Deep Dive into STORM Method for Tableau Cloud

By Ramanathan Somasundaram,
Director – Data Analytics Services & Solutions Engineering.

Introduction

Migrating from Tableau On-Premises to Tableau Cloud can significantly enhance your organization’s data analytics capabilities. Leveraging automated tools like USEReady’s STORM solution can streamline the migration process, ensuring efficiency and minimizing errors. This deep dive into the migration using STORM provides a comprehensive guide to ensure a successful transition.

Benefits of Using STORM

STORM provides significant advantages, including efficiency through automation, comprehensive handling of various migration tasks, and scalability for large-scale migrations. It supports incremental, on-demand migration and identifies optimization opportunities during the migration process. STORM ensures a smooth and efficient migration while minimizing manual effort and errors.

Steps for Migration Using STORM

Preparation and Planning

The first step is to assess your current environment. Inventory all Tableau Server content, including workbooks, data sources, and dashboards. Document user roles, permissions, and configurations. Backup all Tableau Server data to ensure data integrity. Next, define the migration scope by identifying which content will be migrated, determining the timeline and resources required, and communicating the migration plan with stakeholders.

Setting Up Tableau Cloud

Provisioning the Tableau Cloud environment involves creating a Tableau Cloud account and setting up the necessary sites and projects. Configure user permissions and access controls to ensure secure access. If required, set up SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) for secure single sign-on (SSO) to manage user authentication securely. Ensure that all users can authenticate to Tableau Cloud.

Using STORM for Migration

The STORM solution begins with topology planning, where you plan the site, project, and folder mappings. Plan data source connections, including live and extract connections, and security settings. Ensure all data sources are clean and standardized and implement data governance policies to maintain data quality and security. Execute the STORM migration tool to automate the migration process, monitoring it to ensure all components are migrated successfully. Address any optimization opportunities for workbooks, data sources, and dashboards during the migration.

Setting Up Tableau Bridge (if applicable)

If your migration involves live connections to on-premises data sources, you will need to set up Tableau Bridge. Download and install Tableau Bridge on a machine within your network and authenticate it with Tableau Cloud. Add and configure on-premises data sources in Tableau Bridge and assign them to the Bridge for continuous data refresh. Set up refresh schedules for each data source to ensure up-to-date information.

Validation and Testing

Validation and testing are critical to ensure the success of the migration. Compare data in Tableau Cloud with the original data in Tableau Server to validate data integrity. Test all workbooks, dashboards, and data sources to ensure they function correctly. Validate user permissions and access controls. Involve key stakeholders and end-users in User Acceptance Testing (UAT) to gather feedback and make necessary adjustments.

Post-Migration Activities

After the migration, provide training to users on accessing and using Tableau Cloud. Set up support channels for troubleshooting and assistance. Monitor Tableau Cloud performance and address any issues that arise. Optimize workbooks and data sources as needed. Document the migration process, configurations, and any changes made to ensure that all documentation is accessible to relevant stakeholders.

Common Challenges and Solutions

One common challenge is ensuring seamless connectivity between Tableau Cloud and on-premises data sources. This can be addressed by using Tableau Bridge to maintain live connections and scheduling regular data refreshes. Another challenge is migrating user accounts and permissions accurately. Conducting a detailed audit of user roles and permissions pre- and post-migration can help ensure accuracy. Maintaining optimal performance for large datasets and complex workbooks is also challenging. Optimizing data sources, reducing extract sizes, and simplifying calculations can help. Ensuring consistency in the look and feel of dashboards and reports post-migration can be achieved by reviewing and adjusting visual elements in Tableau Cloud and gathering user feedback for improvements. Handling group nomenclature changes during migration can disrupt user filters and permissions. Reconfiguring user filters and permissions to align with the new group nomenclature and republishing affected workbooks can restore functionality.