Tableau Desktop can check for product updates and install them automatically. Users can also explicitly check for product updates using the Check for Product Updates feature. These features are enabled automatically, however, you can disable them either during the installation process (on Windows) or afterward (on the Windows or on the Mac).
To turn off the product update feature in Tableau Desktop for your users, modify the setting for the
AutoUpdateAllowed
property value. This also turns off the Check for Product Updates feature. This feature allows users to check for and install the most recent Tableau Desktop maintenance updates to their computer at any time.Product updates only apply to dot release (maintenance) versions. Versions are shown this way:
Upload a copy of the Tableau Desktop DMG file to a network share and tell users to download it to their Mac computers from there. You can follow the prompts to complete the installation. You can also create a.sh script that mounts the DMG file and copies Tableau to your user's computers. Tableau's software moves as fast as you do. There’s a reason that the award-winning research scientists, design gurus, and visualization experts choose Tableau. We invest more in R&D than anyone else in the industry, so there's always a new release around the corner. Open the Product Downloads and Release Notes page and select Tableau Desktop or Tableau Prep Builder from the list on the left side of the page. Click on the version you want to install. In the Download Files section of the page, click on the installer for your operating system to download it.
2020.2.1
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where 2020.2 is the release version, and 1 is the dot (maintenance) version. In this case, a product update would apply when 2020.2.1 is released, but not when 2020.2 is released.
In addition to being able to control product updates for your users, you can also control which dot version of Tableau Desktop your users will update to by modifying the TableauAutoUpdate.xml(Link opens in a new window) file.
Note: When a new release version of Tableau Public or Tableau Reader becomes available, prior versions are no longer supported. Users automatically receive a notification that tells them to update to the current version. Also, you can only install one version of Tableau Public at one time.
This article describes how to modify the automatic product update settings during installation and how to control the product maintenance version that your users can update to.
For information about how to change product update settings after you install, see Change Installation Settings after Installation.
Turn off product updates during installation (Windows only)
When you run the installer process for Tableau Desktop you can turn off automatic product updates for your users by setting the
AUTOUPDATE
property value to '0'. For example:- For Tableau Desktop version 9.3 and later:
<path to the Tableau .exe installer> AUTOUPDATE='0'
- For Tableau Desktop version 9.2 and earlier:
msiexec /i <path to the Tableau .msi installer> AUTOUPDATE='0'
Specify the maintenance version you want users to get
You can specify the maintenance version of Tableau Desktop that product updates provides to your users by modifying the
TableauAutoUpdate.xml
file. The TableauAutoUpdate.xml(Link opens in a new window) file is an XML schema that contains the data that the update process uses to determine which product to update, which version to update to, and where to find the update (that is, the path to your download server). First, you copy or create a new TableauAutoUpdate.xml
file and then you configure your users' computers to point to the download server where the files are stored.Copy and modify the TableauAutoUpdate.xml file
You can copy the
TableauAutoUpdate.xml
file from the Tableau downloads(Link opens in a new window) site, modify it to suit your environment, and then save it to the root directory of the download server.Tableau Client Download
- Make sure that the product version listed in
TableauAutoUpdate.xml
is the version that you want your users to update to. - Edit the
latestVersionPath
attribute for eachversion
element to point to the folder on your download server that contains the product updates. - (Optional) Remove any installers you don't need.
Create your own TableauAutoUpdate.xml file
If you are going to create and use your own TableauAutoUpdate.xml file, you will need to complete the following steps:
- Gather required information.
- Generate hash files
- Create the TableauAutoUpdate.xml file
- Configure users computers to point to the file location.
Gather required information
Gather the following information before you create the
TableauAutoUpdate.xml
file:For the
version
entry in the XML file, you need the following:- latestVersion: The version number of the update you want to install on your user's computer. This is displayed in the About Tableau dialog box. When users start Tableau Desktop, Tableau checks to find out if a new version is available.
