How much does Tableau Server cost?
They don't list it on their website but I use Tableau Desktop and am thinking about adding Server for our company as we scale. I don't want to contact them for pricing because I know they will be obnoxious salespeople about it instead of just giving me a straight answer. I just want a ballpark so I know if I should even think about pitching it to my CEO.
10 Answers
List price is $1000 per user license. The minimum is 10 users in addition to one Desktop license to publish reports (which you already have). A partner website has a price list online putting each license around $800. So a minimum investment would hover around $8-10,000.- presumably, plus whatever hardware you intend to run it on. Unlimited users on an 8-core server will set you back a cool $200k.
We're in the process of evaluating the server product ourselves. It's a very compelling proposition, ease of use is unparalleled from what I've seen.
We're in the process of evaluating the server product ourselves. It's a very compelling proposition, ease of use is unparalleled from what I've seen.
"Fair" is a subjective term which you need to answer in terms of value, rather than price.
I can remember when Tableau Desktop was $99. Now it is ten times that.
But there is a bigger value question. Two, in fact.
The first is what will they use the data visualisation for...
When BI was invented we were in the era of the C Suite and the focus of the extremely expensive data warehouse projects was just to deliver pretty graphs to executives who often did nothing with them. Or used them to fuel turf wars, shore up ego-projects or avoid blame.
Now we are closing the loop. Machine learning is about using data to feed back into the next iteration of the process directly and improving it continuously. So ask yourself the question "Is visualisation necessary" and consider whether a continuous improvement process wouldn't be a better option.
If visualisation is necessary, who is it for? The days of the C Suite have gone. Far better to turn it into a visual management system everyone can see - the more people see the figures, the more people are working on making them go up. That may require different tools.
The second is "Why so many people"...
It is possible that the company is so widespread and working on so many things at once that you have 50 data-scientists all working with unique data and sharing it with the company. But my experience is rather different - middle managers who feel they need to see the graphs to do their job, even though they don't understand the algorithms behind them. In the latter scenario, more data will actually lead to less insight - just a cacophony of noise.
So ask yourself...
Why do you need 50 instances and what they are going to be used for?
Is Tableau the right tool for every instance? Would something like Plot.ly do a better job?
Should you spend the money on the full feedback loop, rather than the halfway house which is data visualisation and will almost certainly break down because the managers it feeds data to won't take the best possible actions from it?
Work on the outcome. The methods and value computations will flow from it.
I can remember when Tableau Desktop was $99. Now it is ten times that.
But there is a bigger value question. Two, in fact.
The first is what will they use the data visualisation for...
When BI was invented we were in the era of the C Suite and the focus of the extremely expensive data warehouse projects was just to deliver pretty graphs to executives who often did nothing with them. Or used them to fuel turf wars, shore up ego-projects or avoid blame.
Now we are closing the loop. Machine learning is about using data to feed back into the next iteration of the process directly and improving it continuously. So ask yourself the question "Is visualisation necessary" and consider whether a continuous improvement process wouldn't be a better option.
If visualisation is necessary, who is it for? The days of the C Suite have gone. Far better to turn it into a visual management system everyone can see - the more people see the figures, the more people are working on making them go up. That may require different tools.
The second is "Why so many people"...
It is possible that the company is so widespread and working on so many things at once that you have 50 data-scientists all working with unique data and sharing it with the company. But my experience is rather different - middle managers who feel they need to see the graphs to do their job, even though they don't understand the algorithms behind them. In the latter scenario, more data will actually lead to less insight - just a cacophony of noise.
So ask yourself...
Why do you need 50 instances and what they are going to be used for?
Is Tableau the right tool for every instance? Would something like Plot.ly do a better job?
Should you spend the money on the full feedback loop, rather than the halfway house which is data visualisation and will almost certainly break down because the managers it feeds data to won't take the best possible actions from it?
Work on the outcome. The methods and value computations will flow from it.
Hi, We were also talking to Tableau for the same. Their license for single user starts from $1000 USD and increases depending upon number of users.
Thanks
Gaurav
Thinklayer - Delivering business intelligence and customized softwares
Thanks
Gaurav
Thinklayer - Delivering business intelligence and customized softwares
Frankly, prices will vary - a LOT sometimes. Any seasoned sales professional will do one of 2 things. 1. Take you for a much as they can if they smell limited upsell and particularly if you have not committed to exploring other technologies seriously. 2. Cut you a break if there is a strong upsell/cross sell oppty.
Anyone that settles and buys Tableau because of Gartner rankings and what people in the public forums say clearly has never engaged in a serious software procurement process. You really need to explore alternatives because you'd be surprised at how good other software is out there. I've been using just about every type of BI or visualization program that is available and I can tell you Tableau is not right for all situations, companies, problems, or people. No one solution or vendor is! It's the truth. I've worked as a consultant at a ton of places where the buyers were loving Tableau, but the "user base" was not happy. Same goes for other software programs. You might be shocked to find something about as good but will fight for your business and offer lower prices. Even if you're not extremely serious about the other vendor(s) you owe it to yourself to give Tableau serious competition - or else your sales guy will smell blood and you're cornered.
One brutal truth to some companies like Tableau, Oracle, SAP, Qlik, etc....maintenance. This adds up very fast, and will actually increase for every additional user you add on. You'll pay it year after year. Also the amount of $$$ you'll shell out to do your own maintenance (server, software, performance, SLA to your customers or co-workers, hiring people to administer or develop anything in Tableau) is quite large...so always beware the extra maintenance.
If you're looking at a SaaS or cloud solution, obviously higher maintenance fees are expected, but what you get in return is the ability to cross off a LOT of that list above that falls under your own internal maintenance. Tableau does offer a cloud offering too.
Anyone that settles and buys Tableau because of Gartner rankings and what people in the public forums say clearly has never engaged in a serious software procurement process. You really need to explore alternatives because you'd be surprised at how good other software is out there. I've been using just about every type of BI or visualization program that is available and I can tell you Tableau is not right for all situations, companies, problems, or people. No one solution or vendor is! It's the truth. I've worked as a consultant at a ton of places where the buyers were loving Tableau, but the "user base" was not happy. Same goes for other software programs. You might be shocked to find something about as good but will fight for your business and offer lower prices. Even if you're not extremely serious about the other vendor(s) you owe it to yourself to give Tableau serious competition - or else your sales guy will smell blood and you're cornered.
One brutal truth to some companies like Tableau, Oracle, SAP, Qlik, etc....maintenance. This adds up very fast, and will actually increase for every additional user you add on. You'll pay it year after year. Also the amount of $$$ you'll shell out to do your own maintenance (server, software, performance, SLA to your customers or co-workers, hiring people to administer or develop anything in Tableau) is quite large...so always beware the extra maintenance.
If you're looking at a SaaS or cloud solution, obviously higher maintenance fees are expected, but what you get in return is the ability to cross off a LOT of that list above that falls under your own internal maintenance. Tableau does offer a cloud offering too.