Tableau Server, Prep Conductor Services Are In Error State After Running Tsm Import With --Force-Keys Option

Issue

After upgrading Tableau Server or running tsm import command with --force-keys option, Prep Flow Authoring and Prep Conductor are in an error states.
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Environment

Tableau Server 2020.4 or newer
Windows Server

Resolution

Do a settings.json export and look for any of the following settings keys:

telemetry.servicepassword
recommendations.servicepassword
authentication.servicepassword
vizportal.servicepassword
authorization.servicepassword

The settings keys can all be cleared in sequence (as required) before applying pending changes, like so:

1. tsm configuration set -k telemetry.servicepassword -v ""
2. tsm configuration set -k recommendations.servicepasword -v ""

Etc.

Once the appropriate keys have been cleared then we can run the "tsm pending-changes apply" command.

These keys were deprecated as of 2018.1 (pre-tsm) and may cause issues in later installations.

Using a settings file from pre-tsm and has used this template for server deployments has the potential to prevent Tableau Prep Conductor services from starting up, which will cause Tableau Server to become degraded from 2020.4 onwards.

Cause

Tableau Server cannot decrypt the unused passwords.

Additional Information

When importing a configuration from an old .json file after upgrading or installing a new environment, pay attention to the --force-keys option. On the safe side, we recommend removing the configuration parameters from the .json file that is not recognized by default. The following is an example.

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When upgrading versions, backing up and restoring, or adding new nodes to a cluster, Tableau Server can manage secrets storage and related processes automatically. For more information see Managing secrets.