- latestVersionPath: The name of the folder on the download server that contains the installers. Create this folder on the server if it doesn't already exist.Note: For Tableau Desktop version 10.0 or later, the installers are downloaded to the
Downloads/TableauAutoUpdate
. If theDownloads
folder doesn't exist, the installers are downloaded to theTEMP/TableauAutoUpdate
folder. - name: The Tableau Desktop version number, in the form
release
(X.x). For example, 2020.2. - releaseNotesVersion: The Tableau Desktop version number that you want users to install, in the form
release.maintenance
(X.x.x). For example, 2020.1.1. This parameter displays the correct link to the release notes.
You must create an
installer
element in the XML file for each product that you want to update. For each product element, gather the following information:
- hash: Generate a SHA-512 hash for the installer. This string must be correct or Tableau will not use the installer. For more information, see Generate hash files.
- name: The name of the installer file to download.
- size: The file size in bytes.
- type: The predefined product type that Tableau uses to find the correct installer to download. You must use a type from the following list:
desktop64
,desktopMac
,reader64
,readerMac
,public64
, orpublicMac
.
Generate hash files
Use a utility such as SHA512SUM or Certutil to generate a SHA-512 hash for each installer. It is usually faster to generate a hash if you download the Tableau executable files and generate the hash locally.
Each utility works differently, so from a command prompt, enter the utility's name followed by
-h
or -?
to display the help for the utility. For example:
sha512sum -h
Create the TableauAutoUpdate.xml file
Create your
TableauAutoUpdate.xml
file based on the information you gathered earlier. Create one version
element for each version, and within the version
element, create one installer
element for each product type that you want to update. Save the XML file to the root of your download server.The following sample XML file updates Tableau Desktop 64-bit version to 2020.2.1. An example for updating Tableau Desktop version 9.2.1 is also included. When installing Tableau on a MacOS, use the .pkg files. If you download the .dmg files, you will need to mount the .dmg and then copy the enclosed .pkg files to use to install the product.
Note: If your version is the currently released version of Tableau Public or Tableau Reader, such as Tableau 2020.2, set
public_supported='true' reader_supported='true'
. If your version is a prior version of Tableau Public or Tableau Reader, such as Tableau 9.2, set public_supported='false'
and reader_supported='false
.Configure user computers and the download server
After you've created the
TableauAutoUpdate.xml
file, follow this procedure to point the user's computers to the file location:- Set the
server
registry entry on each of your users' computers to point to your download server.- Windows: Make an entry for each product and operating system type (64-bit) in your environment. The following entry is for 64-bit Tableau Desktop:For example:
- Mac: Change the settings file for each user to list the download server. Use the
defaults
command.defaults write com.tableau.Tableau-<version> AutoUpdate.Server '<MyDownLoadServerName>'
For example:
- Make sure that HTTPS is enabled on the download server. Tableau always prefixes the download server name with
https://
when contacting the server. - Save
TableauAutoUpdate.xml
to the root of your download server. - Upload the Tableau installers to the download server location specified in the
latestVersionPath
parameter.
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Update
TableauAutoUpdate.xml
each time there's a new release that you want to make available to your users.Tableau regularly releases new versions of Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep Builder. To take advantage of new features as well as other improvements and enhancements, upgrade to the latest version.
To upgrade you will need to do the following:
- Download the most recent installer from the Customer Portal(Link opens in a new window) page or any currently supported installer from the Product Downloads and Release Notes(Link opens in a new window) page.
- Follow the installation instructions in Install Tableau Desktop or Tableau Prep Builder from the User Interface(Link opens in a new window) to install the updated version from the user interface or Install Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep Builder from the Command Line(Link opens in a new window) to install the updated version from the command line.Note: By default, Tableau Desktop is configured to automatically install the latest maintenance upgrade (for example 2020.2.3) for you unless this feature has been disabled by the administrator.
