Tableau for Teaching FAQ

Thank you for your interest in our program, please see the below help article(s) to get started learning and teaching Tableau:

Getting Started with Tableau for Teaching
Tableau Academic Programs in the Classroom
Tableau for Teaching Program Learning Resources for Instructors
Getting Started with Tableau Academic Curriculum
Tableau Support for Academic Instructors

For additional help, take a look at the below links to get answers and troubleshoot:

Tableau Help
Tableau Knowledge Base
Tableau Community Forums

Requesting Licenses

Who is eligible for free licenses through this program?
To qualify for complimentary licenses offered through the Tableau for Teaching program, you must actively teach at an accredited academic institution and/or conduct non-commercial academic research at an accredited academic institution. As an instructor, you must teach credit-bearing courses that can be applied toward a degree. Terms and conditions can be reviewed under the Additional Terms and Conditions section of the online license request form. Please note: an individual researcher license is the only license type in which individuals conducting academic, non-commercial research can apply for.
 
What qualifies as non-commercial academic research?
Non-commercial academic research means conducting not-for-profit academic research projects (investigation based on the idea of scientific inquiry), which are NOT intended to or in fact produce results, works, services, or data for commercial use by anyone or any company to generate revenue.
Commercial research and institutional research - the use of institutional data (including student and staff, program, management and operations data) to inform decision-making, planning or tracking academic success - are not considered non-commercial academic research.

Examples of non-commercial academic research that do qualify:

• Postdoctoral researcher at a university conducting individual research with limited or no grant funding
• Students and mentors assisting students in a research lab affiliated with a university degree program

 
Examples of research that do not qualify:

• Independent, non-profit research centers not affiliated with a university, but utilizing university resources (room space, equipment, etc.)
• Institutional research (including student and staff, program, management and operations data) to inform decision-making, planning or tracking academic success
• Research centers partnering with universities (but not a part of a university degree program) to provide research and other services to public or private sectors (governments, non-profits, corporations, etc.)
• Individuals completing their residency at a hospital affiliated with a university, who have already obtained their degree, and are not taking additional courses
• Any form of clinical research or Medical centers associated with universities conducting clinical research
• Professors that are providing independent consulting services
• Research on COVID-19

 
What types of documentation is needed for program eligibility?
To be considered for any license issued by Tableau Academic Programs, you must submit supporting documentation that indicates your current instructor or academic researcher status. The document, or public-facing webpage, must include the following: the requestor's full name, affiliation to the accredited institution, and current year. Accepted document types include: instructor or academic researcher profile (please ensure the link is accessible to the public and not behind a protected login), or a course syllabus. We also accept official institution documents, such as a letter or employment or pay stub (with sensitive information removed), so long as these documents include the requestor's full name, position, and current year or term. You may include a link to a profile in the 'Link to instructor/academic researcher profile' field on the request form, however, if a public link is not available, you may enter 'N/A' on the form and email a screenshot or any documentation to tft@tableau.com for review. You must include documentation either on the form or via email to proceed in the verification process, if nothing is provided, there will be a delay in processing your license request. If you have any questions regarding types of acceptable documentation, or the status of a request, please email our Operations Team at tft@tableau.com.

When will my licenses be delivered?
Licenses are delivered in the following schedule. However, delays are expected during busier 'back-to-school' months.

• Individual instructor/researcher license: within 5-7 business days of the request date
• Lab license: by the ‘Date needed by’ indicated on the request form
• Student course license: approximately one week before the course start date as indicated on the request form
• Tableau Cloud site: by the ‘Date needed by’ indicated on the request form

Please note: If the ‘Date needed by’ is less than the 5-7 business day provisioning window, it is recommended for users to download the 14-day trial.
 
How long are the licenses valid for? 

• Individual instructor/researcher license: valid for one year upon license activation.
• Lab license: valid for one year from the license issue date.
• Student course license: valid for the duration of the course as indicated on the request form.
• Tableau Cloud site: valid for one year.

Deploying Tableau Desktop in a Lab Environment

How do I install Tableau Desktop on my lab computers or in a virtual environment?

Persistent Virtual Environments
Tableau Desktop can be installed in persistent virtual environments (a hosted-virtualization or Terminal Server solution, like Microsoft RemoteApp or Citrix hosted applications) whose operating system and hardware requirements meet our Technical Specifications.

Non-Persistent Virtual Environments
Installing Tableau Desktop is not recommended in non-persistent virtual environments, as these environments are not compatible with our licensing structure. Read more here.

