What is a Tableau bridge?
Tableau Bridge is client software that runs on a machine in your network. The client works in conjunction with Tableau Cloud to keep data sources that connect to private network data, which Tableau Cloud can't reach directly, up to date. Private network data includes on-premises data and virtual cloud data.
How do I start bridge in Tableau?
After the client is installed, you can start the client by double-clicking the Bridge shortcut on your desktop or from Tableau Desktop (if it's installed on the same machine as Bridge).
What are the modes of Tableau Bridge?
Application versus Service mode
A client can operate in one of two modes: Application or Service. The mode the client can run depends on the Windows user account it's running under, the Tableau Cloud site settings that the client is registered to, and general data freshness needs.