Installing Tableau Software

Overview

Tableau runs natively only on Microsoft Windows, so if at all possible, try to find a Windows PC for this assignment.

It is possible to install Tableau on a Mac or on Linux by first installing virtualization software, such as VMware Fusion, onto your Mac or Linux box, and then installing Windows on a virtual PC running under the virtualization software, and then installing Tableau on the Windows OS that is running on your new virtual PC, but this can be time consuming and frustrating. It is definitely not recommended if you have a Mac with less than 1 GB of RAM. Also, the computer must be Intel-based. You cannot get Tableau to work on an older PowerPC-based Macintosh, for instance.

To install Tableau you need to do the following:

  • Download a free trial version of Tableau (expires May 31, 2009).
  • To install Tableau on Mac OS X or Linux you also need to:
    • acquire a (free) copy of Windows XP
    • install a virtual machine (e.g., VMware / Parallels / VirtualBox)
    • install Windows XP on the virtual machine
  • Install Tableau on Windows.

If you chose to run Tableau on a virtual machine, you do so at your own risk. If you run into unforeseen problems, you are on your own—we really cannot support installing Windows XP on all possible OS and machine configurations. We will, of course, help where we can.

Step 1: Download Tableau

  1. Download a free trial version (expires May 31, 2009) of Tableau from here.
  2. Once you register your name and email on that page, you will receive an email with further download instructions. Download the installer for the software as instructed and save the installer file to your Windows or OS X Desktop.
  3. Copy & paste the Tableau license key into a text file on your desktop, as you will need to copy & paste this license key into the Tableau installer a bit later.

If you have access to a Windows PC you can now skip to Step 4.

Step 2: Acquire a free copy of VMware Fusion and a free copy of Windows XP

(Note: Follow this step only if you intend to run Tableau on Mac OS X.)

VMware and Microsoft have generously donated, respectively, free copies of Fusion (for Mac OS X) and Windows XP to Harvard students for use in this class.

Please note that you will need at least 10 GB of free disk space in order to install the Fusion, XP, and Tableau.

  1. To obtain this software, contact Glenn Holoway by sending him email to holloway@eecs.harvard.edu.

    Tell Glenn that you are a Harvard / DCE student and would like to get copies of Fusion and Windows XP for CS 171. He will authorize you to download these software products and send you download information by email.

    You will be downloading Fusion directly from VMware's web site, and the virtual machine image for XP will be coming from a Harvard web server. Glenn's email will include download links and a serial number for Fusion and a product key for XP. You will need these authorization keys in order to install the software, so be sure not to lose them.

  2. Download and install VMware Fusion:
    1. Go to this web page at VMware and click on the "Download" link that is under the bold text "VMware Fusion 2.0.2".

      Be sure that you are downloading version 2.0.2, and not an earlier version of Fusion. There are multiple versions of Fusion available for download on this page.

    2. You will be brought to the "Download" page. Click the the "Register" button located on this page.
    3. You will be brought to a new page with a form. Fill out the information, and when you are done, click on the "Continue" button.
    4. You will will be brought to an End User License Agreement page. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the "Yes" button.
    5. You will be offered downloads with or without McAfee VirusScan Plus. Chose the one without McAfee, as there is already a virus scanner provided with the installation of XP that you will be provided. (The download without McAfee is also significantly smaller.)
    6. When the download has completed, you will have a file called, something like

      VMware-Fusion-2.0.2-147997-light.dmg

      If this file does not open automatically, double click on the file to see the VMware Fusion installer. (The file should be located either on your desktop or in your downloads folder.)

    7. Double click on the "Install VMware Fusion" icon located in the .dmg viewer. This will start up an installation wizard for Fusion. Complete the installation as directed by the wizard.
    8. Enter the VMware Fusion serial number provided to you earlier by Glenn when you are prompted for it by the installer.
  3. Download and unzip a virtual machine image of Windows XP:
    1. Glenn's email to you will tell you how to download a virtual machine image of Windows XP that is designed for use with VMware Fusion. This download will be in the form of a zip file.
    2. If your web browser didn't automatically unzip the download for you, unzip it now by double clicking on it in the Finder. When the file has finished unzipping, you can throw the original zip file in the trash.
    3. The result of unzipping the file will be a folder called "cs171-xp-vm". This contains a bunch of files that will be used by Fusion. Move this folder to where you would like it to permanently live, as once you tell Fusion where it is located, you can't easily move it.

      Note: Be sure to put the "cs171-xp-vm" folder in a location with at least 10 GB of free disk space, as the contents of this folder will grow over time. Any files that you create or store on Windows, for instance, will end up taking up space within a disk image file that is located within this folder.

Step 3: Install and configure a Windows XP Virtual Machine

(Note: Follow this step only if you intend to run Tableau on Mac OS X.)

A virtual machine (a.k.a., "VM") allows you to run an operating system (e.g., Windows XP) as a program on a completely different operating system (e.g., Mac OS X).

