Incorrect assumptions about what it takes to embark on a successful Tableau Cloud migration can either a) cause an organization to approach it without the right strategy or expertise in place, or b) prevent them from making the move at all.
If you’re still on Tableau Server and considering a migration to Cloud, you’re probably already aware of the many benefits, like high availability, no infrastructure to manage (or troubleshoot), and new Cloud-exclusive features including Tableau Pulse and Einstein Copilot for Tableau.
To set the record straight on Tableau Cloud migrations, we’re busting 5 migration myths to help you better set expectations and truly assess your Tableau Cloud readiness.
Myth #1: Tableau Cloud migrations are one-size-fits-all
If you think your migration will look exactly like it did at another company you may be disappointed (or thrilled, depending on how it went!). Every organization is unique and different environments have different levels of complexity. In order to build the appropriate plan and level of effort for your Cloud migration, your team and/or migration partner needs to have a good understanding of the following factors:
- Size of the Tableau Server environment (e.g., data sources, workbooks, users/groups)
- Analytics governance process (or lack thereof)
- Level of capability and capacity on your team (i.e., coding skills, available time and resources, etc.)
- Complexity of your customizations (e.g, use of Rest APIs, extensions, embedded, subscriptions, custom views, web connectors, etc.)
- Preferred migration approach (i.e., big bang/expedited vs. calculated and thorough)
- Your interest in rationalization and cleaning up your current workbooks, data sources, and users/groups
All these factors must be considered and incorporated into your project plan if you want your migration to go off without a hitch and to set your team up for ongoing success with Tableau Cloud.
Myth #2: You can get Tableau Pulse and Copilot with Tableau Server
Most new features that have recently launched or are coming soon to Tableau will be available exclusively for Cloud, including Tableau Pulse and Einstein Copilot for Tableau. At Tableau Conference 2024, we also saw the debut of Einstein Copilot in Data Prep, which promises to make building out Tableau Prep Flows easier than ever.
Einstein Copilot brings powerful generative AI to Tableau, and Tableau Pulse enables a universal analytics experience for all users and levels of expertise. Tableau Pulse is available within Tableau Cloud and allows you to embed insights in the places your team already works. These capabilities alone are well worth the move to Cloud.
Myth #3: The benefits of migrating to Tableau Cloud don’t outweigh the cost
Don’t let the cost of migrating scare you off — moving to Tableau Cloud is a one-time cost and a smart investment that will almost certainly save you money in the long run. By reducing the administrative costs associated with Server maintenance, you reduce your total cost of ownership with Cloud while also gaining efficiencies in your business. You can also leverage a move to Tableau Cloud as a “pivot point” to assess your current analytics portfolio, rationalize your content, and start fresh with the right analytics and governance process within Tableau!
Software company Splunk saved $300K a year in server and platform administration costs by migrating to Tableau Cloud. “Centralizing and eliminating administrative tasks was a key driver for our migration,” said Raj Seenu, Senior Director of Data Technologies at Splunk. “In the case of Tableau Cloud, we no longer have to designate an IT Ops person or data engineer to manage the platform — those experts can now spend more time on other activities.”
Green bonus: If your organization is environmentally-conscious, you can also decrease your carbon impact by more than 80% when you migrate from a self-hosted deployment to Tableau Cloud, according to research by Tableau.
Myth #4: Migrating to Tableau Cloud is “easy”
While we highly recommend migrating to Tableau Cloud, we won’t mislead you by calling the process “easy.” There is often a misconception that, because there are tools that help automate some migration tasks, the whole process is a simple technical lift and shift. But there is so much more that should be considered.
Real talk from your friends at Atrium: Cloud migrations take the right plan and resources to execute effectively. They are complex technical and business exercises that require multiple skill sets and complete business alignment (which is why we recommend working with an experienced Tableau migration partner — more on that later).
When we kick off a migration project with a customer, we first do an assessment that identifies the overall health of the Tableau environment and possible issues affecting performance, governance, or adoption. We evaluate what will or won’t be migrated and whether any redesign or consolidation is necessary, then prepare the on-premise environment to support a seamless Tableau Cloud migration. There is a lot of work that goes into all that, not to mention, the change enablement that needs to happen to make your migration a success.
Myth #5: It’s hard to find a consulting partner who knows both the strategic and technical aspects of Cloud migrations
Consider this myth busted! The Tableau experts at Atrium have the business strategy and planning chops on top of technical depth to execute a successful Tableau Cloud migration. We start every project with your desired business outcomes and long-term success in mind.
As a trusted Tableau consulting services partner with a focus on CRM, data, and AI, we’ll help you make your move to Tableau Cloud more than just a technical migration. We’ll help you clear the clutter from your Server, fix chronic issues, and start fresh with a high-performing Cloud environment set up exactly the way you need. We’ll also help you create a modern data architecture and enable your team with generative AI capabilities and predictive insights to increase efficiency and boost revenue.
Ready to learn more? Watch our on-demand webinar: Tableau Cloud: What to Know and How to Plan For Your Analytics Roadmap.
