How to Add Users in Tableau Server

Adding new users to your Tableau Server is the first step toward building a data-driven culture and collaborating on insights. This tutorial walks you through the different ways to add and manage users, from straightforward manual additions to integrating with your company's directory, so you can share your dashboards securely and efficiently.

First, Understand Tableau Server Site Roles

Before adding anyone, it’s important to know the different roles you can assign. A user's site role determines their maximum level of access to content on that site. Tableau enforces the most restrictive permissions, so if a user has a "Viewer" role, they won't be able to edit a dashboard even if they have more permissive project-level permissions.

Here are the primary site roles you'll be working with:

• Server Administrator: This role manages the entire Tableau Server deployment. They can manage sites, users, groups, and projects across all sites on the server. There are specified Server Administrator roles: Server Administrator (can manage settings and topology), and Site Administrator Creator or Site Administrator Explorer which operate at the Site level.
• Creator: Creators are your power users. They can connect to data sources, create new data sources, and build and publish content (workbooks, dashboards, data sources) to the server. This role consumes a "Creator" license, the highest tier available.
• Explorer: Explorers can access and browse published content. With the right permissions, they can edit existing workbooks and dashboards using Web Edit, but they cannot connect to new data sources or publish new standalone content. This role consumes an "Explorer" license.
• Viewer: Viewers are consumers of data. They can view and interact with published dashboards (filtering, highlighting), download summary data, and subscribe to content. They cannot edit workbooks. This is the most common role for business stakeholders who need to see insights but not build them. This role consumes a "Viewer" license.
• Unlicensed: Unlicensed users can't sign in or access any content. This role is typically used to formally offboard a user while retaining any content they may own.

A good rule of thumb is to follow the principle of least privilege: assign the lowest-level role a user needs to perform their duties. This keeps your server secure and helps you manage your licenses effectively.

Method 1: Adding Users Manually

Manually adding users is perfect for small teams or a server configured for local authentication. In this setup, Tableau Server manages its own set of users and passwords, separate from any other system in your organization.

This is the most direct way to get someone onto your server.

To add a single local user, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Tableau Server as a Server or Site Administrator.
2. Navigate to the site you want to add the user to. If you are a Server Admin, you'll first see a list of sites.
3. From the left-hand navigation menu, click Users.
4. At the top of the user list, click the + Add Users button.
5. A dialog box will appear. Select Enter Email Addresses.
6. Enter the email address for the new user. You can enter multiple addresses separated by semicolons to add several users at once.
7. From the dropdown menu below the email entry, select the site role you want to grant them (Creator, Explorer, or Viewer).
8. Click Add Users.
9. Once added, the user will now appear in your list of site users and receive an email invitation to set up their password and log in. You can also send the user a login link.

While simple and fast for one or two people, this method becomes tedious for adding users in bulk. For that, importing from a file is a much better option.

Method 2: Importing Multiple Users From a CSV File

If you're using local authentication and need to onboard an entire team or department, creating users one by one is inefficient. Tableau Server lets you import a list of users from a simple CSV (Comma Separated Values) file.

First, you need to prepare your CSV file. This file must include a header row with specific column names. At a minimum, you need a Username. Other columns like Password, DisplayName, and Email are also highly recommended.

Your CSV file should look something like this:

You can also include columns for DisplayName to set a full name, and if you are using Local Authentication, you can set passwords directly via CSV using a password column e.g.: Password.

Steps to import users from a CSV file:

1. Log in to your server as an Administrator.
2. Navigate to the Users page for your site.
3. Click the + Add Users button and select Import From File.
4. In the dialog that appears, click Choose File and select your prepared CSV file.
5. Click Import Users.

Tableau will process the file, displaying a confirmation of how many users were successfully added or if any errors occurred. This method is a massive time-saver for populating a new site and is the standard for managing users at scale without an external directory.

Method 3: Synching with Active Directory (AD) or LDAP

Most large organizations don't want to manage another set of usernames and passwords. This is where integrating Tableau Server with an external directory like Active Directory (AD) or LDAP comes in. With this configuration, user authentication is handled by your corporate directory, providing centralized user management and single sign-on (SSO) capabilities.

