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Let the force be with you: Data residency and Hyperforce
25 November 2021 
Rakesh Neelakandan After two very long masked years, the world has slowly started to breathe, again!
With lockdowns on and work taking place from the very room you had slept a couple of hours back -- the human universe has been phenomenally re-engineered by a microscopic organism.
Your geographical location has been made immaterial in the digital world. But the same cannot be said about data, and this may sound paradoxical and ironic. For instance, an MNC’s location of the data now matters more than ever before. With a major chunk of data of many entities, especially government ones, on the public cloud, the airing of concerns related to data security, data sovereignty, data localisation/ data residency is growing louder in decibel terms.
This is where Hyperforce comes in.
Hyperforce is how Salesforce has reimagined its platform. It is now horizontally scalable, and through tie-ups with major cloud providers, the scalability has grown by leaps and bounds. Imagine you are a B2B company with 10,000 customers or a B2C company with tens of millions of customers: Hyperforce lets you scale up your capabilities and provides you with a single source of truth. But what if you are a multi-geographic business conglomerate in a heavily regulated industry like finance or health? How will you comply with data sovereignty, data localisation/ data residency requirements? Hyperforce’s collaboration with public cloud companies ensures that the data can be located at any specified place in the world, adhering to the local rules of data governance and storage locations. “Choose the location where your data will be stored to comply with regulations specific to your company, region, or industry — even in highly regulated industries like the public sector,” the store-data-locally-keep-it-compliant-globally mantra tells. Other features Hyperscalable: Hyperforce also enables you to scale the infrastructure as per the needs of the business by letting you access extra computing capacity as and when required. You can employ resources in the public cloud rather quickly. Yes, it is your decision whether to scale up or not, and the elasticity can be dictated by the nature of your requirements. Hypersecure: Also, trust is built-in, which puts security at the forefront of the architecture. Data privacy and security are sacrosanct. This leaves you with enough room to focus on innovation. Hypercompatible: And most important of all, backward compatibility ensures that all the extant Salesforce apps, customisations and integrations will continue to work on Hyperforce regardless of cloud. In the physical world, your geographical location assumes importance. But in the digital world, it is the location of the data that matters. Hyperforce, by virtue of its collaboration with major players in the cloud domain, ensures data residency requirements are adhered to when and where needed. The architecture is hyper-scalable, secure, and comes with backward compatibility. Hyperforce is soon to be launched in the UAE, and Beinex, a Salesforce partner, is all set to carry out implementation and consulting of and for Hyperforce.In the physical world, your geographical location assumes importance. But in the digital world, it is the location of the data that matters. Hyperforce, by virtue of its collaboration with major players in the cloud domain, ensures data residency requirements are adhered to when and where needed.
The architecture is hyper-scalable, secure, and comes with backward compatibility.
The architecture is hyper-scalable, secure, and comes with backward compatibility.
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A DEEP DIVE INTO TABLEAU 2019.3
TABLEAU CATALOG
What could be better than a feature that could provide better visibility and better data management at the same time, and also ensure that the right data is always used for analysis. This is possible with the new feature -Tableau Catalog.
This feature provides a complete picture of the data and how each data is connected.
Another use of Tableau Catalog is linear and impact analysis. This not only shows which assets will change but also who will be affected by it, which makes work easier for many and avoids wastage of time.
EXPLAIN DATA
Tableau 2019.3 is up with a new Al-driven feature called the “Explain Data”, which helps people go from the “what” of the data to the “how” of it. With explain data, we can get an explanation for each unexpected value in the data by just a single click. On selecting the desired data point, the ‘explain data’(lightbulb) icon appears.
For each value there might be a number of explanations. Each of these explanations are checked and only the most likely ones are provided as visualizations.
Now these visualizations can be used for further explorations.
TABLEAU SERVER MANAGEMENT ADD-ON
Organizations that run critical deployment of Tableau Server at a large scale, have mentioned concerns over manageability and scalability. They have been in search for tools that could organize the management process in an efficient way, which could save a lot of time. Tableau solved this problem by introducing the Tableau Server Management Add-on – a new feature designed to help organizations manage the deployment of Tableau Server. With this, they can quickly react to the changing needs of the business as well as save time by organizing the management process in the most efficient way. Tableau Server Management Add-on, which makes running the critical deployment of tableau at a large-scale server much simpler.
