Cloud Administrator Role and Tasks
This topic outlines the role of a cloud administrator, highlighting how it differs from the site administrator role, and defines the core responsibilities involved in Tableau Cloud Manager (TCM).
How we define the cloud administrator role
The cloud administrator is responsible for overseeing the Tableau Cloud sites in your organisation. Unlike the site administrator, who manages specific site settings and content permissions, the cloud administrator operates at the tenant level, handling broader responsibilities such as user management across multiple sites, licence monitoring and site creation. For more information about tenant and site administration in Tableau Cloud, see Understanding tenant and site administration in Tableau Cloud.
Licensing and access
The role of a cloud administrator is unique compared to traditional site roles. Cloud administrators only have access to Tableau Cloud Manager, and because they don’t have site access, they don’t consume a Tableau Cloud licence. If site access is required, cloud administrators can assign themselves a site role through TCM, thus gaining access to any site within the tenant.
Key responsibilities of a cloud administrator
The following are the primary responsibilities of cloud administrators in Tableau Cloud Manager:
Manage users across sites: Cloud administrators oversee users across all sites within Tableau Cloud, such as adding or removing users and adjusting site roles at the tenant level.
Bulk upload users across sites: Cloud administrators can import large numbers of users and configure site access using CSV files. Bulk upload is beneficial for managing user access across multiple sites in large-scale deployments.
Track overall licences: Cloud administrators actively monitor and manage Tableau Cloud licences by setting site role limits, enabling site administrators to add users up to a specified count.
Create sites: Cloud administrators are responsible for the creation and deletion of sites within Tableau Cloud. They set the initial framework of sites by assigning the name, region and initial site administrator. After configuring a site, admin responsibility is then passed to site administrators who manage site-level operations.
Tasks outside the cloud administrator's scope
Cloud administrators focus on tenant-level management and don’t directly handle the day-to-day management of specific sites. To gain site access and perform tasks such as setting specific site permissions, managing content and customising sites in detail, they must also be assigned the site administrator role. For more information about modifying a user’s site membership, see Manage users’ site membership.
In this topic, we reviewed the differences between the roles of cloud administrator and site administrator. However, in your organisation, the same person might cover both roles. In practice, you can divide these responsibilities in the way that works best for your environment.