Applies to Write-Back Server

Summary

We are actively working on ways to improve this process and automate it as part of the product road map. As of now this is the procedure required to migrate configurations between environments.

Write-Back is an agile tool that can be used by the Tableau Creators and Explorers to allow inputs on dashboards created. This means that depending on the usage Write-Back datasets might be created directly in production. In this case the typical promotion between environments is not applicable and the test or qa environment will be mainly used to test product upgrades. Please ensure that based on Write-Back usage at your organization you follow the right procedure.

This article describes how the Write-Back setup and configurations can be migrated between environments. This type of data is stored:

Setup Information - Is stored inside the Write-back manager and then converted to files that are placed on Write-Back server for a proper execution. Typically some of these settings will change from one environment to another as they contain, addresses, certificates, IPs, etc that are environment dependent.
Configurations - These correspond to all the metadata that allows to drive datasets, define user roles for authorization, etc, and is stored on Write-Back internal database. These configurations don't have reference to environments so they can be transferable between environments without any changes.
Tableau dashboards (trex) - Inside each Tableau dashboard is stored the URL to reach Write-Back, the URL is placed there by adding the trex file to the dashboard.
Data set tables and data - The actual data inside the datasets as well as the table structure is stored on the database that you have configured on Write-Back and typically it will be external to Write-Back.

More details are available here:

1 Migrating Settings
2 Migrating Configurations
3 Migrating Datasets
4 Migrating Dashboards
- 4.1 Load and Save Datasets
- 4.2 Edit twb files URL

Migrating Settings

In order to migrate settings what needs to be done is to copy data from test manager site to production one.

replace URLs on .trex file with production one and certificate

replace in production

Migrating Configurations

to be secure that overlapping doesn't occur, check that table names aren't the same as in test environment

Use pg_dumpall to write (“dump”) all PostgreSQL databases into one script file

While restoring in the production environment use the general command form to restore a dump.

More information on database migration is available on link: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/backup-dump.html

Migrating Datasets

warning about overlapping

obtain the ddl for the dataset tables and eventually the data dump

execute in the detination environment

Migrating Dashboards

Inside each Tableau dashboard that uses Write-Back it is stored the URL to reach Write-Back. When migrating between environments this URL needs to be updated.

There are two options to make this change:

Load and Save dataset - It uses the Write-Back ui making it more simple to execute for non-technical users but it requires a more manual process.
Edit the twb file directly - Consists on editing the twb file for the dashboard requiring more technical knowledge to prevent causing errors on the dashboard but it reduces manual procedures.

The two options are described in detail below and they assume that both settings and configurations have already been migrated.

Load and Save Datasets

For each dashboard using Write-Back:

Step 0: Take note of the dataset name

Open the dashboard on the origin environment and take note of the dataset name used.

Step 1: Open the dashboard

Open the dashboard on Tableau Desktop.

Step 2: Remove Write-Back extension

Remove the Write-Back extension widget (which is pointing at the origin environment)

Step 3: Add Write-Back extension

Add the extension widget in the same place and use the trex pointing at the destination environment.

Step 4: Load and Submit

Access the Write-Back configuration screen and click on Load Saved Datasets.

Select the dataset name obtained in Step 0 and load it.

Submit the configuration

For more details on this final step please check Loading Saved Datasets

Edit twb files URL

It is possible to change the trex by accessing the xml of the workbook, it is necessary to be aware that to execute this solution it is necessary to be careful so that the rest of the workbook is not changed. For this solution just follow these steps.

Step 1: Unpackage you <workbook>.twbx file , for this just right-click it and then click unpackage, this should create a <workbook>.twb file.
Step 2: Open the <workbook>.twb with a text editor.
Step 3: Find the <url> tag for the writeback extension.
Step 4: Change the in-between value of the url tags for the new url domain.
Step 5: Save the new version of the <worbook>.twb file and pack to a <workbook>.twbx file.