The server management add-on feature can help in optimising the performance of deployment by customizing which nodes process background jobs such as extract refreshes and subscriptions and isolating these workloads, to specific nodes. This makes it easier to scale deployments to the needs of their organization.
This feature has a few tools, including two for better reliability and scalability and one for content migration, all of which helps the organizations to govern their data effectively.
If you are interested in learning more about the latest Tableau release and use cases, please contact us at training@beinex.com/ info@beinex.com and we would be happy to schedule a Tableau demo or training for you and your company.
This feature provides a complete picture of the data and how each data is connected.
Another use of Tableau Catalog is linear and impact analysis. This not only shows which assets will change but also who will be affected by it, which makes work easier for many and avoids wastage of time.
EXPLAIN DATA
Tableau 2019.3 is up with a new Al-driven feature called the “Explain Data”, which helps people go from the “what” of the data to the “how” of it. With explain data, we can get an explanation for each unexpected value in the data by just a single click. On selecting the desired data point, the ‘explain data’(lightbulb) icon appears.
For each value there might be a number of explanations. Each of these explanations are checked and only the most likely ones are provided as visualizations.
Now these visualizations can be used for further explorations.
TABLEAU SERVER MANAGEMENT ADD-ON
Organizations that run critical deployment of Tableau Server at a large scale, have mentioned concerns over manageability and scalability. They have been in search for tools that could organize the management process in an efficient way, which could save a lot of time. Tableau solved this problem by introducing the Tableau Server Management Add-on – a new feature designed to help organizations manage the deployment of Tableau Server. With this, they can quickly react to the changing needs of the business as well as save time by organizing the management process in the most efficient way. Tableau Server Management Add-on, which makes running the critical deployment of tableau at a large-scale server much simpler.
The server management add-on feature can help in optimising the performance of deployment by customizing which nodes process background jobs such as extract refreshes and subscriptions and isolating these workloads, to specific nodes. This makes it easier to scale deployments to the needs of their organization.
This feature has a few tools, including two for better reliability and scalability and one for content migration, all of which helps the organizations to govern their data effectively.
If you are interested in learning more about the latest Tableau release and use cases, please contact us at training@beinex.com/ info@beinex.com and we would be happy to schedule a Tableau demo or training for you and your company.
Note: The Server Management Add-on is not available for Tableau Online, as they manage everything from scaling, performance, and security on behalf of their Tableau Online customers. The Tableau Server Management Add-on can be separately purchased from the Tableau Server deployment.
Infusing a Dash of Freshness in Tableau: Relaunching Tableau Online as Tableau Cloud!
Tableau Cloud is a web-based data visualization tool. It is a part of the futuristic notion that enabled the evolution of a completely hosted, cloud-based solution, enabling wiser decisions through quick, flexible, and simple analytics. Tableau Cloud helps more people and teams obtain insights and become more innovative and competent decision-makers by distributing reliable data across enterprises, eventually leading to better, data-driven outcomes.
Tableau Cloud takes pride in the fact that the system is built to fit any enterprise architecture, with industry-leading security features, the highest certification requirements such as SOCII and ISO, and best-in-class governance capabilities to guarantee your data is always in the right hands.
The expected features are all here, with solid and intelligent additions such as Advanced Management, Data Stories, new embedded functionality, etc. These vital advancements add to the advantages of moving Tableau to the cloud, such as time savings, flexibility, and decreased costs. Still, they also give insights that evolve scale without having to install or maintain any software or hardware.
The most wanted features are here:
Advanced Management - Advanced Management contains several operational insight elements to gain information into visualisation load times, user interactions, number of views, and more. Admin Insights delivers easy-to-understand visualisations derived from the environment's usage statistics, and the Activities Log gives granular event data to create a record of activity. The newly added feature helps to handle critical analytics with ease. Features like flexible control, better security and manageability, and limitless scalability are designed to help the business thrive.
