upgrade to go into detail is the Tableau Viewer license.
Tableau Viewer is an account users use to access previously existing dashboards in detail, download them, and gain insights from them in a secure environment. However, you cannot edit these dashboards with a Tableau Viewer account.
Tableau Viewer is a license that promotes the software’s user-friendliness because it requires no skill ceiling. It ensures that all users, regardless of their technical skills, can benefit from data-driven insights, fostering a more informed and data-centric organizational culture. The Tableau Viewer license type enables organizations to extend the reach of their data analytics without incurring the costs associated with more advanced licenses.
Key Takeaways
- The Tableau Viewer license allows users to access and interact with dashboards and visualizations created by others within the Tableau platform.
- Viewer licenses are cost-effective for organizations to distribute data insights widely without granting content creation or modification capabilities.
- They enable interactive data exploration through filtering, highlighting, and drill-down features within published dashboards.
- Viewers can set data-driven alerts and subscribe to dashboards to stay updated with the latest information.
- The license supports collaboration by allowing users to comment and engage in discussions directly on visualizations.
- It’s important to note that Viewer licenses do not permit creating, modifying, or publishing content, focusing solely on data consumption and interaction.
Tableau Viewer Role and Permissions
When you have a Viewer account, you can access available dashboards instead of creating your own. You can also refer to other people’s works and draw inferences from them.
In better words, it is a role-based license provided by Tableau for users to view classified or vulnerable data in a secure environment. Unlike the Creator or Explorer accounts, you are unable to change the dashboards personally.
With a Viewer account:
You can only view and download other dashboards that you have chosen to view.
You can also participate in discussions and leave comments in the Dashboard that you have chosen.
Provide feedback to developers for enhancing the dashboards.
To stay up to date, you can also subscribe to specific dashboards and get alerts/updates weekly, daily, or monthly at your convenience.
When using the Tableau Viewer’s license you must comply with the organization’s data governance rules (for downloading and sharing visualizations). This license is designed to ensure that users can consume and interact with data insights without altering the underlying data or visualizations.
Also, unlike the Tableau Reader account (which is free to download), there is no Tableau Viewer free account. It has a monthly bill which is charged annually. You cannot download Viewer since it is a license.
How to use Tableau Viewer?
Here is how you can use a Tableau Viewer account to your benefit.
Step 1: Go to the Tableau public website and click on “Sign In.”
Step 2: Log in to Tableau. This is using your credentials.
Step 3: After logging in, navigate the public visualizations and select the visualizations of your choice.
Alternatively, if you have a shareable link to the dashboard made by someone that you need to access, you can click on the link. Since you have signed in, it will go to the dashboard.
Step 4: Once you have selected a visualization, you can view it.
You can download, comment on, and copy the workbook. You can also subscribe to the dashboard to be notified of any updates.
Step 5: To add comments, click on the text bubble icon on the toolbar to add comments in the toolbar.
Step 6: If you want to subscribe to a dashboard, you can click on the “Watch” icon in the toolbar and select the envelope icon to receive subscription alerts.
You also have the opportunity to set your subscription alerts to daily, weekly, or any custom timing.
Tableau Viewer License
Primarily, a Tableau viewer license is used by those who only want to interact and work with other visualizations. It is a license provided to enterprises in need of other works to make their insights. On a personal level, it could be used for a group project where you can view your teammate’s visualization and comment on clarifications or changes. You can also track key numbers from the dashboard that you’ve selected and be posted about any updates in the data and, subsequently, the dashboard so that you can change your work accordingly.
- The License for Tableau Viewer works for those who already know that the visualization they need is in Tableau.
- Those who have a Viewer account need to delve more into data analytics. It can be a manager leaving comments on their business analysts’ work in Tableau using the Viewer License.
- They can also view the KPIs, and the most critical points of a dashboard without needing to edit it for themselves.
- Another example scenario where the Viewer license will play a role is when stakeholders of enterprises need not create their visualizations but can view the enterprise’s visualizations and leave feedback without needing to create anything themselves.
It makes it more appealing for those who do not have a background in data analysis to have a Viewer License. It is also beneficial for beginners in Data Analytics to view other dashboards in detail and download them.
The Tableau viewer License cost depends on whether you use the online version or the Tableau Server edition. Both the prices are mentioned below.
For Tableau Server
The Viewer Price for a license on the Tableau server is $12 per month, billed annually.
For Tableau Online
The Tableau Viewer Price for Tableau online is $15 per month billed annually.
For enterprises using the Tableau License, a Viewer License is billed per user, not for the whole enterprise. Users can have only one license, which can either be a Viewer, Explorer, or Creator license. A single user cannot have multiple licenses.
With Tableau Viewer, you can also access and use the functionalities of the Tableau server, such as filtering, drilling down on data, and so on with mobile applications. However, it also has some drawbacks, such as:
- You do not have access to advanced data analytics tools such as creating calculated fields, custom queries, or Tableau prep.
- You cannot publish or share dashboards/visualizations with others.
From this, the Tableau viewer license strikes a balance between accessibility and control, making it ideal for large organizations looking to disseminate data-driven insights across diverse teams and departments.
Important Things To Note
- Use filters and parameters to customize the view. Drill down into data for detailed insights.
- Viewers can set up data-driven alerts to stay updated. You can also subscribe to important dashboards for regular updates.
- Viewers should avoid sharing screenshots or exported data without proper authorization.
- Use filters and interactions efficiently to avoid overwhelming the server.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
These are the restrictions with Tableau Viewer licenses.
You cannot create or modify dashboards.
One can only view and interact with published dashboards.
You cannot connect to or modify data sources.
Access is limited to pre-defined dashboards and visualizations.
You cannot use advanced analytics features like calculated fields.
Yes, Tableau Viewer licenses can be upgraded to Tableau Explorer or Tableau Creator licenses.
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