Tableau Server Licenses

Tableau Server licenses are available to faculty, staff or student workers through their sponsoring department.

Types of Server Licenses

There are three types of Server Licenses: Viewer, Explorer, and Creator

The Viewer can

  • see published views others have created and use most interaction features
  • customize existing content and save their customizations
  • subscribe to views and download as images or summary data
  • CANNOT connect to data, create, edit, or publish content, or set data alerts.

An Explorer can do everything viewers can, plus

  • publish workbooks from the web using existing data sources
  • browse and interact with published views, and use all interaction features
  • edit and save existing workbooks (where permissions are granted)
  • CANNOT save new standalone data sources from data connections embedded in workbooks
  • CANNOT connect to external data and create new data sources

A Creator can do everything explorers can, plus

  • connect to Tableau or external data in the browser
  • build and publish flows and data sources
  • CAN connect to data from Tableau Prep or Tableau Desktop
  • CAN publish (upload/save) and download flows, workbooks and data sources from Tableau Prep or Tableau Desktop
  • CAN access Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep Builder through apps.smu.edu.

Current Tableau Server License Cost
(per year)

Viewer $162
Explorer $369
Creator $684

Obtaining a Tableau Server License

  • Licenses are funded by university departments
  • Licenses are assigned by OIT based on instructions from the funding department
  • To inquire about license assignment, contact the IT Help Desk at help@smu.edu