When Tableau Server is configured with an external repository, the server continuously communicates with this external database for all metadata operations, such as user permissions, workbook content, and data source information. The performance of these frequent, small queries is highly sensitive to network latency. A high-latency connection introduces significant delays to nearly every user interaction and background process, directly degrading the overall performance and responsiveness of the Tableau Server environment. Therefore, ensuring a low-latency network connection is a critical prerequisite for optimal performance.

A. The external repository is designed to be on a separate, dedicated machine to isolate resources and improve manageability, not on the same physical server.

B. Storage capacity is a factor for data retention and growth, but it is not a direct driver of performance. I/O speed and memory are more critical performance metrics for a database.

C. The connection between Tableau Server and its repository is persistent and transactional, not based on periodic synchronization. The concept of minimizing synchronization frequency is not applicable here.

1. Tableau Server Documentation: In the section on external repository requirements

the documentation explicitly states the importance of network latency. It recommends

"For best performance

we recommend that you install your PostgreSQL database on a dedicated computer that has a low latency network connection to your Tableau Server. We recommend a network latency of less than 10 ms between the Tableau Server cluster and the external repository."

Source: Tableau Help

"Tableau Server External Repository

" Section: "Requirements for Using Tableau Server with an External Repository."

2. Pardoll

P. (2021). Tableau Server on AWS: A practical guide to building and managing a secure and highly available Tableau Server platform. Packt Publishing. While a commercial book

the principle it discusses is derived from official documentation and standard architectural practices. Chapter 4

"Designing a Highly Available Tableau Server Architecture

" emphasizes that the network latency between the application servers and the external metadata store (like RDS) is a crucial performance consideration. This aligns with the official vendor guidance. (Note: This reference is provided for context on industry best practices which are based on official documentation).

3. University Courseware on Distributed Systems: Principles from distributed systems architecture confirm that separating an application tier from its data tier introduces network latency as a primary performance bottleneck. The performance of the overall system is often limited by the speed of communication between these tiers.

Source: Patterson

D. A.

& Hennessy

J. L. (2017). Computer Organization and Design RISC-V Edition: The Hardware Software Interface. Morgan Kaufmann. Chapter 6

"Parallel Processors from Client to Cloud

" discusses the performance implications of communication latency in distributed systems.