Data Stories – Data stories help to get clear, automated explanations for dashboards in no time. Make dashboard analytics simple with clear, automatic explanations. Big data is divided into critical aspects, and insights are provided in simple terminology
Embedded Analytics – Embedded Analytics integrates analytics seamlessly into the products and applications, surfacing insights to the users wherever they are, including public domains. It's straightforward to configure, integrate, and deploy Embedded Analytics right into your applications, products, and online portals. Tableau Cloud will allow administrators to share their workbooks and visualisations with the public, enabling users to view their information without logging in.
Tableau Cloud is an easy-to-use self-service platform, and all you must do is prepare your data, author, analyze, collaborate, publish, and share on Tableau Cloud
Source: https://www.tableau.com/products/cloud-bi
Tableau Cloud is user-friendly, and its activation can be done with a finger snap. The first step is to configure the authentication mechanism and securely publish interactive dashboards and data because it is managed and hosted by Tableau.
The material will then be accessible from any browser or mobile device, allowing the team to collaborate and share analytics with everyone, anywhere. Simple, right!
Feel free to request a free trial using this link.
Tableau 2021.2 : New Features
This has changed the way we interpret information by giving us a look into past insights but also to forecast future events, allowing us to make informed decisions.
Tableau 2021.2. includes ‘ask and explain data’ for viewers, allow connected desktops, Collections, and many more valuable features. Some of the key enhancements are listed below.
Collections provides a new format to organize content across your sites on both Tableau Online and Server into manageable folders. You may group item together from different projects and workbooks and you can reuse content in multiple contexts without additional storage or resources. Collections also makes it easier to share content around a central theme. For example, you can create a “Daily Sales” collection that includes dashboards with daily sales statistics, ETL data flow, data sources, etc.
Collections helps you congregate your data. You are given the leeway to create, explore and save your content privately. Another key feature of ‘Collections” is that users can create customized collections which are by default private. However, you are given the option to share the collection with any authorized users you choose to provide access to.
1) User Management Enhancement
In earlier versions, a subscribed user, deleted by an admin, was not erased from the system entirely. They were then classified as an 'unlicensed user'.
With version 2021.2, the subscribed creator will be deleted automatically when an admin deletes a user either via the UI or the REST API, without the extra step of reassigning the subscription ownership.
2) Ask Data Enhancements
Ask Data Lenses
A new feature introduced with this update is 'Ask Data Lenses'. It allows for easy data curation with defined columns and value synonyms and also provides suggested questions to allow for more inclusive data from a variety of sources.
(The update brings a new content type that is Ask Data Lenses, making it easy to curate data with the definition of column and value synonyms and suggested questions so you can better leverage existing published data sources.)
They are created alongside published data sources Ask Data use case(s) while maintaining the underlying data source as its own entity.
These 'lenses' are comparable to ‘views’. For those of you who are adept with SQL, where you can write selected statements specifically to extract the required columns, give definitions, whilst maintaining the integrity of the data source. Similarly, once created, ‘lenses’ can be accessed by viewers, opening Ask Data to a new class of users that struggle to self-serve their needs today.
Entity Search
Entity Search shows users search results of keywords, like the Google search box. Ask Data gives you word-by-word search results, giving you instant feedback on your data and what Ask Data can do. Ask Data will automatically choose the most relevant interpretation of your search and these search results help you build that input more effectively by selecting the right fields and values in the data set. Ask data learns from your selections to choose smarter defaults for future searches.
MFA allows users to easily add an additional layer of security to their accounts.
This feature unlocks the ability for Tableau Online customers who utilize native Tableau ID authentication to enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) when their users sign into their sites. End-users can use applications like Salesforce Authenticator or Google Authenticator to perform additional verification of their identity when they log on to Tableau.
MFA makes it much harder for common threats like phishing attacks and account takeovers to succeed. MFA is one of the easiest and most effective ways customers can enhance login security and safeguard their business and data against external threats.
Easily rename multiple fields in prep allows creators to transition seamlessly from web authoring to Tableau Desktop with a single click of a button. Creators will now be able to edit any workbook that they have permission to on Desktop.
