Tableau for Teaching: Getting Access to Tableau

Contents

What is Trailblazer ID (TBID)?
Requesting a License
Create a Tableau.com Account 
Immediate Tableau Access with Tableau Public
Activate Your Tableau Desktop
Renew Your License 

If you are unfamiliar with the Tableau for Teaching program or the various license types we offer, check out our Tableau for Teaching: Introduction help article on getting started with Tableau for Teaching.

What is Trailblazer ID (TBID)?

During the form submission process, you will be asked to sign into your account. We recommend signing in with your TBID using the email address option. If you are unsure if you have a TBID you will automatically create an account during the sign in process. Information on this process can be found in the Requesting a License section below. 

Requesting a License 

1.Visit the Tableau for Teaching website and click the button Request Academic Licenses.

2.Log in to your Trailblazer account by entering your school-issued email address. A single use login code will be sent to that email. Enter this code on the next page to access the license request form. Note: Each time you access the license request form, you will be asked to log in to your Trailblazer account. If this is your first time accessing the form, you will need to create an account. Follow the on screen directions to enter in your information.

3.After successfully logging in, complete the Contact Information section. Be sure you use the same email address you used when logging in to your Trailblazer account above. This will ensure your account and request data remains consistent.

4.In the Instructor / Academic Researcher Verification section, select the Course Level and the Faculty Department from the dropdown menus.

Note: The Verification section will ask for documentation verifying your instructor or academic researcher status. You may add a publicly-facing faculty profile webpage and/or upload up to 3 documents. Examples of accepted document types include: a current course syllabus, a screenshot of your instructor profile within a LMS, or a letter of employment (with any pay information redacted). A full list of accepted document types can be found on our Tableau for Teaching FAQ page. Your name, title, and current year/term must be included on the documentation.

5.Select which license offerings you are needing to request by checking the appropriate checkbox(es):

1. Individual instructor or academic researcher license - for your use only.
2. Student course license key - a single license key to distribute to your class. Note: you may request up to 3 student course license keys in one form submission. We recommend doing this only if you are teaching more than one course in a given semester or quarter.
3. Tableau Cloud site - a web-based, collaborative site you can add your students to.
4. Lab license key - to be deployed at the school’s physical or virtual computer lab.

6.After the form is complete, review the Terms & Conditions, and click on the blue button Accept and Submit at the bottom of the form.

Once the form is submitted, you will receive a confirmation email like the one below. Please note that the request processing time can take up to 1-2 weeks from form submission, we recommend you submit your license request early. This timeline can be longer during peak start-of-semester or quarter times. If your request was submitted over two weeks ago and you still have not received your license, please contact us by emailing tft@tableau.com and add ‘Urgent’ to the subject line.

While you are waiting for your license request to be verified and processed, follow the steps below to speed up your activation process by creating a Tableau.com account (TableauID). This step will make downloading and activating Tableau Desktop easier, accessing your free Tableau eLearning account, as well as linking your TableauID to Tableau Public. If you already have a TableauID, you can skip this step and sign in.

3.On the Tableau Login screen, click the button directly underneath Tableau.com.

4.On the Sign In screen, click the button Create an Account.
5.Follow the form instructions to create a new Tableau.com account. When creating a new account, please ensure you are using the same school-issued email address used to request the license. 

Immediate Tableau Access with Tableau Public

If you need a copy of Tableau immediately, sign up for Tableau Public following the Tableau for Teaching: Using Tableau Public help article. Using Tableau Public, you can start creating visualizations immediately using the Tableau Web Authoring tool which is covered in the Incorporating Tableau Public in your class section. If you need to work offline or save locally, you can download a copy of Tableau Public Desktop Edition which is accessible from the Tableau Public website under Create. 

Activate your Tableau Desktop
1.Once you receive your Tableau license, you can activate your Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep.

2.If you have not already downloaded the software, go to the Academic Quick Start page which is provided in the Tableau for Teaching license email.

3.If this is your first time opening the software, you will be prompted with a pop up box to register your software. Remember to use your school-issued email address for consistency.

4.On the next screen, click the link Activate with a Product Key.
5.Enter your product license key, from your license email,  and click the button Activate.

6.You will receive a confirmation screen indicating that your activation is complete. If you have any issues with your license key, please view the Tableau for Teaching: Academic Support help article for additional troubleshooting tips.

Renew Your License

Your Tableau for Teaching license must be renewed each year. If you have not already, fill out the request form to renew at least 2 weeks before your license expires. Once you receive your new license, use the steps below to update your key in Tableau. 

1.Open Tableau and select Manage Product Keys from the Help dropdown menu.
2.Review the License Expires section of the popup menu. 

3.Submit a new request via the Tableau for Teaching license request form.
4.Once you receive your new license, you can deactivate the current license and activate the new license by clicking Activate in Manage Product Keys.