Early End-of-Maintenance for Tableau Products

Issue

During a recent security review of our products, we identified that Tableau Server versions 2019.3.x - 2020.3.x embed a version of PostgreSQL Database (PGSQL 9.6) that will no longer be supported as of November 11, 2021. Any product versions released after this time (2020.4 and higher) will have the normal end-of-life end dates.

The versions noted here had an early end-of-life date to address any PostgreSQL security vulnerabilities discovered in these versions.

What is the impact?
The end-of-maintenance date for Tableau versions 2019.3.x, 2019.4.x, 2020.1.x, 2020.2.x, and 2020.3.x is November 11, 2021. You can continue to use one of these versions but note that although Tableau Technical Support is available when your subscription or maintenance period is current, Technical Support will only assist with upgrade issues to help you move to the correct supported version. In addition, these old versions will no longer be receiving updates to provide new security fixes or correct defects.

This change also applies to companion client software for these versions, including Tableau Desktop, Tableau Prep, Resource Monitoring Tool, Content Migration Tool, and others. You should upgrade to version 2020.4 or newer as quickly as possible.

Environment

Tableau Server and Client Products such as Desktop, Prep Builder, Resource Monitoring Tool, Content Migration Tool
- 2019.3.x
- 2019.4.x
- 2020.1.x
- 2020.2.x
- 2020.3.x

Resolution

To stay on actively maintained software, take the following actions:

Verify if you are running one of these versions by following the steps in the Finding Your Tableau Version and Build Number Knowledge Base article.
If you are on versions listed in this article, upgrade to to one of the currently supported versions as soon as possible. See the Technical Support Programs guide and scroll down to "Supported Versions" to view when products will no longer be receiving monthly updates.
Visit the Release Notes page to obtain the download for the version desired.

The additional resources below are available to assist in the upgrade process.

Special note for Tableau Advanced Management customers who deploy Tableau in AWS

As a customer who deploys Tableau Server in AWS with the Tableau Advanced Management for Tableau Server and External Repository feature, note that, on January 18, 2022, Amazon will automatically upgrade Amazon RDS instances running PostgreSQL 9.6 to PostgreSQL 12. If you are running Tableau Server 2020.3 or older with the External Repository feature, this will render your Tableau Server unusable because PostgreSQL 12 is not a supported version prior to Tableau 2020.4. In addition, a Tableau Server backup will fail after an automatic upgrade to PostgreSQL 12.

To continue using an external repository configuration with Amazon RDS, you must upgrade to a current Tableau Server version and upgrade Amazon RDS to PostgreSQL 12 before January 18, 2022. Any customer with Tableau Server version 2020.3 or older that is in the process of testing this configuration and planning to deploy in production should instead deploy one of the currently maintained versions. See the Additional Information section for more details.

Additional Information

Tableau moving to 24 month Support policy

Be aware that Tableau Server versions will reach an end-of-life at various dates and years. To decide on what version should be installed and to ensure that updates to the software are possible to address any security or product behavior concern, visit the Tableau end-of-life schedule (scroll down to "Supported Versions").