What is Row Level Security In Tableau?

Row-level security (RLS) is a feature in Tableau that allows you to control access to data at the row level. This means that you can set up rules to limit the data that users can see in their views, based on their role or group membership.

To implement RLS in Tableau, you will need to create a data source that includes the user or group names and a unique identifier for each row of data. You will then create a calculated field that uses a formula to determine which rows of data each user or group should be able to see.

For example, you might create a calculated field called "Region Access" that checks the user or group name against a list of allowed regions, and returns "Allowed" or "Denied" for each row of data. You can then use this calculated field as a filter in your views, and only allow users to see data that has a value of "Allowed" in the "Region Access" field.

It is important to note that RLS is only applied when users access the data through Tableau. If they export the data or connect to the data source directly, they will be able to see all of the data.

How do you add Row Level Security?

To add row-level security in Tableau, you will need to follow these steps:

  1. Connect to your data source in Tableau.
  2. Create a calculated field that uses a formula to determine which rows of data each user or group should be able to see. For example, you might create a calculated field called "Region Access" that checks the user or group name against a list of allowed regions, and returns "Allowed" or "Denied" for each row of data.
  3. Create a filter for your view that uses the calculated field you created in step 2. For example, you might create a filter that only allows users to see data that has a value of "Allowed" in the "Region Access" field.
  4. Save the data source and publish it to Tableau Server or Tableau Online.
  5. Set up row-level security on the published data source. In Tableau Server or Tableau Online, click on the data source and then click "Edit". Under "Row-Level Security", select "On" and then choose the calculated field you created in step 2 as the security filter.
  6. Assign users or groups to the data source. In Tableau Server or Tableau Online, click on the data source and then click "Edit". Under "Permissions", add users or groups and set their permissions to "Viewer" or "Interactor".
  7. Open the published data source in Tableau Desktop and create your views as usual. The row-level security filter you set up in step 5 will be applied to the data when users access it through Tableau.