Migration & Upgrade6% of the exam
Clean reinstall with the obliterate script
Why and when to reset a Windows computer to a pre-Tableau state with tableau-server-obliterate.cmd instead of a Control Panel uninstall, what the script removes and preserves, its -k, -g, -a and -l options, and how to run it correctly before a clean reinstall.
5.2 Explain how and why to perform a clean reinstall
~7 min read · 5 practice questions
What the exam expects
- Explain why a clean reinstall needs
tableau-server-obliterate.cmdrather than a Control Panel uninstall or a maintenance command. - State what the obliterate script removes, what it preserves by default and what it never touches.
- Run the script correctly: the right command prompt, the right script version, the right folder and every node.
- Choose among the
-k,-g,-aand-loptions for backups, logs and licensing. - Decide whether to keep or remove licensing before a reinstall.
Key terms:
- Clean reinstall: completely removing Tableau Server, including data and settings, then installing it again on a computer in a pre-Tableau state.
tableau-server-obliterate.cmd: the script installed with Tableau Server that removes all versions, data, registry entries and, optionally, licensing.- Uninstall: removing one Tableau Server package in Control Panel, typically an earlier version after an upgrade.
- logs-temp: the folder, by default
\ProgramData\Tableau\logs-temp, where the script saves backup and log files. - Server ATR: activating Tableau Server through the Authorization-To-Run service.
Key facts
Script name
- Detail
tableau-server-obliterate.cmd, installed with Tableau Server
Default folder
- Detail
packages\scripts.<version_code>under the install path
Prompt type
- Detail
- 64-bit only; a 32-bit prompt leaves Tableau partly installed
Script version
- Detail
- Use the one for the installed version; older scripts may miss files
Default preservation
- Detail
- Since 2020.1, backups and logs copied to
\ProgramData\Tableau\logs-temp
-k / -g / -a- Detail
- Skip backups / skip logs / skip both
-l- Detail
- Removes licensing files when the computer is online; not for offline use
Not removed
- Detail
- Separately installed drivers
After Control Panel uninstall
- Detail
- Run the copy in
\Tableau Server\temp
Multi-node
- Detail
- Run on each node; deactivate keys on the initial node only
Uninstall backup
- Detail
- Uninstalling does not create a backup since 2018.2
- When does a first-time Tableau Server install fail to prompt for an install location?
- Why should you copy a
.tsbakto another computer before removing Tableau Server? - Where does the script save backup and log files by default?
- Which registry entries does the obliterate script remove?
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