For more information about the different types of upgrades you can do and the impact of performing these upgrades, review the sections in this article
Release upgrades versus maintenance upgrades
Not all upgrades are the same:
- A release upgrade is when Tableau offers a range of new features and updates the look and feel of the product. The interval between release upgrades is typically a matter of months for Tableau Desktop or can be monthly for Tableau Prep Builder. With a release upgrade, the Tableau Desktop version number changes. For Tableau Desktop, the most recent release upgrade was from Tableau 2020.2 to Tableau 2020.3; the one before that was from Tableau 2020.1 to Tableau 2020.2. For Tableau Prep Builder, the most recent release upgrade was from Tableau Prep Builder version 2020.2.2 to Tableau Prep Builder version 2020.2.3.
- A maintenance upgrade (Tableau Desktop only) ensures that your copy of Tableau Desktop has the current security fixes and bug fixes. The interval between maintenance upgrades is typically a matter of weeks. Tableau provides maintenance upgrades for all versions of Tableau Desktop that are still officially supported. After a maintenance upgrade, there's typically no obvious change to what you see. However, if you open the About Tableau dialog box you can see that the third part of the version number will have changed—for example, from 2020.2.1 to 2020.2.2.For automatic product upgrades, installers are downloaded to the
Downloads/TableauAutoUpdate
folder. If theDownloads
folder doesn't exist, the installers are downloaded to theTEMP/TableauAutoUpdate
folder.
What you need to know about release upgrades
For information about new features added in recent release upgrades, see What’s New in Tableau Desktop(Link opens in a new window) or What's New in Tableau Prep Builder(Link opens in a new window) in the Tableau and Tableau Prep Builder Help. For information about security issue resolutions, bug fixes, and other details in a release for all Tableau products, see the Product Downloads and Release Notes(Link opens in a new window) page.
Before you upgrade
A release upgrade requires some preparation and planning. Here are some questions to ask before you upgrade:
- Are there any power users within your organization? If so, they should install and test the new version before the rest of the users do. Tableau tests each new version thoroughly, but every environment is unique and a test drive is never a bad idea.
- Does your organization also use Tableau Server? For Tableau Desktop, verify that the new version of Tableau Desktop you will be installing is compatible with your company’s current version of Tableau Server. Publishing workbooks from a newer version of Tableau Desktop to an older version of Tableau Server can be problematic. You can downgrade your workbook for compatibility, but there are limitations to that functionality. For more information about version compatibility, see Make Workbooks Compatible Between Versions.
- Is your organization ready to upgrade all workbooks? After you install a release upgrade, any existing workbooks you open and then save in the newer version will be upgraded. After that, these workbooks, (as well as any new workbooks you create using the new version) can't be opened with an older version of Tableau Desktop unless you downgrade the workbook. For more information about version compatibility and downgrading workbooks, see Make Workbooks Compatible Between Versions
Changes to existing workbooks and data sources (Tableau Desktop only)
When you upgrade to a new release version of Tableau Desktop, bookmarks, workbooks, and data sources that you were working with (that is, that are in the local Tableau repository on your computer) are still available in the new version. For information about the Tableau repository, see Files and Folders(Link opens in a new window) in the Tableau Help. Any recent workbooks, your recent connections list and any customizations that your organization has made to the discover pane are automatically imported when you launch your new version of Tableau Desktop.
After you open and save a workbook or data source with the upgraded version of Tableau Desktop, you can no longer open it with older versions. Instead you would need to downgrade the workbook to open it.
Note: If you've been participating in the Tableau Software Beta program, you also have a beta version of the Tableau repository. The beta repository will still exist after you install the new major version, but Tableau Desktop will no longer use it. To make your beta workbooks accessible in the new release version, copy the workbooks from the beta repository to your new repository.
Changes to sample workbooks and data sources
With a release upgrade, new sample data sources and workbooks replace the old samples—unless you've modified and saved any of the sample workbooks or data sources to an alternate location. The modified workbooks and data sources are retained and the equivalent new sample workbooks or data sources are not installed. This is done on a case-by-case basis. For example, if you've modified the Sample - Superstore data source, but not any of the other sample workbooks or data sources, the installer will replace all of the other sample workbooks or data sources, but not the Sample - Superstore data source.
Install a release version upgrade on the same computer
Typically, you upgrade to the new release version number on the same computer where you were running the previous release version. You don't have to uninstall the older version before you install the new version.
