Installing Tableau Software

Overview

• download a free trial version of Tableau (expires May 31, 2008)
• to install Tableau on Mac OsX or Linux you also need to:
  • acquire a (free) copy of Windows XP
  • install a virtual machine (e.g., Parallels / VMWare / VirtualBox)
  • install Windows XP on the virtual machine
• install Tableau on Windows

If at all possible, try to find a Windows PC to install and run Tableau. Installing a virtual machine in OS X and installing Windows XP is time consuming and can be frustrating. It is definitely not recommended if you have an older or underpowered Mac (e.g., with less than 512 MB of RAM).

Follow these instructions at your own risk. If you run into unforseen problems you are on your own - we really cannot support installing Windows XP on all possible OS and machine configurations. Of course we will help where we can.

Step 1: Download Tableau

Once you register your name and email on that page, you will receive an email with further download instructions. Download the software from the web site.

If you have access to a Windows PC you can now skip to Step 5

If you are going to install Tableau on a non-Windows machine: Move the downloaded .msi file into a folder that you will later share with your virtual machine (e.g., ~YourUserName/Downloads) Copy the license key into a text file and save it in that same folder. You will need both the .msi installation file and the license key when you install Tableau in Windows XP running in your virtual machine (VM).

Step 2: Acquire a (free) copy of Windows XP

Microsoft has generously donated free software to Harvard students. Contact Glenn Holoway by sending him email to holloway@eecs.harvard.edu

Say that you are a Harvard / DCE student and would like to get a copy of Windows XP for CS 171. He will register you on the download web site and send you the login information by email.

Download a free ISO image of Windows XP with SP2 (Service Pack 2 - important!). Also make a copy (or a printout) of the license key obtained from the web site.

An ISO image is an electronic copy of the content of the Windows XP installation CDROM. You will install this copy in your VM using the license key, so copy both of them into the same folder where you put Tableau and its key (e.g., ~YourUserName/Downloads).

Step 3: Install a Virtual Machine (on Mac OS X)

A virtual machine (VM) allows you to run Windows XP on a non-windows PC. The following instructions are specific to Mac users running Mac OS X. However, the instructions for Linux are similar.

There are two commercial VMs for Mac OS X: Parallels and VMWare Fusion. If you plan on running Windows applications on your Mac often, we highly recommend that you buy one of these commercial VMs. They have lots of features, are fast, and have large user communities.

Otherwise, download the freely available (and open source) VirtualBox from Sun. Even though its free, it seems to be a stable piece of software that has an active user and developer community.

The following instructions apply to the installation of Virtual Box on Mac OS X (Intel). If you have installed another VM, skip to Step 4.

Step 3a: Install the VirtualBox VM

Download the Mac OS X binaries from the VirtualBox download site. Under "Platform..." choose Mac OS X (Intel). Once you see the link to the download file (e.g., VirtualBox-osx-1.5.51-r27946-beta3.dmg) just click on it (there is no need to install and use the Sun download agent).

Double click on the .dmg file. Then double click on the VirtualBox.mpkg icon, follow the installation instructions, and start VirtualBox from your Applications folder. Once Virtual Box starts up, click on the "New" icon to create a new virtual machine.

The following screenshots show you the settings you should choose during the installation of your VM:

(Note: If you have less than 1 GB of RAM you should reduce the amount of memory allocated to the VM to 256 MB or less. Make sure you leave some RAM to run Mac OS X.)

Select New...

(Note: You need at least 10 GB of free disk space.)

After you click "Finish", VirtualBox will create the VM for you. Next, you will need to install Windows XP inside your VM.

Step 4: Install Windows XP in your VM

After you created your VM, you need to install your copy of Windows XP inside it. The instructions on how to do that vary for Parallels and VMWare Fusion. In general, though, they make it pretty easy once you have your .iso image and the licence key for Windows XP SP2. Make sure you enable sharing of folders between Windows XP and Mac OS X so that you can access the Tableau installation file and license key.

The following instructions apply to VirtualBox on Mac OS X (Intel). If you have installed Windows XP on another VM, skip to step 5.

Step 4a: Install Windows XP in VirtualBox

In VirtualBox, you should now see something like this (the options on the right might be different):

Select the Windows XP VM, then click on the "Settings" button. You can adjust the options based on your available hardware. E.g., under "Audio" you can select the appropriate "Host Audio Driver" for Mac OS X (Core Audio). Make sure that some network adapter is selected under "Network". If you are unsure, either use "Help" and consult the users manual, or leave the default options.

Open the "CD/DVD-ROM" option. Select "Mount CD/DVD Drive" and select the "ISO Image File" radio box. Choose the location of your Windows XP .iso file (e.g., ~YourUserName/Downloads/en_winxp_pro_with_sp2.iso). Click OK.

In the main window (shown above), select the Windows XP VM and then hit the "Start" button. If everthing goes well, a window will open and you will see the installation screen for Windows XP. We had some trouble, which was seemingly corrected after double clicking the .iso file in Mac OS X before hitting the "Start" button.

Follow the installation instructions of Windows XP inside the VM. Note that you need to hit the command key (the one with the apple logo) to release the mouse from the VM window. We will correct that shortly. You will need your Windows XP license key that you downloaded / printed in step 2. If everything goes well, you should hear the cheery sound of the Windows XP starting up and be presented with a window that runs full version of Windows XP on your Mac. (Akin to seeing flying monkeys...)

a

While the VM / Windows XP are running, click on the "Devices" menu on the top of your Mac OS X screen (if you don't see it click first on the Windows XP window shown above). Then select "Install Guest Additions...". This will install a few drivers in Windows XP that allow you to freely move your mouse in and out of the window, among other things. Beware: there may be pop-up windows during this that could be hidden behind the install window. If this update seems to hang, check for these behind the install window...

Step 4b: Share folders between Windows XP and Max OS X

In order to install Tableau in Windows XP, you need to get access to the folders in Mac OS X. VirtualBox allows you to do that, although the process is not optimal. These instructions apply to VirtualBox 1.5.51 (beta 3). Check your help files if you have a newer version.

Go to Systems Preferences on Max OS X (usually an icon in the dock). Select "Sharing", then "File Sharing". Click on "Options..." and check the box next to "Share files and folders using SMB". Select the checkbox next to your user account. You will have to input your password to enable this option.

Then go to Windows XP and open Windows Explorer (under Start -> All Programs -> Accessories). Click on "Tools -> Map Network Drive...". Select a drive letter (e.g., X:). Then input "\\10.0.2.2\YourUserName" in the "Folder:" text field. Hit "Finish". You will be asked to input your (Mac OS X) user name and password. Afterwards you should see a folder YourUserName under "My Computer" in the left pane. All your Mac OS X folders should be visible and have Read / Write access.

Phew... The rest is a piece of cake...

Step 5: Install Tableau in Windows XP

In Windows XP, go to the folder where you downloaded the .msi image of Tableau and double click it. The Tableau installer will ask you for the license key. Copy & paste it either from the download web page or from the text file where you copied it to (assuming you are running inside a VM). You should be all set, and Tableau should be up and running.

Congratulations!