How PSV cut admin and gained more visibility with Tableau Cloud
PSV has used Tableau for years to make data accessible across the organisation. What started as a self-managed server grew into an environment with ever more users, dashboards and maintenance. Together with DDBM, PSV made the move to Tableau Cloud.
From an On-Premises Server to SaaS
For years, PSV ran Tableau Server on its own virtual machine within the Azure environment. It was manageable, but not without effort: updates, maintenance windows, and separate passwords demanded a lot of attention from the IT team.
Our approach
DDBM supported PSV from architecture advice through to go-live. This started with the design of the Tableau Cloud environment and the accompanying identity federation for SSO, plus advice on which licence types suited PSV’s different user groups.
DDBM carried out the migration itself using its own automated tooling. Users, groups, workbooks, data sources, permissions and refresh schedules were all moved across without any content needing to be adjusted by hand. The same tooling was then used to check every migrated dashboard for an exact match with its Server version.
Step by step, with no hassle for users
Together with DDBM, PSV first took stock of which users and dashboards were still relevant. Outdated or barely used content was left behind. The new Tableau Cloud environment then ran alongside the existing server for a while, so the switchover could happen in phases and nobody was suddenly left without access. Only once everything had been validated were the most active users invited to try out the new environment themselves.
“From an end user’s point of view, very little has actually changed apart from logging in. That’s almost the biggest compliment you can get for a migration like this.”
Emre Aydogan
Cloud Engineer
Concrete result
Infrastructure costs eliminated:
The virtual machine that Tableau Server ran on used to incur significant monthly costs. That expense is now gone entirely, while licence costs stayed the same.
Management in one place:
Updates, patches and maintenance used to be spread across PSV, an external IT partner and Tableau itself. With Tableau Cloud as a SaaS solution, it now sits with a single party.
One login for everything:
Users sign in with their PSV account instead of a separate Tableau password.
Dashboards and data unchanged:
Same content, same numbers. Only the way people log in changed.
Always on the latest version:
Tableau now releases new features on Cloud first, so PSV no longer lags behind on updates, as it did with a self-managed server.
Collaboration with DDBM
Roy Smits, IT Manager, reflects on the phased approach and the clarity regarding costs:
“The way you raised it with us, how you were going to do it, and how you linked the pricing to that gave me, as the person responsible for the budget, a good feeling. I wasn’t worried about getting an unexpected extra bill.”
Emre Aydogan describes the collaboration as pleasant and accessible:
“Whenever I asked you a few questions about the migration, I quickly received a response that was helpful. We didn’t run into any insurmountable roadblocks.”
Conclusion
In hindsight, the switch to Tableau Cloud was a logical step for PSV. Less administrative burden, significant savings on infrastructure costs, and a migration that users barely noticed—the only change was that logging in became easier. We continue to support PSV as they further expand their data-driven approach.
About PSV
PSV is one of the largest and most successful football clubs in the Netherlands. Since its founding in 1913, the Eindhoven-based club has competed at the highest level of Dutch soccer and has won multiple national titles, cups, and European trophies. Behind the scenes, the organisation is constantly working to be more professional, with data playing an increasingly important role in its operations.
