Administration36% of the exam

Server, site and TSM administrator boundaries

Separate what the TSM administrator, Tableau Server administrator, site administrator, Customer Portal administrator and project leader can each do, from creating sites and managing users across sites to schedules, storage, alerts and subscriptions.

Official exam objective
3.3 Contrast end-user with System-administrator capabilities

~7 min read · 13 practice questions

What the exam expects

  • Route a task to the right administrator: TSM administrator, Tableau Server administrator, site administrator, Customer Portal administrator or project leader.
  • Explain why site roles and site-administrator authority are scoped per site, while the Server Administrator role spans every site and all content.
  • Decide who can add sites, add users, set site membership and change passwords for users on one or several sites.
  • Identify settings and controls only Server administrators hold: shared schedules, Storage, server-wide thresholds, and server-wide administrative views.
  • End-user site-role capabilities are taught in Site-role capabilities for end users; license counting is in User-based license types and site roles.

Key terms:

  • TSM administrator: an account with administrative rights on the Tableau Server computer that signs in to Tableau Services Manager.
  • Server Administrator: the Tableau Server site role with unrestricted access to all sites, users and content.
  • Site Administrator Creator / Explorer: site roles that administer one site's users and content framework.
  • Portal administrator: the person who manages licenses and product keys in the Tableau Customer Portal.
  • Project leader: a user or group with administrator-like access to one project hierarchy.

Key facts

TSM sign-in
Detail
Needs administrative rights on the Server computer, not a Tableau Server account
TSM administrator duties
Detail
Install, configure, backup, restore, log archives, multi-node changes
Product keys
Detail
Managed by the Customer Portal administrator
Adding sites
Detail
Only server administrators
Site roles
Detail
Set per site; one user can hold different roles on different sites
Server Administrator role
Detail
Unrestricted access to all sites, users and content
Cross-site membership
Detail
Manage All Sites > Users > Actions > Site Membership
Multi-site password change
Detail
Server administrator only
Project leader limit
Detail
No access to site or server settings
Storage setting
Detail
Tableau Server Administrators only
Subscription suspension threshold
Detail
Server-wide TSM setting for Server administrators
Sources for this section (8)
  • Which three administrator-level site roles does Tableau Server include?
  • Why does Tableau advise projects rather than separate sites for functional areas?
  • When can a project leader not refresh extracts in a project they lead?
  • How does a view URL on the Default site differ from one on an added site?

The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.

Keep reading with the Tableau Server Administrator pack

  • Core concepts
  • Exam traps
  • Worked scenario

The pack includes:

  • All 34 lessons of the Tableau Server Administrator guide, with reading progress
  • Interactive decision walks and step-by-step sequence steppers
  • Practice exams purchase adds inline bank questions and topic practice (13 questions for this lesson)
  • An official source cited for every claim
  • An AI tutor that answers from the guide
  • Choose guide-only, practice-only, or save $4 with both

Practice for the Tableau Server Administrator exam