Getting Started with Tableau Cloud in the Classroom

What is Tableau Cloud?

Tableau Cloud is a fully-hosted, cloud-based, enterprise-grade solution on the world's #1 analytics platform. Using Tableau Cloud, teachers and students alike can explore data sets and create, author, and publish visualizations directly on the web from anywhere in the world.

By having access to an active Tableau Cloud site, students can download and activate Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep Builder. This provides the option to use the desktop applications rather than on a web browser. Students working on a local copy of a workbook can publish and share their work and collaborate with others on the same Tableau Cloud site by uploading workbooks to the site. Additional details on how this feature works is available through the Tableau Cloud guide.

Tableau Cloud offers many of the same functionalities of Tableau Desktop and is an accessible tool to teach both Tableau and data skills. Tableau Cloud can be accessed from many different devices and browsers including the systems below. A full comparison of Tableau Cloud and Desktop is available on the Tableau Website.

Tableau Cloud Web Browser Devices and compatibility:

Chrome on Windows, Mac, and Android
Microsoft Edge & Internet Explorer 11 on Windows
- Compatibility mode for Internet Explorer is not supported
Mozilla Firefox & Firefox ESR on Windows and Mac
Apple Safari on Mac and iOS 11.3 or later

Getting Started with Tableau Cloud

Watch this webinar for a walkthrough on how to get started with Tableau Cloud for the Classroom. You can request a copy of the guide mentioned in the video through our curriculum request form

How do I request a Cloud site?

A Tableau Cloud site can be requested (and renewed) by completing the Course Software Request form, selecting the ‘I need a Tableau Cloud Site’ checkbox, and entering the date you need it by. Please allow 2-5 business days for our Academic Programs Operations team to send an email with instructions to activate a new Tableau Cloud site or renew/extend an existing site.

How many Cloud sites can I have?

Tableau Cloud sites are issued for 1 year and allow up to 100 students to access the site. Depending on your needs, the site can be used for a single course or multiple courses (though please note that only one Cloud site can be issued per instructor). If you will be instructing more than 100 students at any given time and need to extend the number of student users on your site, you can do so by emailing tft@tableau.com and providing additional information about your class size and needs.

What do I get with my Cloud site?

As the instructor, you will be granted full administrator access to the fully licensed Tableau Cloud site. As the site administrator, you are responsible for site setup and ongoing maintenance including: adding students as users to the site, creating an organizational structure, establishing roles and permissions across the site, removing students to allow for new cohorts of student users, and renewing the site annually before expiration.

How do I renew my Cloud site?

An existing site can be renewed using the same form. A request to maintain an existing site will need to be made before the site expires to keep all data and workbooks available online. We are unable to re-activate expired sites or retrieve data if a site has been expired for over 90 days; after 90 days, a new Tableau Cloud site will need to be created.

Configuring Your Tableau Cloud Site

Adding students to your site

As you are uploading students, it is important to select the Site Role that works best for your class. By default, students are added as with the Explorer role. This permission can be changed during the upload process or changed in the user settings.

For ease of use, students should be added to the site using the Creator role. If you plan to use the Login Based Management (LBLM) feature, the Creator role must be used. It is not recommended to add students with the Site Administrator role. This role will provide students with the ability to change the site settings.

To add students

Select Users from the left site navigation.
Select Add Users and Add User by Email or Import from File from the dropdown menu.

Follow the prompts on the popup menu to add students to the site using their TableauID.

Check out this video that details adding students, student account creation, and setting up multi-factor authentication:

How do I create groups?

Depending on your class size, groups can offer an easy way to set permissions for project files. Groups allow you to set granulated permissions for workbooks, data sources, and folders. If you are using group projects in your course, groups are a great way to assign workbooks, data sets, and projects to that group.

Create a group

Select Groups from the left site navigation.
Select Add Group and Local Group from the dropdown menu.
Name the group and click Create.

Add students to a group

Select Groups from the left site navigation.
Click on the group you want to add students to.
Click Add Users and choose students from the Add Users popup menu.
After selecting the students, click Add Users.Site Access.

Tips for success

Below are a few tips to consider when building out your Cloud site. For a full description of all the features of Tableau Cloud, request our - Getting started with Tableau Cloud in the Classroom guide.

Projects - Whether you are using Tableau Cloud for a single class or multiple classes, everything should start with a project. Projects can serve many different purposes including simplifying navigation of the site, keeping things organized, and nesting projects when appropriate.

Datasources - Preloading data sets and workbooks is a great way to deliver content to your students. If the students are working directly on the cloud, this provides a quick and easy way for them to start the assignment.

Workbooks - Along with publishing data sources, creating starter workbooks is a great way to assist students when working through an assignment. The workbooks can include data source connections and/or prebuilt worksheets.

When should I contact tft@tableau.com regarding Tableau Cloud?

Certain functions on your Tableau Cloud instructor site must be updated by the Tableau for Teaching operations team. Below is a list of those reasons and what is required when you make the request.

Contact TFT support to check the status of your new site request or renewal of your existing site. Provide the following information:
1. Name and email address of the requestor
2. Date of the request

Contact TFT support if you need a new Tableau Cloud Site Activation Link. Request this if you did not activate the new site within 48 hours of receiving your email. The email is from: Tableau Cloud <reghelp@onlinemail.tableau.com>

Contact TFT Support to change the name or URL of your Tableau Cloud Site. Provide the following information:
1. Tableau Cloud Site Name and URL
2. New Requested Site Name

Contact TFT Support to request an updated Tableau Cloud Administrator. This issue occurs when a user is unable to access Tableau Cloud as the current administrator is no longer with the institution and no other Tableau Cloud administrators are assigned on the Tableau Cloud site.

Contact TFT Support to request an increase to the default 100 student user limit on Tableau Cloud instructor sites. In the email, provide justification on why you need the increase.