# Site-role capabilities for end users

*Tableau Server Administrator Study Guide · Administration · Last updated November 13, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/tableau-server-administrator/administration/site-role-capabilities-for-end-users*

What each end-user site role can do on Tableau Server compared with administrators: the Creator, Explorer (can publish), Explorer and Viewer authoring ladder, subscriptions versus data-driven alerts, why administrator access is not Creator entitlement, who can delete comments, and which roles keep user information under Limited User Visibility.

- Certification: Salesforce Tableau Server Administrator
- Exam section: Administration
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/tableau-server-administrator

**Official exam objective:**

> 3.3 Contrast end-user with System-administrator capabilities

## What the exam expects

- Contrast what Creator, Explorer (can publish), Explorer and Viewer can author, publish and run, and pick the lowest site role that meets a requirement.
- Separate what a Viewer can do with views (subscriptions) from what needs Explorer or higher (data-driven alerts).
- Explain why an administrator site role on an Explorer license grants administration but not Creator-only authoring such as Prep flow publishing.
- Identify who can delete another user's comment on content.
- Predict which roles still see user information when User Visibility is Limited, and what happens when it returns to Full.

Key terms:
- **Site role:** the maximum level of access a user can have on one site.
- **Explorer (can publish):** an Explorer-license role that publishes workbooks from the web using existing data sources.
- **Data-driven alert:** an email or notification sent when data in a view crosses a threshold.
- **Content owner:** the user who owns a workbook, view or data source.
- **User Visibility:** a site setting that, at Limited, hides other users from non-administrator Explorers and Viewers.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Site role meaning | Maximum level of access a user can have on the site | [Set Users’ Site Roles](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/users_site_roles.htm) |
| Administrator roles | Always have all capabilities applicable to their license level | [Permissions, Site Roles, and Licenses](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/permission_license_siterole.htm) |
| Explorer (can publish) limits | No new data sources, no external data, no standalone source from an embedded connection | [Set Users’ Site Roles](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/users_site_roles.htm) |
| Prep flow publishing | Server Administrator, Site Administrator Creator and Creator only | [Set Users’ Site Roles](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/users_site_roles.htm) |
| Running flows | Explorer (can publish) can; Explorer can't even with Run Flow (2020.4 and later) | [Permissions, Site Roles, and Licenses](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/permission_license_siterole.htm) |
| Viewer | Subscribes to views; can't set data alerts | [Set Users’ Site Roles](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/users_site_roles.htm) |
| Alert creators | Any site user except Viewers, when the site allows alerts | [Set Up for Data-Driven Alerts](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/data_alerts_admin.htm) |
| Server Administrator on Explorer license | Unrestricted admin access, incl. connection information; no Prep flow publishing | [Set Users’ Site Roles](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/users_site_roles.htm) |
| Comment deletion | Author, content owner, qualified project leader or administrator | [Comment on Views](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/comment.htm) |
| Limited User Visibility | Creators, administrators and Site Administrator Explorers still see users | [Manage Site User Visibility](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/user_visibility.htm) |

## Check yourself

- Why might the snapshot icon be missing from the Comments pane on some filtered views?
- When you republish a workbook, what keeps its existing comments attached?
- How many users does the @mention search list at most?
- When User Visibility is Limited, what can affected Explorers and Viewers still do with tags?

## Sources

- [Set Users’ Site Roles](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/users_site_roles.htm)
- [Permissions, Site Roles, and Licenses](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/permission_license_siterole.htm)
- [Set Up for Data-Driven Alerts](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/data_alerts_admin.htm)
- [Comment on Views](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/comment.htm)
- [Manage Site User Visibility](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/user_visibility.htm)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 6 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Tableau Server Administrator pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams