Tableau Email Report Automation

Automate Tableau Report Emails with Company Branding and Attachments

Send a report email that tells readers what matters and what to do next. Design the HTML message, choose the sending account and attach the files they need.

Design company-branded HTML messages with links and clear instructions.

Send through your configured SMTP or Office 365 account, with backup SMTP servers where needed.

Reuse subjects, messages and signatures, with supported inserts for recipient and reporting-period values.

Direct replies with SMTP reply-to, and use Exchange settings for receipt follow-up.

The Reporting Challenge

A Report Email Needs More Than an Export

A useful report email gives the recipient more than a file. It makes the reporting period clear, explains what to review and provides the detail they need to take the next step.

Make the Message Recognizable

Match the company’s email design and include the reporting period, a useful explanation and the right contact for questions.

Include the Files People Use

An owner may need a quick snapshot and a PDF; a finance reviewer may need several exports or an Excel workbook in the same email.

Plan the Sending and Follow-Up

Send from a familiar company account and plan the follow-up, so each recurring report email supports the way your business works.

Choosing the Right Approach

Tableau Subscription Emails or ATRS Report Emails?

Native view/workbook subscriptions suit permitted Tableau users who need PNG/PDF emails with a subject and message. Use ATRS Tableau email report automation when you want to design the HTML message, choose compatible attachments and manage the sending account for each schedule.

Swipe to compare all columns.

Requirement	Tableau subscriptions	ATRS
Message and file	View/workbook subscriptions support PNG images, PDF attachments or both, with a custom subject and message.	Design the HTML message. A single SMTP schedule can embed a report and attach another format of that same report.
Recipients and content	Recipients need Tableau permissions. Saved custom views preserve filters for subscribed content.	Email exported report files to the specified recipients. Recipients can read those files without opening Tableau; the schedule uses the configured Tableau account to access the report.
Sending and follow-up	Tableau Server administrators configure SMTP for subscriptions; Tableau Cloud also supports site custom SMTP. Native subscriptions include failure suspension and resumption.	Select an ATRS mail account per schedule, configure backup SMTP and static or data-driven SMTP reply-to. Exchange receipt follow-up uses Exchange settings.

Native guidance: Tableau subscriptions · Tableau Server subscriptions · Tableau Cloud custom SMTP.

See ATRS Tableau report scheduler for the product overview.

Design Report Emails That Match Your Business

Bring your company’s familiar look to each report email. With HTML and CSS styling, you can combine the report with a short explanation and clear next steps.

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Edit the Message in HTML

Add your logo, images, tables, links and formatted instructions. Automatic embedding of related HTML images lets you include company artwork in the message.

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Reuse Messages and Signatures

Create default subjects, messages, signatures and attachments once, then insert them into the schedules that need them.

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Keep Typography Consistent

Choose a default font and size that match your company design, so recurring messages feel consistent.

Read the ATRS email destination guide.

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A styled report email combines a company color palette, report snapshot and PDF attachment.

Choose an Inline Report or Attached Files

Decide what the recipient should see in the message and which files they need to open.

Snapshot Plus Attachment

A supported single schedule with SMTP can embed a report and attach another format of that same report.

A Collection of Attachments

Data-driven packages deliver attachments and cannot embed reports. Grouping single data-driven emails by address also disables embedding.

For a multiple-report collection, use package configuration. For file layout and format settings, see the PDF, Excel and CSV guides.

Choose How Your Report Emails Are Sent

Send from the company account your recipients recognize, and direct replies to the people who can help. Failed-send retries and SMTP invalid-address checking help you manage delivery.

Send Through SMTP

Connect your SMTP server and select the mail account for the schedule.

Connect Office 365

Send through your Office 365 account using modern authentication, with the option to authenticate from another device.

Choose the Account for Each Schedule

Set up company mail accounts, then select the sender for each schedule.

Configure Backup SMTP Servers

Add backup SMTP servers to use when the primary SMTP server is unavailable.

Set Email Priority

Set message priority for SMTP or Office 365 emails to indicate their importance to recipients.

Route Replies to the Right Team

Use a static or data-driven reply-to address for SMTP so report questions reach the responsible team.

Setup resources: SMTP and Office 365 · Office 365 account authentication · Email priority and SMTP reply-to · Backup SMTP servers.

Follow Up on Expected Receipts and Inspect Email Results

Keep recurring report emails on track with a planned follow-up and a clear record of each run.

