Sensitivity Labels

Applies to: Tableau Cloud, Tableau Data Management, Tableau Server

Some data needs to be handled more carefully. To ensure trust and security, it's important that users know which data that is. Starting in Tableau Cloud June 2023 and Tableau Server 2023.3, if you have a Data Management licence, Tableau offers a new category of data label: Sensitivity labels. Users can use sensitivity labels to indicate the level of care that should be taken when creating views or sharing information. Furthermore, sensitivity labels can co-exist on the same asset as other labels, such as certification and data quality warnings. And, using the label manager on the Data Labels page or the REST API, an administrator can create sensitivity labels to suit the needs of their organisation.

Note: In Tableau Cloud March 2023 and Tableau Server 2023.1 and earlier, data sensitivity was expressed using the "sensitive data" data quality warning. With the upgrade to Tableau Cloud June 2023 and Tableau Server 2023.3, "sensitive data" data quality warnings were migrated to sensitivity labels.

Sensitivity labels can be attached to the same types of assets that other data labels can.

Attach a sensitivity label to an asset

To attach a sensitivity label to an asset:

Note: Starting with Tableau Cloud February 2024 and Tableau Server 2024.2, you add and remove sensitivity labels using the consolidated Data Labels dialog instead of separate dialogs for each type of label. For information on the Data Labels dialogue, see The Data Labels dialog.

  1. Search for or navigate to the asset. The steps to navigate depend on the type of asset you want to add the sensitivity label to:
    • Data source or virtual connection – on the Explore page, select All Data Sources or All Virtual Connections.
    • Virtual connection table – on the Explore page, select All Virtual Connections, and select the virtual connection that contains the virtual connection table you want to certify. Then select the virtual connection table.
    • Database or table – on the Explore page, navigate to the database or table. Or on the External Assets page, select Databases and Files or Tables and Objects.
    • Column – on the Explore page, navigate to the table. Or on the External Assets page, select Tables and Objects and navigate to the table. Then find the column in the list.
  2. Select the actions menu (. . .) next to the asset, and then select Data Labels > Sensitivity Label.
  3. Select the tick box beside sensitivity labels you want attached to the asset. Optionally, if you know the name of a sensitivity label, you can search for it at the top of the dialog, and then select the tick box beside it. (In Tableau Server 2023.3 and earlier, you can only attach one sensitivity label to each asset. Use the Show label switch to turn on a sensitivity label for that asset, then select the desired sensitivity label from the dropdown list.)
  4. If desired, enter a message to display to users. You can format the text in a message with bold, underline and italics, and include a link or an image. To see text formatting tips, hover over the information (i) icon above the Save button.
  5. Select Save.
    The Sensitivity Label dialog

Remove a sensitivity label from an asset

To remove a sensitivity label from an asset:

Note: Starting with Tableau Cloud February 2024 and Tableau Server 2024.2, you add and remove sensitivity labels using the consolidated Data Labels dialog instead of separate dialogs for each type of label. For information on the Data Labels dialog, see The Data Labels dialog

  1. Select the actions menu (. . .) next to the asset, and then select Data Labels > Sensitivity Label.
  2. Untick the boxes beside sensitivity labels you want to remove from the asset. (In Tableau Server 2023.3 and earlier, turn off the label with the Show label switch.)
  3. Select Save.

Where sensitivity labels appear

Sensitivity labels appear on assets when navigating Tableau Server. Like data quality warnings, sensitivity labels appear downstream from the assets on which they're attached. For example, a sensitivity label on a column appears in the columns row of the table page, again at the top of the table page, and on the database page.

A sensitivity label on a table page

A sensitivity label on a field of the workbook page

In web authoring, users see an icon next to the data source in the Data pane when

  • there's a sensitivity label on a data source used in the workbook, or
  • there's a warning upstream from the data source used in the workbook

To see the details, hover over the icon with the cursor. Or, in Tableau Cloud web authoring, you can select a data source or a column and then select Catalogue Details to see all its labels.

Visibility

High-visibility sensitivity labels appear more urgent and appear in more places. For example, a high visibility sensitivity label on a table generates a notification when anyone authors a view or opens a published view that depends on it.

High-visibility sensitivity label alert in web authoring

The icon and badge for high-visibility sensitivity labels are purple, while standard-visibility ones are grey. By default, the built-in sensitivity label called "Sensitive data" is high visibility.

If more than one sensitivity label applies to an asset (because the asset has more than one sensitivity label or is inheriting upstream ones), the badge includes a number, and the colour is determined by the highest visibility label. For example, if two sensitivity labels apply to an asset, one of which is standard visibility and one of which is high visibility, the badge is purple.

Sensitivity badge on masthead with two labels

Sensitivity labels in email subscriptions

Administrators can turn on sensitivity labels in email subscriptions so that when users subscribe to a view, the email they get includes high-visibility sensitivity labels associated with that view. Emails with high-visibility sensitivity labels contain:

  • Links to relevant views or workbooks with their Data Details pane open.
  • Links to relevant upstream assets, such as data sources, tables or databases.

Administrators can turn on sensitivity labels in email subscriptions by selecting the High-Visibility Data Labels in View and Workbook Subscriptions option (previously the Data Quality Warnings in Subscriptions option) on the Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud site settings page. For more information, see High-Visibility Data Labels in View and Workbook Subscriptions in the Site Settings Reference.

Who can set sensitivity labels

To set a sensitivity label, you must either

  • be a server or site administrator, or
  • have the Overwrite capability for the asset.

Customise sensitivity labels

There's only one built-in sensitivity label: Sensitive data. Starting with Tableau Cloud June 2023 and Tableau Server 2023, using the labels manager on the Data Labels page or the REST API, an administrator can create sensitivity labels or change the name and description of an existing ones. Typical additions (name and description) might be:

  • Public: Available to the public to view.
  • Internal: Restricted to company employees and contractors. This data must not be shared publicly, but it can be shared with customers, partners and others under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
  • Confidential: Available to an approved group of employees and contractors. This data isn’t restricted by law, regulation, or a company master service agreement (MSA). It can be shared with customers, partners and others under an NDA.
  • Restricted: Available only to an approved group of employees and contractors. This data is likely restricted by law, regulation, an NDA or a company MSA.
  • MissionCritical: Available only to a small group of approved employees and contractors. Third parties who are given access could be subject to heightened contractual requirements. This data is almost always restricted by law, regulation, an NDA or a company MSA.

For more information, see Manage Data Labels.

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