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Tableau-Backup-Tool

tableau

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Tableau-Backup-Tool

An automated tool for backing up Tableau workbooks and datasources to Git, featuring parallel processing, progress tracking, and smart file handling.

GitHub Link:

Features

  • Automated Backup: Automatically downloads and backs up all Tableau workbooks and datasources
  • Git Integration: Seamlessly integrates with Git for version control
  • Parallel Processing: Uses multi-threading for faster downloads
  • Smart File Handling: Checks file hashes to avoid unnecessary downloads
  • Progress Tracking: Visual progress bars for all operations
  • Configurable: Flexible configuration through YAML and environment variables
  • Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, Linux, and macOS
  • Detailed Logging: Comprehensive logging system for monitoring and debugging

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.7+
  • Git
  • Tableau Server access
  • Git repository for backups

Installation

  1. Clone the repository: 
git clone <https://github.com/yourusername/tableau-backup-tool>
cd tableau-backup-tool
  1. Install required packages: 
pip install -r requirements.txt

Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root:

TABLEAU_USERNAME=your_username
TABLEAU_PASSWORD=your_password
TABLEAU_SERVER=your_server_url
GIT_REPO=your_repo_url
GIT_AUTHOR_NAME=your_name
GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL=your_email

Configuration File

The tool uses a config.yaml file for settings. A default one will be created if not present:

tableau_server: <https://tableau.server.com>
git_repo: <https://git.user.com/projects/test_proj>
base_dir: Tableau_Projects
git_author:
  name: User
  email: user@outlook.com
max_workers: 4
overwrite_existing: false

Usage

Run the backup tool:

python tableau-backup.py --config config.yaml

Command Line Arguments

  • -config: Path to configuration file (default: config.yaml)

Project Structure

tableau-backup-tool/
├── tableau-backup.py     # Main script
├── config.yaml           # Configuration file
├── requirements.txt      # Python dependencies
└── README.md             # This file

How It Works

  1. Authentication: Connects to Tableau Server using provided credentials
  2. Project Discovery: Maps the project hierarchy and content
  3. Parallel Download: Downloads workbooks and datasources using multiple threads
  4. Git Integration: Commits and pushes changes to the specified repository
  5. Cleanup: Performs necessary cleanup operations

Features in Detail

Parallel Processing

  • Uses ThreadPoolExecutor for concurrent downloads
  • Configurable number of worker threads
  • Progress tracking for parallel operations

Smart File Handling

  • MD5 hash checking for change detection
  • Skip unchanged files
  • Optional file overwrite control

Logging System

  • Detailed logging to both file and console
  • Different log levels for various operations
  • Timestamp and category information

Error Handling

  • Comprehensive error catching and reporting
  • Graceful failure handling
  • Automatic cleanup on failure

Contributing

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
  3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
  4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
  5. Open a Pull Request

Dependencies

tableauserverclient
gitpython
pyyaml
python-dotenv
tqdm
pathlib

Error Codes

Common error codes and their meanings:

  • E001: Authentication failure
  • E002: Download permission denied
  • E003: Git repository error
  • E004: Configuration error
  • E005: Network connection error

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. Authentication Failures
    • Verify credentials in .env file
    • Check Tableau Server URL
    • Ensure proper permissions
  2. Git Issues
    • Verify Git repository access
    • Check Git credentials
    • Ensure proper repository structure
  3. Download Failures
    • Check network connection
    • Verify content permissions
    • Ensure sufficient disk space

Credits

  • Tableau Server Client library
  • GitPython contributors
  • TQDM progress bar library

License

Distributed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 License. See LICENSE for more information.