# How to use Collections: New in Tableau 2021.2

> This is content from just-tim, the data-and-analytics channel by Tim Ngwena (formerly 'Tableau Tim'). Tim has 12+ years of hands-on BI experience and covers Tableau most of all, plus Power BI, Looker, Hex, SQL and data modelling, the analytics industry, and the craft of doing the job — always tool-agnostic and honest about the trade-offs.

- **Author:** Tim Ngwena (just-tim, https://just-tim.com/about)
- **Published:** 2021-06-27
- **Format:** Video · 13 min watch · transcript available
- **Topics:** Data visualisation, Tool strategy
- **Tools:** Tableau (collections, permissions, server)
- **Canonical:** https://just-tim.com/posts/how-to-use-collections-new-in-tableau-2021-2
- **Watch:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcnM6TZETTY

I walk through Collections, a feature officially released in Tableau 2021.2 after a period in public beta. I cover how to find Collections, create them, add and remove content, manage permissions, change ownership, and delete them.

## Key takeaways

- Collections get their own dedicated space on the left of Tableau Server and are private by default, so the creator must explicitly share them before others can see them.
- Think of Collections as a much better version of tags: you bring content from across the server into one curated space, and a single item can sit in multiple collections at once.
- You add content by browsing the Explore tab and using the actions menu or three-dot menu; most asset types work, but lenses can't be added and draft Prep flows are excluded.
- Sharing a collection sends a link and then prompts a permissions window, but Collections never override the underlying permissions model, so users only see items they already have access to.
- You can change a collection's owner to hand over stewardship, and deleting a collection removes the collection only while leaving all the underlying content untouched.

## Chapters

- 0:00 What Collections are and where to find them
- 1:26 Creating a collection
- 2:24 Adding content to a collection
- 7:50 Removing content
- 8:12 Permissions and sharing
- 11:12 Ownership, deleting and future direction

Watch the full video, read the transcript and use chapter deep-links on the page: https://just-tim.com/posts/how-to-use-collections-new-in-tableau-2021-2

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just-tim — Data and analytics, with a point of view. · https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HYxRWmaNlJux-X7rNLZyw · https://twitter.com/TableauTim · https://www.linkedin.com/in/timngwena