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Set an Exchange Receipt Deadline

With Exchange email settings, set a deadline and run a follow-up task once or repeatedly until a receipt arrives. Tasks can send an SMS or run another schedule. Receipts depend on the recipient’s mail client and settings; a receipt does not establish that an attachment was opened or reviewed.

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Stop a Custom Email Task if Files Are Missing

In an Internet email custom task, enable the option to throw an error and stop sending if an attachment is missing.

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Inspect the Correct Message Record

Review SMTP messages in ATRS Email Log and investigate destination results in schedule history, also available in the ATRS Web Application.

Setup resources: Exchange receipt follow-up · Internet email custom tasks.

For folder, transfer and storage routes, see the Tableau report delivery overview.

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An email deadline leads to a follow-up email or text message when a receipt has not arrived.

Worked example

An Occupancy Email Ready for the Weekly Review

Illustrative message for a property owner: a single SMTP schedule embeds the occupancy report and attaches a PDF of that same report. The selected report covers 5–11 October 2026.

Message field	Example
From	Configured company SMTP account: `reports@example.com`.
To / reply-to	Owner: `owner@example.com`. Replies: `sales-north@example.com`.
Subject	North occupancy, 5–11 October 2026
Body	Hello Alex, Here is North’s occupancy report for 5–11 October. The snapshot below gives you the weekly overview; the attached PDF has the same report for your records. Please review it before Thursday’s operations meeting. Reply to this email if you have questions.
Inline content / attachment	Embedded occupancy report; `north-occupancy-2026-10-11.pdf`.

Apply your company logo and HTML styling in the email editor, then open the delivered message in the recipient’s mail client. These addresses and the message are illustrative.

Evaluate the Email Your Reader Will Open

Connect your Tableau and mail accounts on the supported ATRS Windows host, then run one representative message. The recipient’s email client is the useful place to judge its design.

Review the Finished Message

Look at the subject, reporting period, inline image, links and attachments together. Send a reply to confirm that it reaches the intended SMTP reply-to address.

Check Sending Limits and Follow-Up

For packages, set the email size ceiling and allow for the sending server’s limit. For Exchange receipt follow-up, remember that returned receipts depend on the recipient’s mail client.

Setup: installation prerequisites. For failed handoffs and retained files, see destinations and recovery.

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Technical Support

Get help with ATRS setup and configuration

Current Capabilities

Follow ATRS release announcements and product guides

Enhancements

Discuss your reporting requirements with the ATRS team

Single schedules can embed a report in the email body and include an attachment. SMTP supports HTML embedding; MAPI embedding is text-only. Data-driven packages deliver attachments and cannot embed. Grouping single data-driven outputs by email address also disables embedding.

Yes. Design the message in HTML and CSS, add your company artwork and set the default font and size. Automatic embedding includes related HTML images in the message. Choose the character encoding needed for multilingual emails.

Yes. Define default subjects, messages, signatures and attachments in User Defaults, then insert those defaults into the schedules that need them. You can edit the message for an individual schedule.

Yes. Send through SMTP or connect an Office 365 account using modern authentication. Office 365 supports MSAL Device Code flow, which lets you authenticate the account from another device.

Yes. Choose a sending account for each schedule and add backup SMTP servers to use if the primary SMTP server is unavailable.

Yes. Supported inserts can populate recipients, subjects, message text and output filenames. To, CC and BCC can use individual addresses, address-book groups, a database source or a text-file mailing list. For report values and recipient-specific outputs, see the Tableau report bursting guide.

Yes. A package schedule can send several exported reports together. Use the package configuration guide to set up the collection. Data-driven packages deliver attachments rather than embedded reports.

Yes. ATRS provides PDF and Excel protection options. Choose the settings for the format you are sending; see the PDF and Excel guides for details.

With Exchange email settings, set a receipt deadline and run a follow-up task, such as an SMS or another schedule, once or repeatedly until a receipt arrives. Follow-up depends on receipts returned by the recipient’s mail client and settings. A receipt does not establish that an attachment was opened or reviewed.

Yes. Enable the Internet email custom task’s option to throw an error and stop sending if an attachment is missing.

Set the package-email size ceiling in MB and test representative attachments against the sending server’s limits. Open the message in the recipient’s email client and check its design, links and attachments. For a single schedule that embeds a report, check the inline rendering too.

Use ATRS Email Log for SMTP messages. For Exchange or Office 365, check the sending account’s Sent Items. Use schedule History View to investigate report and destination results. Schedule history is also available in the ATRS Web Application.