Options for Fetching Tableau Workbooks

Before Metric Insights can create External Reports, Datasets, or other Elements from Tableau, the Tableau Data Source needs a list of the Tableau objects to use (workbooks, views, custom views, and so on). This list is shown on the Data Source's Tableau Objects tab. Choose how to build it: fetch it from Tableau automatically, supply it from a Dataset, or add a single view while creating an External Report.

PREREQUISITES:

Table of contents :

  1. Fetch Tableau Objects Automatically
  2. Generate Object List from Dataset
  3. Add Tableau View While Creating External Report
OptionUse it when
AutomaticallyYou want every object that the Data Source can access in Tableau, optionally limited by Project and object type. Recommended for most cases.
DatasetYou want a curated or governed list, for example one generated by another system.
Add a view while creating an External ReportYou need one view that is not in the list yet.

NOTE: The "Manually" option for Generate Object List was removed in v7.0.1. Data Sources that were already set to manual keep their existing object list.

1. Fetch Tableau Objects Automatically

Access Admin > Collection & Storage > Data Sources and open the Tableau Data Source

  1. On the Advanced tab, under Collection Settings, set Generate Object List to Automatically.
  2. Object List Refresh Trigger: Select the Trigger that refreshes the list.
  3. On the Tableau Objects tab, click [Refresh list].

Result: The list is populated with the Tableau objects that the Data Source can access, and it refreshes on the selected Trigger.

If Enable Content Auto Synchronization is on (Info tab, under Content Creation Options), the button is [Refresh list & Sync Content] and refreshing the list also creates and updates External Reports. See External Report Auto Synchronization for Tableau.

2. Generate Object List from Dataset

You can use an existing Metric Insights Dataset as the source of the object list.

Dataset columns to include:

  • Required: id, parent_id, name, level.
  • Optional: external_guid, capabilities, is_default_ind, last_data_refreshed, supports_filters, index, last_modified, content_type.

Access Admin > Collection & Storage > Data Sources and open the Tableau Data Source

  1. On the Advanced tab, under Collection Settings, set Generate Object List to Dataset.
  2. Dataset: Select the Dataset that contains the object list.
  3. Object List Refresh Trigger: Select the Trigger that refreshes the list.
  4. On the Tableau Objects tab, click [Refresh list].

Result: The Tableau Objects tab shows the objects from the Dataset.

3. Add Tableau View While Creating External Report

If the view you need isn't in the list (for example, it was published after the last refresh), add it directly from the External Report Editor without refreshing the whole list.

Access the Configuration tab of External Report Editor

  1. Click Select Worksheet or [Edit].
  2. Click [+].
    • NOTE: The refresh icon next to [+] appears only when Generate Object List is set to Automatically.
  3. Enter the view as [Tableau Workbook name]/[Tableau Worksheet name], copied from the view's Tableau URL.
    • For example, for the URL https://hostname/#/views/Finance/Homepriceandsupply, enter Finance/Homepriceandsupply.
  4. [Save]
    • The view is added to the Data Source's object list and selected for the External Report.

For details on creating Elements from Tableau, see: