Tableau Server Processes
This topic describes the options for setting the process configuration. To configure Tableau Server processes, you need to specify which processes and how many instances should run on each node. You do this using the tsm topology set-process command. For more information, see Changing the number of processes on a node.
Looking for Tableau Server on Windows? See Tableau Server Processes(Link opens in a new window).
Except where explicitly noted in the table below, applying changes in processes will stop Tableau Server if it is running when you apply those changes. After changes are applied, Tableau Server is returned to the state it was in before process configuration, so if the server was running, it will be restarted.
Important: Your process topology will depend on your organisational needs.
Licensed processes
Some of the processes that are installed as a part of Tableau Server are ‘licensed’ processes. Licensed processes need a valid Tableau Server licence in order to run. Other processes that are installed as a part of Tableau Server are not tied to a valid licence. This has the following impact:
Every licensed process needs to regularly contact the Tableau Server Licence Manager service that runs on the initial Tableau Server computer to verify they are licensed. If they cannot confirm there is a valid licence, for example, if the initial node is not available, the process will not run and Tableau Server may not function properly or reliably.
If you have a core-based Tableau Server licence, the cores on any node with a licensed process will count against the total count of licensed cores.
Note: If you have Data Management and a core-based licence, you will need to understand how the licensed processes will count against the total count of licensed cores that come with each licence. For more information, see Licence Data Management.
The ‘Licensed’ column in the table below identifies those processes that require a valid licence, and which impact the count of cores in core-based licences.
Tableau Server Processes These processes have a status of running when Tableau Server is running, and stopped when Tableau Server is stopped. | ||||
Name shown in tsm status -v | Name used with tsm topology set-process | Purpose | Notes | Licensed |
| Analytics Extensions Microservice | analyticsextensions | The Analytics Extensions Microservice supports a set of functions to pass expressions to analytics extensions for integration with R, Python and Einstein Discovery. | Automatically installed on any node where Application Server (VizPortal) is installed. | No |
| Application Server | vizportal | The Application Server (VizPortal) handles the web application, REST API calls, and supports browsing and searching. | When Application Server is installed, Data Engine is also installed, unless the node already has an instance of Data Engine. When the first instance of Application Server is installed on a node, the Interactive Container Service is also installed. | Yes |
| Ask Data | Cannot be configured manually. | The Ask Data service is used by the Ask Data feature. | Runs automatically on all nodes where Data Server is running. | No |
| Authentication Added: 2022.1 | Cannot be configured manually. | The Authentication service handles the identity migration process and identity pools. After the identity migration process is complete and as part of identity pools management, the Authentication service is responsible for the following:
| Status for this process is only available through tsm CLI. Identity migration must be complete and the Identity Service turned on to set up and user identity pools. For more information, see About the Identity Migration and Provision and Authenticate Users Using Identity Pools. | No |
| Backgrounder | backgrounder | The Backgrounder runs server tasks, including extract refreshes, subscriptions, ‘Run Now’ tasks and tasks initiated from tabcmd. | When Backgrounder is installed, Data Engine is also installed, unless the node already has an instance of Data Engine. Backgrounder is a single-threaded process. You can add more instances of backgrounder to a node to expand the capacity of the node to run jobs in parallel. In most situations, you can increase or decrease the number of backgrounder instances on an existing node of a running server without causing a stop and restart the server. The exception is when you have Data Management licensed and you add the first instance of backgrounder to a node or remove the last instance of backgrounder from the node. For more information, see Tableau Server Dynamic Topology Changes. | Yes |
| Cache Server | cacheserver | The Cache Server is a query cache distributed and shared across the server cluster. This in-memory cache speeds user experience across many scenarios. VizQL server, backgrounder and data server (and application server to a lesser extent) make cache requests to the cache server on behalf of users or jobs. | The cache is single-threaded, so if you need better performance you should run additional instances of cache server. We recommend you install no more than a maximum of six cache server instances, limiting each node to no more than two. Our testing indicates that installing more than a total of six cache server instances in a Tableau Server installation provides no improvement and could have a negative impact on performance. | No |
| Cluster Controller | clustercontroller | The Cluster Controller is responsible for monitoring various components, detecting failures and running failover when needed. | Automatically installed on every node. | No |
| Collections Added: 2021.2.0 | collections | The Collections service provides meta data for the collections and favourites features. | The Collections service is installed on the first node where the Application (vizportal) is installed. For high availability, we recommend you install an instance of the Collections service on every node that has an instance of the Application Server installed. For more information, see Tableau Server Collections Service. | No |
| Connection Pooling Added: 2023.1.0 | The Connection Pooling service is intended to offer an option for pooling database connections to the repository. | The Connection Pooling service is installed on the every node in a disabled state. It cannot be enabled except in TSM. It should not be enabled except by instructions from Tableau Support. | No | |
| Content Exploration Added: 2021.1.0 | contentexploration | The Content Exploration service extends search and browse capabilities for Tableau Server. It also depends on Index and Search Server to do its operations. | The Content Exploration service is installed on the initial node. For high availability, we recommend you install an instance of the Content Exploration service on every node that has Application Server installed. For more information, see Tableau Server Content Exploration Service. | No |
| Data Engine | Cannot be configured manually. | The Data Engine creates data extracts and processes queries. | Automatically installed when you install File Store, VizQL Server, Application Server (VizPortal), Data Server, Prep Flow Authoring or Backgrounder. Note: When File Store is configured externally, Data Engine is no longer installed with File Store. For more information see Tableau Server External File Store. | Yes |
| Data Profiling Added: 2021.4.0 | dataprofiling | The Data Profiling service handles column profiling requests for the Virtual Connection editor. | Only installed when you have a Data Management licence. Then, automatically installed on any node where Backgrounder is installed. | Yes - Requires a Data Management licence |
| Data Server | dataserver | The Data Server manages connections to Tableau Server data sources. | When Data Server is installed, Data Engine is also installed, unless the node already has an instance of Data Engine. | Yes |
| Data Source Properties Added: 2020.1.0 | tdsservice | The Data Source Properties service provides published data source metadata to client services like Ask Data. | Data Source Properties is added by default on the initial node. A Tableau Server installation must include at least one instance. For performance reasons, we recommend installing the Data Source Properties service on any node that has Application Server (VizPortal) installed. | No |
| Data Stories Added: 2023.1.0 | The Data Stories service handles the analytical engine that powers the Data Stories dashboard extension. | Data Stories is automatically added to every node of the Tableau Server installation. It cannot be configured manually. | No | |
| Elastic Server Added: 2019.1 Removed: 2022.1 Starting in version 2022.1, Index and Search Server is used instead. | elasticserver | Elastic Server is used by Ask Data to index data and by Content Exploration service to index searchable content. | Elastic Server processes can be running on more than one node in a cluster. Optionally, they can be moved to any node. It is recommended to have an odd number of Elastic Server processes running. The Elastic Server heap size can be configured by using the | No |
| Extract Service Added: 2021.4.0 | extractservice | The Extract service manages extracts of Virtual Connections. | Only installed when you have a Data Management licence. Then, automatically installed on any node where Backgrounder is installed. | Yes - Requires a Data Management licence |
| File Store | filestore | File Store can be configured to run locally on Tableau Server or externally using SAN or NAS storage. When configured locally: The File Store automatically replicates extracts across Data Engine nodes. | When File Store is installed, Data Engine is also installed, unless the node already has an instance of Data Engine or if File Store is configured externally. | Local File Store: No External File Store: Requires Advanced Management licence. |
| Gateway | gateway | The Gateway is a web server that handles all requests to Tableau Server from browsers, Tableau Desktop and other clients. | Required on any node with an instance of VizQL Server, Vizportal or Tableau Prep Flow Authoring. | No |
| Index and Search Server Added: 2022.1 | indexandsearchserver | Index and Search Server is based on AWS OpenSearch. Tableau uses the search capability of Open Search to index data for Ask Data and the Content Exploration service. This server process is the replacement for Elastic Server, which is no longer used in version 2022.1 and later. As of version 2023.3.0, this process replaces Search and Browse. | Index and Search Server can be configured on more than one node in a cluster. We recommended an odd number of Index and Search Server processes running in total. On Tableau Server Clusters that have 3 or more nodes, we recommend that you configure Index and Search Server on at least three different nodes. | No |
| Internal Data Source Properties Added: 2020.1.0 |
Cannot be configured manually. | The Internal Data Source Properties service is an internal service that only communicates with the Data Source Properties service. | One instance of Internal Data Source Properties is automatically configured on each node that has an instance of Data Source Properties on it. | No |
| Messaging Service Added: 2019.4.0 | activemqserver | The Messaging Service is used to support communication between microservices in Tableau Server. | Automatically installed on initial node when you install Tableau Server. One instance of the service is required. On multi-node installations of Tableau Server, you can move the Messaging Service to a different node. In version 2020.1 you can add a second instance of the Messaging Service on an additional node to provide some redundancy (in 2019.4, you cannot configure more than one instance in a cluster). For more information, see Tableau Server Messaging Service. | No |
| Metrics Service Added: 2020.2.0 Retired: 2024.2 | metrics | The Metrics Service is responsible for reading and writing Metric data in Tableau Server. | Automatically installed on initial node with a single instance when you install Tableau Server. One instance of the service is required. You can add additional instances as necessary . We recommend at least one instance of the Metrics service on each node in a multi-node installation of Tableau Server. For more information, see Tableau Server Metrics Service. (The legacy Metrics feature was retired in February 2024 for Tableau Cloud and in Tableau Server version 2024.2. For more information, see Create and Troubleshoot Metrics (Retired).) | No |
| Minerva Service Added: 2021.4.0 | minerva | The Minerva service executes queries to Virtual Connections. | Only installed when you have a Data Management licence. Then, automatically installed on any node where Backgrounder is installed. | Yes - Requires a Data Management licence |
| NonRelational Storage Service Added: 2023.1.0 Retired: 2024.1.0 Note: The service appears in the CLI in versions 2023.x but is non-functional. | nrs | The NonRelational Storage service is a microservice managed and used internally by other Tableau services. | Automatically installed on the initial node of Tableau Server. This service cannot be managed by system administrators. | No |
| Virtual Connections Service Added: 2021.4.0 | publishedconnections | The Virtual Connections service handles queries to Virtual Connections. | Only installed when you have a Data Management licence. Then, automatically installed on any node where Backgrounder is installed. | Yes - Requires a Data Management licence |
| Query Gateway Microservice Added: 2021.4.0 | querygateway | The Query Gateway Microservice routes queries to the appropriate microservice, depending on the query type and source. | Only installed when you have a Data Management licence. Then, automatically installed on any node where Backgrounder is installed. | Yes - Requires a Data Management licence |
| Query Policy Service Added: 2021.4.0 Retired: 2023.3.0 | querypolicy | The Query Policy service provides information about Data Policies when processing queries. | Only installed when you have a Data Management licence. Then, automatically installed on any node where Backgrounder is installed. | Yes - Requires a Data Management licence |
| Repository | pgsql | The PostgreSQL repository is the main database for Tableau Server. It stores workbook and user metadata. When Tableau Catalogue (or Tableau Metadata API) is enabled, the repository stores Tableau content and external assets metadata. | You are limited to a maximum of two instances of the repository in a cluster, and must have at least three nodes in the cluster to add a second repository instance.
| No |
| Resource Limits Manager Added in: 2022.1 | "Resource Limits Manager" | The Tableau Server Resource Limits Manager tracks backgrounder resource usage in relation to the set resource limits to make sure the resource limits are applied correctly. | The Resource Limits Manager is automatically and by default installed on the Initial node of Tableau Server. We do not recommend adding more processes or configuring this on additional nodes of the Tableau Server. | No Requires Advanced Management |
| SAML Service | Cannot be configured manually. | The SAML Service acts as a proxy between Tableau Server and SAML Identity Providers (IdPs). | Automatically installed on each node where you install Tableau Server. Shows a status of You cannot configure the SAML Service manually. | No |
| Search And Browse Retired: 2023.3.0 | searchserver | The Search and Browse service handles fast search, filter, retrieval and display of content metadata on the server. | Beginning in version 2022.3.0, Search and Browse is no longer used. The Index and Search Server completely replaces this. Beginning in version 2023.3.0, it is no longer installed. Note: If you are running Tableau Server version 2022.3 or 2023.1, you should not configure more than one instance of Search and Browse for any installation. Configuring more than one instance can, in rare cases, result in stability issues. | No |
| Tableau Prep Conductor | flowprocessor | The Tableau Prep Conductor runs flows and processes flows for ingestion by Data Catalogue. It leverages the scheduling and tracking functionality of Tableau Server so you can automate running flows to update the flow output. | By default, it is automatically enabled on a node where backgrounder is enabled. If the node role is set to exclude flows, then Tableau Prep Conductor is not installed on that node. For more information, see Workload Management through Node Roles. Starting in 2020.4, Data Management is not needed to enable this process on Tableau Server. | Yes |
| Tableau Prep Flow Authoring Added in version 2020.4. | floweditor | Provides the interactive Prep Flow experience in the browser. | When Tableau Prep Flow Authoring (floweditor) is installed, Data Engine, Tableau Prep Flow Service (flowqueryservice) and Gateway are also installed, unless the node already has an instance of each of those. | Yes |
| Tableau Prep Minerva Service Added as Tableau Prep Flow Service in version 2020.4 and renamed in version 2021.2. | flowminervaNote: previously | Used by Tableau Prep Flow Authoring (floweditor) for querying datasources. | By default, it is automatically enabled on a node where Tableau Prep Flow Authoring (floweditor) is enabled. | Yes |
| Tableau Statistical Service Added: 2022.1 Retired: 2023.3 | statsservice | The Tableau Statistical Service manages the statistical engine for Explain Data and predictive modelling functions. | Automatically installed on any node where VizQL is installed. For more information, see Tableau Statistical Service. | No |
| VizQL Server | vizqlserver | The VizQL Server loads and renders views, computes and executes queries. | When VizQL Server is installed, Gateway and Data Engine are also installed, unless the node already has an instance of Gateway and Data Engine. In most situations you can change the number of VizQL instances on an existing node of a running server without causing a stop and restart the server. An exception is if you are adding VizQL to an existing node that did not previously have VizQL or any other process that also installs Gateway and Data Engine. For more information, see Tableau Server Dynamic Topology Changes. | Yes |
| VizData Service Added: 2024.2 | vizdataservice | The VizData Service manages connections to published data sources on Tableau Server. | An instance of VizData Service is installed for every instance of Data Server. | Yes |
| VizData Native Service Added: 2024.2 | vizdatanativeservice | The VizData Native Service communicates with the VizData Service on Tableau Server. | An instance of VizData Native Service is added for each instance of VizData Service. | Yes |
Tableau Microservice Container Processes These processes are automatically added when the first instance of Backgrounder or Application Server is added to a node. If all instances of Backgrounder or Application Server are removed from a node, the microservice container process is also removed. Container status depends on the status of the microservices within the container. If all microservices are running, the container process has a status of | ||||
| Interactive Microservice Container | Container process for internal Tableau Server microservices that are bundled together for ease of deployment and scalability purposes. | These containers and the microservices they contain cannot be manually configured. The microservices may change over time. | No | |
| Non-Interactive Microservice Container | noninteractive | Container process for internal Tableau Server microservices that are bundled together for ease of deployment and scalability purposes. | These containers and the microservices they contain cannot be manually configured. The microservices may change over time. | No |
Tableau Services Manager (TSM) Processes These processes have a status of running once TSM has been initialised, and remain running even when Tableau Server is stopped. | ||||
| Activation Service Added in version 2021.1 | Cannot be configured manually. | The Activation Service, also known as the authorisation-to-run service (ATR), enables you to activate Tableau Server without running out of licences. It provides short-term leases of configurable duration until the product key expires. | Automatically installed on the initial node beginning in versions 2023.1.3, 2022.3.7, 2022.1.15 and later. In earlier versions, this is automatically installed on the initial node when ATR is enabled. | No |
| Administration Agent | Cannot be configured manually. | The TSM Agent monitors the Coordination Service for changes to configuration or topology and delivers new configurations to each service (configuration) or deploys new services and removes old ones (topology) | Automatically installed on each node where you install Tableau Server. You cannot configure the Administration Agent manually. For more details, see Tableau Server Administration Agent. | No |
| Administration Controller | Cannot be configured manually, except to move it to another node. For more information, see Recover from an Initial Node Failure. | The TSM Controller handles requests to TSM and orchestrates configuration and topology changes and workflow across service processes. The Controller also serves as the REST API endpoint (HTTPS). | Automatically installed when you install TSM on the initial node. You cannot configure the Administration Controller manually except to move it to another node. For more information, see Recover from an Initial Node Failure. For more details, see Tableau Server Administration Controller | No |
| Client File Service | clientfileservice | The Client File Service (CFS) manages most shared files in a multinode cluster. For example, authentication related certificates, keys and files (OpenID, mutual SSL, SAML and Kerberos), and customisation files are managed by CFS. | Automatically installed on the initial node. No other instances are installed unless you explicitly configure them. See Configure Client File Service. In multi-node deployments, we recommend you configure an instance of CFS on each of the nodes where you deploy the Coordination Service. Redeploying the Coordination Service does not have any impact on CFS. CFS does not display in the Status page or the Configuration page but is visible in the output of the To view or set instances of CFS, use the tsm topology command. | No |
| Coordination Service | Cannot be set with tsm topology set-process. | The Coordination Service serves as the single source of truth. | Automatically installed on the initial node. No other instances are installed unless you explicitly deploy a new Coordination Service ensemble. For details, see Deploy a Coordination Service Ensemble. | No |
| Licence Manager | Cannot be configured manually. | The Licence Manager handles licensing. | Automatically installed on the initial node when you install TSM. A single instance of this is installed on a Tableau Server cluster. The Licence Manager process should only be manually configured if the initial node fails. For more information, see Recover from an Initial Node Failure | No |
Tableau Server Maintenance Processes These processes have a status of stopped unless they are actively running to complete a job. | ||||
| Database Maintenance | Cannot be configured manually. | The Database Maintenance service is responsible for performing maintenance operations on the Tableau Server repository. | Automatically installed on each node where you install Tableau Server. Shows a status of You cannot configure the Database Maintenance service manually. | No |
| Backup/Restore | Cannot be configured manually. | The Backup and Restore service is responsible for performing backup and restore operations on the data stored in the Tableau Server repository and file store. | Automatically installed on each node where you install Tableau Server. Shows a status of You cannot configure the Backup and Restore service manually. | No |
| Site Import/Export | Cannot be configured manually. | The Site Import and Export service is responsible for migrating Tableau Server sites between server clusters. | Automatically installed on each node where you install Tableau Server. Shows a status of You cannot configure the Site Import and Export service manually. | No |
Process workflow
The Tableau Server processes and how they interact depend on what action or activity is taking place. For example, the processes that are used, and how they interact, differ when you publish a workbook from those used when you sign in using SAML. For some interactive views on process workflow, see the below workbook. This allows you to select a particular workflow and follow it step by step from start to finish.
Disclaimer: This workbook is published on Tableau Public and is not maintained by Tableau documentation. We cannot guarantee that it is up-to-date with the latest version of Tableau Server.
