What is “My Tableau Repository”?
The file repository is where Tableau stores data sources and workbooks users create. It contains multiple folders and files within those folders, including sample data sources such as the Sample Superstore dataset.
When we install Tableau Desktop, the My Tableau Repository folder is automatically created in the My Documents folder.
How can we change the location of “My Tableau Repository”?
The location of the folder My Tableau Repository can be changed within Tableau Desktop.
After launching Tableau Desktop, click on “File”, and select “Repository Location”:
From there, a new window will appear. Select the new location for the folder:
Restart Tableau and it will begin to use the new repository.
Another way to change the Repository folder location would be to manually move it.
Navigate to the Documents folder that contains the folder “My Tableau Repository”. Cut and paste it to the desired location. Note that this method still requires Tableau to be restarted before it starts using the new repository.
Why would we want to change the location of "My Tableau Repository" ?
While Documents is the default location for "My Tableau Repository", when using Tableau for work, there are time when Tableau users may be required to have the repository saved on a Shared Drive instead, so that multiple people can access the files and preferences at once.
However, saving the repository to a Shared Drive may prompt error messages from Tableau and sometimes cause additional issues. If the main goal of sharing the repository between colleagues or users is to share the Preferences.tps file, users can also directly share the Preferences.tps file in order to avoid issues when using Tableau. Sharing the Preferences.tps file will allow people to share colors and other preferences they may have added to their Tableau so that it can be applied to their own visualizations. (This might be important when working with company branding guidelines.)
Now that we've figured out where our repository folder should go, don't forget to save and restart your Tableau!
Let's analyze away!