Upgrade Tableau Server

Planning an upgrade of Tableau Server? This page provides links to key resources and information.

Download latest version of Server

Choosing a Version

Tableau Release Navigator

  • Understand what version of Tableau is right for your deployment
  • Filter and compare Desktop, Server, and Prep features by release
  • Perform impact analysis and plan change management for an upgrade with data on major new features and product changes delivered between your current and next versions.
  • Release Navigator is on Tableau Public - you can also download and customize it for your use cases.

Tableau Product Help

What’s New and Changed in Tableau Server. What new features were introduced? What significant product changes have occurred? (Be sure to expand the “What’s Changed” section.) This information should guide your change management and testing.

Features Introduced in Previous Versions of Tableau Server. If you are upgrading across multiple versions, use this resource to identify the new features and changes in all versions between your current version and the upgrade target.

Tableau Technical Support Release Pages

Known issues - what issues are we currently fixing?

Release notes - what issues have been fixed in each maintenance release?

Choose a recent maintenance release - whichever version (e.g. 2020.4, 2021.2) you are upgrading to, Tableau recommends installing the most recent maintenance release available for that version (e.g. the highest final decimal in 2020.4.4) to get the most recent product fixes.

Tableau Blueprint

Plan change management to support and align with your analytics strategy: Tableau Blueprint - Upgrade Planning

The Upgrade Process

There are several approaches to upgrading to a new version of Tableau Server.

Most Reliable: Tableau Server blue/green upgrade

Many customers who are willing to invest resources to maximize upgrade reliability and minimize risk of business impact use a blue/green approach to upgrading their enterprise applications, including Tableau Server. Tableau recommends using a blue/green approach for upgrading to organizations where Tableau Server is mission-critical.

Middle Ground: Tableau Server in-place upgrade

Tableau Server’s checkpoint/restartable upgrade process can be used to recover from many errors causing upgrade failures. But some upgrade issues may require a clean install and restore from a backup to resolve. See Upgrade Tableau Server and Troubleshoot Tableau Server Install and Upgrade

Easiest: Tableau Cloud

With Tableau Cloud, Tableau performs the upgrades for you. Talk to your account executive about whether Tableau Cloud is right for your organization’s needs.

Upgrading From Legacy Versions of Tableau Server 

If you are upgrading a version of Tableau Server from 2018.1 or older, your upgrade will require additional steps. Start at Prepare for the Upgrade - Pre-tsm.

Getting Help

Tableau Product Help Troubleshoot Tableau Server Install and Upgrade

Search The Knowledge Base and Tableau Community Forums: You may find a solution; if not, you can proceed directly from the search results to either:

Customers with Premium Support can use Key Event Management to work with their Technical Account Manager who will partner with them in advance of major events to understand their goals and expectations and support them through their server upgrades.

Tableau’s Professional Services and Tableau Partners can assist customers with executing upgrades via services engagements, such as Tableau’s Server Upgrade package.