Tableau Prep: Up & Running

Chapter 21. Getting Started with Tableau Prep Conductor

When Tableau Prep Builder was first released, many people finally had the chance to build data preparation flows to remove the tedious and repetitive task of cleaning and merging data sets to enable valuable data analysis. Once a flow is created, it reruns each time a user clicks the run icon in Prep Builder. For a single flow this is simple, but for vast and differing data sources, it often involves multiple preparation jobs. This is where Prep Conductor comes in: you can build a flow in Prep Builder but then schedule it to run on Prep Conductor when needed.

This chapter looks at when you might need to use Prep Conductor, the capabilities it offers, and, finally, how to actually use Prep Conductor.

When to Use Prep Conductor

Prep Conductor is primarily used to run an uploaded flow on a set schedule. This has many benefits:

• The flow doesn’t need to be manually opened and run each day.

• Errors are logged on the server rather than just on an individual’s computer, so you can troubleshoot more easily if a flow fails.

• Prep Conductor likely runs on a computer that has more processing resources than the data author’s computer, so preparation flows will run faster.

• Prep Conductor acts as a central repository for all flows, promoting reuse.

• The flow can be downloaded and maintained by any person with proper permissions.

These benefits help build more robust processes around your organization’s data preparation work. The ...