Tableau Overview
Tableau Plugin connects Metric Insights to Tableau Server and Tableau Cloud. Use it in two ways, separately or together:
- External Reports bring Tableau workbooks, views, and custom views into Metric Insights. Users find them alongside other Metric Insights content, see preview images, and open them as live, embedded visualizations; the data stays in Tableau.
- Datasets bring Tableau data into Metric Insights. Use them to build Reports, and refresh the data on a schedule.
This article gives an overview of each task and links to the detailed instructions. For the full list of supported objects and operations, see Tableau Plugin Capabilities.
PREREQUISITES:
- Prerequisites for Connecting to Tableau Server.
- Choose how Metric Insights authenticates to Tableau and how users view embedded content. See Choosing Authentication Method and Embedding Option for Tableau.
Table of contents :
Connect to Tableau
Access Admin > Collection & Storage > Data Sources
- If the Tableau Data Source already exists, select it in the list.
- Otherwise, click [+New Data Source] to create one.
For setup details, see Establish Connectivity to Tableau (v7.2.1+) or, for earlier versions, Establish Connectivity to Tableau (prior to v7.2.1).
Create External Reports
An External Report brings a Tableau workbook, view, or custom view into Metric Insights. Users open it in the Viewer as a live, embedded visualization, or follow it as a link to Tableau. Filters let users focus on the values they need, and other Metric Insights content can drill down to an External Report and pass filter values to it.
Choose how to create External Reports:
- One at a time. See Create External Report from Tableau.
- Many at once. See Bulk-Add External Reports.
- Automatically. Activate the Enable Content Auto Synchronization toggle on the Tableau Data Source; Metric Insights then creates and updates External Reports as content changes in Tableau. See External Report Auto Synchronization for Tableau.
Create Datasets from Tableau Data
Metric Insights collects data from Tableau views and custom views into Datasets (shown above). Use these Datasets as the data source for Reports and Metrics.
Create a Tableau Dataset from either location:
- + New > Dataset > Create New;
- Admin > Collection & Storage > Data Sources > Tableau Data Source name > Datasets tab.
For details, see Create Dataset from Tableau.
Construct Plugin Command by Using Visual Editor
A plugin command defines which data Metric Insights fetches from Tableau. Type the command on the Command tab, or click [Visual Editor] and select the fields to include in the Tableau Query Builder. The Visual Editor writes the command for you and avoids typing errors.
Make sure that the command lists columns in the right order. To change the order in the Tableau Query Builder, drag a field by the handle next to its name.
Create Reports from Tableau Datasets
Use a Tableau Dataset as the data source of a Report (shown above).
Filter Tableau Content
Filters work in both Datasets and External Reports:
- In a Dataset, filters limit the data that Metric Insights collects from Tableau, so it fetches only the slice you need.
- In an External Report, filters control what users see. Set default values that are the same for everyone, or base them on a User Map.
For details, see Pre-Filtering Tableau Data (Dataset Example).
Keep Tableau Content Up to Date
Data collection triggers refresh Tableau content automatically. A trigger runs on a schedule, or when an external process calls its Trigger URL (for example, right after Tableau extracts refresh). Create and manage triggers in Admin > Collection & Storage > Triggers, then select a trigger on each object that should refresh (shown above for a Dataset).
| What it refreshes | Where to set it | Field |
|---|---|---|
| Data in a Tableau Dataset | Dataset editor, Data tab | Trigger |
| Preview image of an External Report | External Report editor, Configuration tab | Image Collection Trigger |
| List of Tableau objects, plus the External Reports that Content Auto Synchronization creates and updates | Tableau Data Source | Object List Refresh Trigger |
Reports built on a Tableau Dataset refresh when the Dataset's trigger runs, so they do not need a trigger of their own.
NOTE: Avoid scheduling the Object List Refresh Trigger to run more than once per day.
To collect data right away, open the trigger and click [Trigger now]. To delete and recollect data from a specific date, use [Refetch historical data].
Learn more:
Configure Authentication and Embedding
- Data collection. Set the Auth Type on the Tableau Data Source. In v7.2.1 and later, the options are PAT (Personal Access Token, recommended), PAT Identity Profile, Password, and Identity Profile. See Configure Personal Access Token Authentication for Tableau Plugin.
- Embedding and single sign-on. To show embedded Tableau content without a second sign-in, use JWT authentication (Tableau Connected Apps) or trusted authentication. See Configure JSON Web Token (JWT) Authentication for Tableau Plugin and Using Trusted Auth on Tableau Server.
- Permissions. Sync Tableau users and groups with Metric Insights, and check user access to Tableau dashboards. See Sync Tableau User/Group Permissions with Metric Insights by Using Custom Script and Special Check for User Access to Tableau Dashboard.
To compare the options, see Choosing Authentication Method and Embedding Option for Tableau.