(Note: If you are using Linux, you can get a Windows virtual machine up and running using VirtualBox or VMware Server. Both of these are free virtualization products. You will also need a copy of Windows that is different from the one that is being distributed for use with Fusion. If you chose this route, write to Glenn and tell him that you need an XP "ISO" that will work with VMWare Server or VirtualBox. If you go this route, however, you are on your own!)

  1. When the VMware Fusion installer completed in Step 2, it should have placed the VMware Fusion application in your "Applications" folder. Start up this application now.
  2. When you start Fusion for the first time, you will be prompted to register Fusion. You may click on the "Later" button if you like.
  3. You should see a VMware Fusion "Virtual Machine Library" window.

    If you do not, open it by selecting the following Fusion menu item:

    Window -> Virtual Machine Library

  4. Click on the "Open" button that is located at the bottom of the Virtual Machine Library window.
  5. A file open dialog box will appear. Within this dialog, navigate to the "cs171-xp-vm" folder that you downloaded in Step 2, and select the file named "cs171-xp.vmx" that is located within this folder. Press the "Open" button at the bottom right of the "Open" dialog.
  6. A dialog will appear that says, "This virtual machine may have been moved or copied." Click the "I copied it" button.
  7. Windows XP should now boot in a Fusion Window entitled "CS171 Windows XP".
  8. Activate Windows XP by selecting

    All Programs -> Activate Windows

    within the Windows "Start" menu.

    Complete the Activate Windows wizard so that Windows won't keep nagging you to do so later. When prompted, enter the product key that you obtained from Glenn in Step 2.

  9. Configure folder sharing so that you can share files between your Mac and your virtual PC:
    1. Click on the "Settings" icon at the top of the "CS171 Windows XP" window.
    2. A window labeled "CS171 Windows XP: Settings" will appear. Click on the "Sharing" icon in this window.
    3. The Settings window will be replaced with a window entitled, "CS171 Windows XP: Sharing". Make sure that the check box labeled "Share folders on your Mac" is checked in this window, and then click on the "+" button that is underneath the list box of shared folders.
    4. An OS X file open dialog will appear. Navigate to your OS X Desktop folder within this dialog and then click the "Open" button on the bottom right of the dialog.
    5. "Desktop" should now appear in the shared folder list box. You may press the "+" button again to share another OS X folder with Windows. You may do this as many times as you like in order to share as many OS X folders as you like.

      When you have added all the folders that you wish to share, close the settings window.

      (It is not absolutely necessary for your to share your OS X Desktop folder if you do not wish to, but you will have to share at least one folder between OS X and Windows in order to share files between the two operating systems. The rest of these instructions assume that you have shared your OS X Desktop folder. If you chose not to, you will have to adjust the rest of the instructions accordingly.)

    6. There is a VMware Shared Folders folder on your Windows desktop. Double click on this folder to make sure that your OS X Desktop folder, and any other folders that you decided to share, appear within this Windows folder.

      Also double-click on the "Desktop" folder located within "VMware Shared Folders" to make sure that sharing is working. You should see the contents of your OS X Desktop here in this Windows XP folder. (Disk drives, and other devices won't appear here, though. Just folders and files that you have on your OS X Desktop.)

      You can treat this folder just like any other Windows folder, only the files and folders that appear to be here are really the ones on your OS X Desktop.

  10. Check your virtual machine RAM configuration:
    1. Click the same "Settings" icon that you clicked before.
    2. Click the "Processors & RAM" icon in the Settings window.
    3. Make sure that the RAM slider is set to 512 MB. If you have 2 GB or more of RAM on your Mac, you will probably want to increase this setting to 1GB, but you will have to shutdown the virtual PC in order to change this setting.

      If you have only 512 MB of RAM on your Mac, then you will want to decrease this setting to 256 MB, but in this case, performance of Tableau and Windows XP and OS X will likely be very poor.

    4. If you need to adjust the virtual machine RAM setting, turn off your virtual Windows computer via the Windows "Start" menu (i.e., select "Turn Off Computer"), and when Windows has completed shutting down, press the "CS171 Windows XP" Settings icon again. With Windows shut down, you will now be allowed to adjust the settings.

      While you are here, you may also want to increase the number of virtual processors available to Windows from 1 to 2. Only do this, however, if you know that your Macintosh has more than one CPU core.

      Once you have adjust the settings to your satisfaction, close the Settings window and click the "Power On" icon at the top of the "CS171 Windows XP" window in order to restart your virtual PC.

Step 4: Install Tableau in Windows XP

In Windows XP, double click on the Tableau installer, which you downloaded in Step 1.

(If you are doing this on a Mac, you will have to locate the installer and your license key within the WMware Shared Folders folder that is located on your Windows desktop. If you followed the instructions above, these files should be located in the "Desktop" folder within this Shared Folders folder.)

The Tableau installer will ask you for the license key that you copy & pasted into a text file on your desktop back in Step 1. When the installer prompts you for the license key, copy & paste it into the Tableau installer. Now you should be all set, and Tableau should be up and running.

Congratulations!