Tableau Desktop and Server Compatibility

When working with or upgrading Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server, it is important to understand the compatibility of workbooks between major (e.g., 8.0), minor (e.g., 8.1), and maintenance (e.g.,8.0.1) releases of the software. These version compatibility considerations are described below.

Beginning with Tableau Server 8.2, backward compatibility is preserved. For more information, see Compatibility with Tableau Server 8.2 and later.

Compatibility between 32-bit and 64-bit versions

You do not have to match bitness between Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server. You can use 32-bit Tableau Desktop to connect and publish to 64-bit Tableau Server, and 64-bit Tableau Desktop to connect and publish to 32-bit Tableau Server, as long as the versions are compatible as described below.

Major and minor releases

Workbook Compatibility after Upgrading Tableau Desktop

• Workbooks and extracts that are saved in a later version of Desktop are upgraded and cannot be opened by any earlier versions. Exception: A version 8.3 workbook can be opened in Desktop 8.2.
  For example, a version 8.0 workbook is upgraded when saved in Desktop 9.0. The workbook can no longer be opened by Desktop 8.0.
• Workbooks and extracts that are opened but not saved in a later version of Desktop remain accessible by the earlier versions they were created with.
• Workbooks created with the latest version of Desktop can connect to earlier versions of Server beginning with Server 8.0.
  For example, a workbook in Desktop 9.0 can connect to Tableau Server 8.2 or 8.3. However, a workbook in Desktop 8.1 cannot connect to Tableau Server 7.0.
• Workbooks created in a later version of Tableau Desktop cannot be published to earlier versions of Tableau Server. Exception: Workbooks created with Desktop 8.3 can be published to Tableau Server 8.2.
  For example, workbooks created in Desktop 8.1 cannot be published to Tableau Server 8.0.
• Workbooks and data sources downloaded from earlier versions of Tableau Server can be opened by the latest version of Desktop.

Workbook Compatibility after Upgrading Tableau Server

For Tableau Server 8.2, see Compatibility with Tableau Server 8.2.

• Workbooks created with an earlier version of Desktop can be published to the latest version of Server within a version series. For example, a version 8.0 workbook can be published to Server 8.1.Notes:
  When publishing a workbook from an earlier version of Tableau Desktop to the latest version of Tableau Server, tabcmd utility must be up to date with the version of Tableau Server the workbook is being published to. For example, publishing a workbook created in Tableau Desktop 8.0 to Tableau Server 8.2 would require tabcmd from Tableau Server 8.2. For more information about how to install tabcmd, see tabcmd in the Tableau Server Help.
  Workbooks created with an earlier version of Desktop have limitations when publishing to the latest version of Tableau Server outside of the version series. For example, workbooks created with Desktop 6.0 and earlier cannot be published to the latest version of Server. But workbooks created with 6.1 and later can be published to the latest version of Server.
  
• A workbook downloaded from Tableau Server can be opened by either the same version of Tableau Desktop it was created with or a later version of Tableau Desktop. However, there are some exceptions with Tableau Server 8.1 and earlier:
  • Extract refreshes or new and modified views that are saved using web authoring cannot be opened by earlier versions of Tableau Desktop.
    For example, an 8.0 workbook that was downloaded from Server 8.1 can be opened by Tableau Desktop 8.0. However, an extract that was refreshed from Server 8.1 or a view that was edited and saved on Tableau Server 8.1 cannot be opened by Tableau Desktop 8.0.
  • Packaged workbooks (.twbx) that are published from an earlier version of Desktop to Tableau Servercannot be opened by earlier versions of Tableau Desktop.

• Workbooks that are saved in an earlier version of Desktop can connect to Server data sources published to later versions of Server. Note: This works differently with Server 8.0. Workbooks that are saved in an earlier version of Desktop cannot connect to Server data sources in Server 8.0.
  For example, a version 7.0 workbook cannot connect to a version 8.0 Server data source. If your workbooks rely on the data server, you must upgrade Desktop and Server at the same time in order to continue using these workbooks.
  However, if you connect to a data source that uses features not available in earlier versions of Tableau Desktop, then those fields might become invalid. For example, suppose you have an 8.2 workbook that connects to a 9.0 Tableau Server data source that contains LOD calculations. Because LOD calculations are available in 9.0 and later, the LOD calculated fields are invalid in an 8.2 workbook.
• Workbooks created in the latest version of Desktop can access and open data sources from an earlier version of Server, beginning with Server 8.0.
  For example, an 8.1 workbook can access and open data sources from Server 8.0. However, an 8.0 workbook can neither access nor open data sources from Server 7.0.
• Workbooks created in the latest version of Desktop cannot be published to earlier versions of Server. Exception:Workbooks created with Desktop 8.3 can be published to Server 8.2.
  For example, Desktop 8.1 can connect to 8.0 Server data source. However, a Desktop 8.1 workbook cannot be published to Server 8.0.

Maintenance releases

There are no compatibility issues between Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server maintenance releases within the same version series.
For example, workbooks created in Tableau Desktop 8.0.3 can be published to Tableau Server 8.3.2.

Note: For specific database support introduced in a maintenance release, ensure that the Tableau Server maintenance version is equal to or higher than the Tableau Desktop maintenance version to avoid compatibility issues.

Compatibility with Tableau Server 8.2 and later

Starting with Tableau Server 8.2:

• Publishing—Your 8.0 and later workbooks and data sources are not automatically upgraded when you publish them to Tableau Server 8.2 and later.
  A workbook or data source with an extract created in Tableau Desktop 8.0 or later retains its original version when published to Tableau Server. For example, when you publish a workbook using Tableau Desktop 8.1 to Tableau Server 8.2 and later, the workbook remains a version 8.1 workbook and can be downloaded and modified in Tableau Desktop 8.1.
  Prior to Tableau Server 8.2, publishing a workbook or data source with an extract to server automatically upgraded the version of the workbook or data source to the same version as Tableau Server.
• Refreshing—Your 8.1 workbooks and data sources are not automatically upgraded when you refresh extracts on Tableau Server 8.2 and later.
  Any published workbook or data source with an extract created in Tableau Desktop 8.1 or later retains its original version when refreshed or appended to on Tableau Server 8.2 and later.
  Prior to Tableau Server 8.2, refreshing an extract in a workbook or data source, or appending data to a published data source automatically upgraded the version of the workbook or data source to the same version as Tableau Server.
• Exceptions:
  
  • If you refresh an 8.0 workbook or data source on Tableau Server 8.2 and later, the work book or data source is upgraded to Tableau Desktop version 8.1.
    This is true whether you refresh the published data source from Tableau Desktop or Tableau Server.
  • If you append data to an 8.0 data source published in Tableau Server 8.2 and later, the data source is upgraded to Tableau Desktop version 8.1.
  • If you edit a workbook using web authoring on Tableau Server 8.2 and later, the workbook is upgraded to the same version as Tableau Server. For example, if you edit a version 8.1 workbook using web authoring on Tableau Server 8.2 and Tableau Server 8.3, the workbook is upgraded to version 8.2.