Once your Tableau Server administrator has configured the connection to your AD/LDAP server, you can add users and, more importantly, user groups.

Adding an Individual Active Directory User

The process is similar to adding a local user, but instead of creating a new user, you're searching for an existing one in your AD.

1. Navigate to the Users page and click + Add Users.
2. Select Active Directory User.
3. In the search box, start typing the username of the AD user you want to add. Tableau will search the directory.
4. Select the correct user from the search results.
5. Assign them a site role (Creator, Explorer, etc.) from the dropdown menu.
6. Click Import Users.

The user is now added to the Tableau site and can log in using their standard corporate credentials.

Adding Active Directory Groups (Recommended)

The real power of AD integration is using groups. Instead of managing permissions for hundreds of individual users, you manage permissions for a handful of groups. If your IT department already maintains AD groups (e.g., "Marketing Department," "Sales Team," "Finance Analysts"), you can mirror that structure in Tableau.

When you import an AD group, users in that group can automatically be added to your Tableau site with a pre-defined minimum site role the first time they log in. This is called "Grant Role on Sign In."

Steps to import and synch an Active Directory group:

1. From the left-hand menu, navigate to Groups.
2. Click the + Add Group button.
3. Select Active Directory Group.
4. Search for and select the AD group you want to import (e.g., "Sales-US").
5. Now, configure the synchronization settings. Find the Site Role dropdown and select the minimum site role you want assigned to users in this group when they first log in. For a viewer-only group, select "Viewer." For a group of authors, select "Explorer" or "Creator."
6. Click Save.

Now, whenever a user from the "Sales-US" AD group navigates to your Tableau Server URL and logs in with their credentials, Tableau will automatically create an account for them, add them to the "Sales-US" group within Tableau, and assign them the "Viewer" site role. If someone leaves the company and is removed from the AD group, their access to Tableau is revoked on the next synchronization.

Using groups dramatically simplifies permission management, automates onboarding, and improves security.

Method 4: Using SAML for SSO

SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) is another popular method for enabling SSO, often used with third-party Identity Providers (IdPs) like Okta, Azure AD, or OneLogin. While your server's identity store might still be local or AD, SAML controls the authentication process. Users are redirected to a central login page to verify their credentials, which then grants them access to Tableau without another password prompt.

When site-specific SAML is configured, adding users works similarly to the other methods:

• You can add users individually by entering their username (which must match their SAML username).
• You can import users via a CSV file.
• You can leverage AD groups for provisioning user accounts upon first sign-in.

In a SAML setup, you provision an account space for the user within Tableau Server. The first time that user logs in through the IdP, their identity is confirmed, and the link between the IdP and their Tableau account is established. Site roles must still be assigned to a user inside Tableau, either individually or through group rules.

Best Practices for Tableau User Management

• Govern With Groups: Whenever possible, manage users via groups, especially when using Active Directory. It is far easier to manage permissions for 10 groups than for 500 individual users. When a new person joins a team, you just add them to the AD group, and they get all the necessary Tableau permissions automatically.
• Document Your Roles and Processes: Have a clear document outlining what each site role and user group is for. Create a standard process for requesting Tableau access, getting it approved, and having it provisioned.
• Audit Regularly: Periodically review your user list. Are there people who haven't logged in for 90 days? Have people changed roles and no longer need creator access? Removing inactive users frees up valuable licenses and reduces security risks. Go to the "Users" page and sort by "Last Sign In" to easily spot inactive accounts.
• Automate with the REST API: For large-scale or complex provisioning needs, consider using Tableau’s REST API to automate user and group creation. You can build scripts to add, remove, or update users based on triggers from other systems, like your company’s HR platform.

Final Thoughts

Mastering how to add and manage users in Tableau Server is fundamental to scaling your analytics capabilities. Whether you're adding users manually, importing from a file, or synchronizing with Active Directory, choosing the right method depends on your organization's size, security model, and existing infrastructure. Using groups and the principle of least privilege will make managing your server easy and secure.

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