Proposed Solutions:

• Deactivate the license from the machine before it is refreshed (more information on how to move/deactivate Tableau Desktop can be found here).
• Request additional activations for your bulk lab license to accommodate additional log-ins. Often, instructors will provide the lab key on a secure LMS for students to refer to when logging into a lab computer.
• Instruct students to bring their own personal laptop to work with Tableau in class. A student course license can be provided for students to activate the application on their own machines here.

Re-imaging
Academic lab keys have a specific number of activations tied to each key. When lab machines are re-imaged, the FlexNet licensing system treats the machine as a new computer, and will attempt to pull another license from the lab key. If there are not enough licenses on the key, a “Maximum Number of Activations Reached” error message will appear.

Proposed Solutions:

• Deactivate the Tableau Desktop license on the machines before re-imaging (more information on how to move/deactivate Tableau Desktop can be found here).
• Request a new lab key here.

About Tableau for Teaching

How do I incorporate Tableau into my course?
The manner and extent to which you incorporate Tableau into your course is entirely up to you. To help you get started, we provide free ready-made curriculum materials, including lecture notes, student handouts, and assignments. Learn more about instructor resources here. You may also learn more about the curriculum we offer here.

We also encourage you to join our Tableau for Teaching User Group to network, collaborate, and share materials with other instructors in the program.
 
Can you extend the license or increase the number of activations for a license?
The expiration date and number of activations tied to specific licenses cannot be adjusted.

How many activations are available on my bulk licenses?
We assign a set number of activations to each lab and student course license, based on the information indicated on the license request form. Please email the Academic Programs Team at tft@tableau.com for more information about your specific license.

Can learning organizations, training programs, or vocational schools that are not considered accredited, degree granting institutions qualify for Tableau for Teaching licenses?
The Tableau for Teaching program works directly with instructors affiliated with accredited, degree-granting universities. To be considered, instructors must currently teach credit-bearing courses and be verified. We are unable to support training programs or vocational schools that do not satisfy these requirements.
What we are able to provide to learning organizations is a free desktop version of our software designed for learning and teaching - Tableau Desktop Public Edition, a downloadable product that allows users to save files locally. Coursera and other organizations are successfully using Tableau Desktop Public Edition for their teaching and training purposes. Check out this blog for more information and how this product differs from Tableau Public. You can also review this article to understand the differences between the free and paid versions: Tableau Desktop and Tableau Desktop Public Edition Feature Comparison.

I receive the error “Errors occurred while trying to load the workbook...The load was not able to complete successfully.”
This error occurs because workbooks saved in newer versions of Tableau Desktop cannot be opened in older versions of Tableau Desktop. For example, a workbook saved in Tableau Desktop 2024.3 can no longer be opened in Tableau Desktop 10.0. To resolve this error, upgrade Tableau Desktop to the latest version by downloading it here.
 
Do you have curriculum materials we can use in our class?
Yes. We have ready-made curriculum materials you can utilize in your class as you see fit. You can gain access to them once verified for an individual instructor license or by joining our Tableau for Teaching User Group (must have an active instructor license or Cloud site in order to receive the assets). Learn more about the curriculum we currently offer here. 
 
Are there any discounts for instructors within the Tableau for Teaching program?
We do offer a bulk discount for verified instructors only for our entry-level Tableau certification exam, the Tableau Desktop Specialist exam. The academic discount is 20% off the list price of $100 per exam. To qualify, you must be an active instructor in the program, and you must be able to purchase the exams by credit card. We currently only accept credit card purchases through the web store. For those who qualify, and are interested in this option, please email our Academic Operations team at tft@tableau.com.

General Questions

What version of Tableau Desktop are the academic licenses for?
Licenses provided through the Tableau for Teaching program can be used to activate any version of Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep. The download link provided with the license key will direct to the most recent version. If you would like to work in other versions of Tableau, you can access past releases here.
 
How can I tell when my license expires?
You can check the expiration date on a Tableau Desktop license by navigating within the application. Select the Help Menu > Manage Product Keys
 
To update to a new license key, read the following:
Users can update their license key within the application by navigating to the Help Menu > Manage Product Keys, and entering in their new key. Click the Refresh button to refresh a license that is expiring, then close and restart Tableau Desktop. Once the new key is "refreshed" users will see the new expiration date. However, if the old license key has already expired, the product will need to be re-activated with the new license key.