Depending on the product and the release version, the new release version may or may not replace an existing release version on the computer.
For Tableau Desktop, you can keep two release versions (for example, version 2020.2 and version 2020.3) installed on the same computer. Tableau Prep Builder generally releases a new version every month and upgrading to a newer version may overwrite the existing installed version on your computer.
To determine whether the upgrade version will overwrite your current version, you can look at the version numbering for the product, but how you read this version numbering varies by product. For example, Tableau Prep Builder doesn't release maintenance versions, while Tableau Desktop does.
The following examples shows whether an upgrade will overwrite the currently installed product version.
Current version | Upgrade version | Overwrite? |
2020.2.1 | 2020.3.1 | No |
2020.2.1 | 2020.2.2 | Yes |
After you've been using the newer version for a while and have upgraded all your workbooks or flows, it's a good practice to uninstall the older version to avoid confusion and clutter.
Install a release version upgrade on a different computer
If you're installing a release version upgrade of Tableau Desktop or Tableau Prep Builder on a different computer from the one where you installed an older version, you must first deactivate the product key for Tableau Desktop or Tableau Prep Builder on the original computer. You can then use that product key to activate Tableau Desktop on the new computer. You won't be able to use the new version until you transfer the license. If you need to do this, see Move or Deactivate Product Keys .
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Important: Tableau Prep Builder is designed to work with Tableau Desktop. It is recommended that you install Tableau Prep Builder on the same machine as Tableau Desktop.
Updates to workbook themes (Tableau Desktop only)
If you upgrade from an earlier version of Tableau and you open a workbook that uses the Default theme, your workbook will automatically pick up any updates to the theme. If your workbook is set to a theme other than Default, it will retain that setting. Conversely, you can change your workbook's theme from Default to a different, earlier theme. See Format at the Workbook Level(Link opens in a new window) in the Tableau Help for details.
Updates to custom geocoding (Tableau Desktop only)
After you upgrade, it's a good idea to refresh your custom geocoding so you can take advantage of any fixes made to the geocoding data in Tableau. See Data Blending vs. Custom Geocoding(Link opens in a new window) in the Tableau Help.
What you need to know about maintenance upgrades (Tableau Desktop only)
Your copy of Tableau Desktop can stay current with the latest features, security resolutions, and fixes through dot (maintenance) releases. By default, Tableau Desktop is configured to install dot releases for you automatically with a feature named Automatic Product Updates. When you start Tableau Desktop for the first time after a dot release becomes available, you see a prompt offering to download it after you exit Tableau Desktop. You can choose to postpone or skip the update. (The Product Update feature will not automatically install a major upgrade.)
You can also check for product updates at any time by selecting Check for Product Updates from the Help menu. If a new maintenance version is available, Tableau gives you an opportunity to download and install the latest version.
Note:Automatic Product Updates and Check for Product Updates are not available if your Administrator has turned off this feature during install or if your product maintenance services have expired.
Changes to existing workbooks and data sources (Tableau Desktop only)
With a dot release, there's no change to the workbooks, data sources, and other files in your Tableau repository, and everything in Tableau Desktop should look the same as before. One exception is that Tableau sometimes makes new data source connectors available with a maintenance release.
For information about the individual security resolutions, bug fixes, and other changes in any dot release, see the Release Notes(Link opens in a new window) page. Another resource is the Subscription and Maintenance Policy(Link opens in a new window), which provides basic information about product maintenance.
If maintenance releases aren't installed automatically (Tableau Desktop only)
If maintenance updates aren't being installed on your computer, your copy of Tableau might not be configured for automatic updates, or there might be a problem with updating. For more information, see the Troubleshoot maintenance updates (Tableau Desktop only) section in the troubleshooting article of this guide.
You can turn Product Updates off or on from within Tableau Desktop:
- Choose Help > Settings and Performance > Enable Automatic Product Updates.
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This option is only available if Product Updates was enabled during the product install. If the feature was disabled during installation, this menu item is also disabled.