Tableau Server and Tableau Cloud

Tableau Server and Tableau Cloud are web-based interfaces used to house and share Tableau content. Tableau Server is hosted by the end user, whereas Tableau Cloud is hosted by Tableau. Publishing and managing content on a Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud is a significant part of the Tableau Certified Data Analyst exam and will be covered in the final chapter of the textbook. Access to Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud will be required to complete the relevant publishing and managing content exercises. This section will walk through how to register for a free 14-day trial with Tableau Cloud. Those with access to a Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud that have at least a Creator license can skip the following section.

To start a free 14-day Tableau Cloud trial, log in to https://www.tableau.com/ and then navigate to https://www.tableau.com/en-gb/products/online/request-trial. The page will look similar to the following screenshot:

Figure 0.8: The Tableau Cloud free trial page

The blue button in the center that reads START YOUR FREE TRIAL can be clicked, which will scroll the page down to a registration form. Fill in the registration form and then click Get free trial. This will open a landing page where the blue START A FREE TRIAL button can be clicked.

Figure 0.9: Post registration form landing page

Finally, a site name can be typed in and a location for where the site should be hosted can be selected. Once the terms and conditions have been read and accepted, the ACTIVATE MY TRIAL button can be clicked to begin the free 14-day trial.

Figure 0.10: Tableau Cloud site name, location, and activation

It may take a few minutes, but the Tableau Cloud site will be created and then navigated to.