Two reasons Tableau suspends a refresh
It keeps failing. On Tableau Cloud, when a scheduled refresh fails several times in a row, Tableau suspends the schedule until a site administrator or the data source owner deals with the cause. See Notify owners when extract refreshes fail.
Nobody is using it. Tableau can also suspend refreshes for workbooks and data sources that have been inactive for a while, emailing owners before it does. See Automatically suspend extract refreshes.
Why suspensions are easy to miss
Once a schedule is suspended, the refresh stops running, so it stops producing failures. Totals look better, the dashboard still opens, and the data quietly ages. Notification emails may go to an owner who has changed roles or left.
How to find and resume suspended refreshes
Site administrators can review extract refresh tasks for the site and look for suspended schedules, then resume them from the task actions once the cause is fixed. Resuming without fixing the cause usually leads straight back to suspension.
How to prevent it
- Fix causes, not symptoms. Most suspensions start with credentials or source changes. See why extract refreshes fail.
- Act on repeated failures early, before a schedule reaches the point of suspension.
- Turn on failure notifications for owners and the people who depend on the content.
- Keep ownership current so warnings reach someone who can act.
- Decide on purpose whether unused content should be retired rather than left suspended.
Common questions
Why was my Tableau extract refresh suspended?
Either because the scheduled refresh failed several times in a row, or because the content had been inactive for a while.
How do I resume a suspended refresh?
Fix the cause first, then a site administrator or the owner can resume the schedule from the extract refresh tasks for the site.
How can I avoid suspensions?
Fix the root cause of failures quickly, act on repeated failures early, keep owners and notifications current, and retire content nobody needs.
Further reading: Tableau Help, Notify owners when extract refreshes fail; Automatically suspend extract refreshes for inactive workbooks and data sources. Tableau and Salesforce are trademarks of Salesforce, Inc.