---
schema_version: "1"
id: 41669944e1f3b857063d672fe96ac88e3298203f714865cd9fd775ded6ed90b4
title: Run your Flow
collection: tableau
version: next
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/tableau/next/en-us/prep/prep_conductor_run_flow.md
canonical_url: https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/prep/en-us/prep_conductor_run_flow.htm
source_site: help.tableau.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: fddaa5c153e7cf225ad47931f31b648fed14e812ef6683059a623d1796fe6e7d
description: Run a Tableau Prep flow manually to generate its output.
---
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# Run your Flow

> [!IMPORTANT]
> 
> Starting in version 2020.4.1, Data Management is no longer required to run flows manually on the web. It is only required (with Tableau Prep Conductor enabled) if you plan to run your flows on a schedule.

To generate your flow output you need to run your flow. When you run the flow, all of your data (not just the data sample you might be working with) is run through your flow steps. All of your cleaning operations are applied to your full data set, resulting in a tidy, clean data set that you can now use to analyze your data.

**Note**: Starting in version 2021.4.1, when you run flows that include parameters, you'll be prompted to enter parameter values. You must enter required parameter values. You can also enter any optional parameter values or accept the current (default) value for the parameter. For more information about using parameters in flows, see [Run flows with parameters](https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/prep/en-us/prep_parameters.htm#run_flows).

## Flow run options

Run your flows manually, from the command line, using Tableau Server REST API flow methods, or using a schedule.

- **Manual**: Run your flows manually any time in Tableau Prep Builder and on the web. The Data Management isn't required. Flows on the web must be published before they can be run. For more information, see **Publishing flows** in the [Tableau Server](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/prep_web_auth.htm#publishing-flows) or [Tableau Cloud](https://help.tableau.com/current/online/en-us/prep_web_auth.htm#publishing-flows) help.
- **Command Line interface**: If you don't have the Data Management you can run flows one at a time using the command line interface. For more information, see [Refresh flow output files from the command line](https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/prep/en-us/prep_run_commandline.htm).
- **REST API**: Use the Flow and Flow Task REST API methods in Tableau Server to run flows. The Data Management is required. For more information, see [Flow Methods](https://help.tableau.com/current/api/rest_api/en-us/REST/rest_api_ref_flow.htm) in the Tableau REST API help.
- **Using a schedule**: In Tableau Server and Tableau Cloud you can schedule single flows to run or run multiple flows one after the other using linked tasks. Your server must include Data Management with Tableau Prep Conductor enabled.
    
    For more information, see **Tableau Prep Conductor** in the [Tableau Server](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/prep_publishserver_overview.htm) or [Tableau Cloud](https://help.tableau.com/current/online/en-us/prep_conductor_online_intro.htm) help. For information about scheduling your flow to run automatically, see [Schedule a Flow Task](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/prep_conductor_online_schedule_flow_task.htm) in the Tableau Server help.

## Run flows manually

When you run flows manually, you can run one flow at a time. You can run the whole flow or run the flow for a selected output.

If running flows in web authoring (version 2020.4 and later) the flow must be published to the server to run it, and you can't run another flow until the first flow is finished, even from a separate tab. For more information, see [Publish a Flow to Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud](https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/prep/en-us/prep_conductor_publish_flow.htm).

In Tableau Cloud, the number of flow runs you can perform in a day is also limited by the site administrator. For more information, see [Tableau Cloud Site Capacity](https://help.tableau.com/current/online/en-us/to_site_capacity.htm) in the Tableau Cloud help.

1. In Tableau Prep Builder or on your server, open your flow.
2. Do one of the following:
    - From the top menu, click Run ![The Run Flow button shown as a right facing arrow.](/tableau/next/en-us/prep/en-us/Img/prep_run_flow.png) to run the entire flow, or click the drop down arrow to select a flow output in the list.
        
        ![A menu with options to Create 'Annual Regional Perform...' and Create 'Superstore Sales.hyper'.](/tableau/next/en-us/prep/en-us/Img/prep_run_flow2.png)
    - On the server, from the Explore page, right-click or Cmd-click (MacOS) ![The More Options menu represented by 3 dots.](/tableau/next/en-us/prep/en-us/Img/prep_moreoptions_icon.png) More actions and select Run Now from the menu. This will run your entire flow.
        
        ![The dropdown menu from a flow thumbnail showing the Run Now option to run the flow.](/tableau/next/en-us/prep/en-us/Img/prep_pwa_explore_runflow.png)
    - Click on an Output step in your flow, then in the Output pane, click Run Flow.
        
        If the flow isn't open on the web you will need to click Edit Flow to open your flow in editing mode, then either click Publish to publish the flow, or accept the prompt to publish the flow, then click Run Flow.
        
        ![Button to Run Flow.](/tableau/next/en-us/prep/en-us/Img/prep_run_flow3.png)