Tableau Server is an enterprise-level platform that allows users to share, distribute, and collaborate on Tableau visualizations and data sources. It provides a secure and scalable environment for managing and deploying Tableau workbooks and dashboards across an organization.

• Centralized Data Management: Manage and govern data sources centrally.
• Collaboration: Share dashboards and collaborate with team members.
• Security: Ensure data security with user authentication and permissions.
• Scalability: Scale up to meet the needs of large organizations.
• Automation: Automate data refreshes and extract schedules.

Before installing Tableau Server, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

• Operating System: Windows Server or Linux
• Memory: Minimum 8 GB RAM (16 GB recommended)
• Processor: 4-core CPU (8-core recommended)
• Disk Space: Minimum 15 GB free space

1. Download Tableau Server: Visit the Tableau website and download the installer for your operating system.
2. Run the Installer: Follow the on-screen instructions to install Tableau Server.
3. Activate License: Enter your Tableau Server license key to activate the software.
4. Configure Initial Setup: Set up the initial configuration, including the admin account and server settings.

• Server Admin Area: Manage server settings, users, and groups.
• Sites: Create and manage multiple sites within a single Tableau Server instance.
• Projects: Organize workbooks and data sources into projects.
• Workbooks: Publish and manage Tableau workbooks.
• Data Sources: Manage and connect to data sources.

• Home: Access your favorite workbooks and recent activity.
• Explore: Browse projects, workbooks, and data sources.
• Content: View and manage all content within a site.
• Tasks: Monitor and manage scheduled tasks and data refreshes.

Tableau Server supports a wide range of data sources, including:

• Databases: SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, etc.
• Cloud Services: Google BigQuery, Amazon Redshift, Snowflake, etc.
• Files: Excel, CSV, JSON, etc.

1. Open Tableau Desktop: Connect to your data source and create a workbook.
2. Publish Data Source: Publish the data source to Tableau Server.
3. Manage Data Source: Configure permissions and refresh schedules on Tableau Server.

• String: Text data.
• Number: Numeric data (integer, float).
• Date/Time: Date and time data.
• Boolean: True/False values.

• Tables: Organize data into rows and columns.
• Joins: Combine data from multiple tables.
• Blends: Merge data from different sources.

1. Create a Workbook: Open Tableau Desktop and create a visualization.
2. Publish Workbook:

   - Go to `Server` > `Publish Workbook`.
   - Select the Tableau Server instance.
   - Enter your credentials and sign in.
   - Choose the project where you want to publish the workbook.
   - Configure permissions and data refresh settings.
   - Click `Publish`.
   

3. Access the Workbook: Log in to Tableau Server and navigate to the project to view the published workbook.

1. Create a simple bar chart in Tableau Desktop using sample data.
2. Publish the workbook to Tableau Server.
3. Configure the workbook to refresh daily.

1. Create Bar Chart:

   - Open Tableau Desktop.
   - Connect to the Sample - Superstore data source.
   - Drag `Category` to Columns and `Sales` to Rows.
   - Create a bar chart.
   

2. Publish Workbook:

   - Go to `Server` > `Publish Workbook`.
   - Select your Tableau Server instance.
   - Enter your credentials and sign in.
   - Choose the default project.
   - Set permissions to allow all users to view.
   - Click `Publish`.
   

3. Configure Refresh:

   - Log in to Tableau Server.
   - Navigate to the published workbook.
   - Go to `Data Sources` and select the data source.
   - Click `Extract` > `Refresh` > `Schedule`.
   - Set the refresh schedule to daily.
   

In this section, we introduced Tableau Server, its key features, and how to install and configure it. We also covered the Tableau Server interface, connecting to data sources, and publishing workbooks. By completing the practical example and exercise, you should now have a basic understanding of how to use Tableau Server to share and manage your Tableau visualizations. In the next section, we will delve deeper into managing permissions and collaborating with Tableau Online.