Prior to 2021.2, users had to manually change each header name. For example, if a user wanted to change “Customer” at the start of multiple header names, they would need to click on each field name and individually change/remove “Customer” in the field name. Not a big deal when there are less than 10 columns to update. However, for customers with data sets of 50+ columns, it is more cumbersome to have to individually change each field name. This feature allows a customer to quickly add a prefix, rename or add a suffix to multiple fields collectively.
Tableau Prep is expanding its output capabilities to include Google BigQuery, enabling you to add or update data in Google BigQuery with clean, prepped data from your flow each time it is run.
TABLEAU DESKTOP 2020.2 – Key Features
1) Maps: Spatial File Support
The Marks Layers Control SP1 feature provides a control that allows users to toggle the visibility of layers on a map viz. The control works like a filter and the user is free to choose which layer(s) to view in order to answer their question. In addition, the user can control the interactivity of the map viz by selectively enabling or disabling selection on the layer in question.
Toggle button – Our users can now use a button to show/hide any dashboard zone, floating or tiled. This function was previously limited to floating horizontal and vertical containers only.
URL support for images – Users can now add images via external URLs, which also provides GIF support for images on the internet and workbooks. Loading these images will be time-efficient.
AWS Systems Manager: Proven Best Use Cases and a Real-World Success Story
AWS Systems Manager seamlessly operates with both Windows and Linux OS and integrates with CloudWatch metrics, CloudWatch Dashboard, and AWS Config. Moreover, it enables the creation of resource groups spanning various AWS services, allowing for aggregated operational data viewing and facilitating monitoring, troubleshooting, and resource group-specific actions.
Common use cases and best practices for AWS Systems Manager capabilities are listed below:
Automation
Inventory
Maintenance Windows
Parameter Store
Patch Manager
Run Command
Session Manager
State Manager
Managed Nodes
Case Study: A Global Cloud Solutions and Services Company Enhances Scalability and Efficiency with AWS Systems Manager
Client: A Global Cloud Solutions and Services Company
A technology services company that specialises in helping organisations across 120 countries adopt modern technologies and manage them efficiently. They focus on creating solutions for hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
Requirement: Finding Scalability on AWS Systems Manager
The client faced a significant challenge in managing multi-cloud environments at scale reliably and cost-effectively. Manually handling activities across hundreds of thousands of different compute instances was resource-intensive and delayed issue resolution. They needed a solution that could run both on-premises and on the cloud and wanted a single tool for managing their suite of solutions.>
Challenges
Process: Supporting Automation, Staff Productivity, and Transparency on AWS
The client began using AWS Systems Manager in 2015 for various products and extended its use to other cloud environments in 2019. Since 2019, the client has utilised AWS Systems Manager to power patching activities across all major cloud providers they support. They perform mass patching at scale, covering over 62,000 VMs across all their managed services. VM Management automates traditionally manual tasks like patching, agent distribution, server diagnostics, and issue remediation. It significantly reduces labour, costs, and errors associated with manual tasks, enhancing security and efficiency.
SmartTickets, a component in VM Management, handled thousands of incidents and automated responses using AWS Systems Manager, saving time and reducing costs for the company. They also used Amazon CloudWatch for monitoring and observability and automated runbooks for real-time monitoring and alerts.
AWS Systems Manager provides a single-pane view of environments, improving customer visibility and decision-making.
Result: Taking Automation to the Next Level on AWS
The client plans to develop custom runbooks with customers and further automate responses and resolutions using AWS Systems Manager. They have successfully solved industry challenges by saving time, cutting costs, and reducing complexity for both their customers and themselves.
Key Takeaway
The client leveraged AWS Systems Manager to streamline and automate their operations, resulting in improved efficiency, cost reduction, and enhanced customer satisfaction. With automation, they can swiftly respond to and resolve issues, meeting customer expectations effectively.
How Beinex Can Help You
Beinex is an AWS consulting partner, and we empower customers to host their BI solutions and much more on the cloud. Our cloud migration experts bring in best-in-class stability and reliability by understanding your business strategy and working closely with you to deploy AWS infrastructure as a service.