Pivotal Greenplum

This topic describes how to connect Tableau to a Pivotal Greenplum database and set up the data source.

1. Click Connect to Data..
   
2. On the Connect page, click Pivotal Greenplum, and then do the following:
   
   1. Type the name of the server that hosts the database and the name of the database you want to connect to.
      
   2. Type the user name and password, and then click Connect.
      If the connection is unsuccessful, verify that your user name and password are correct. If the connection continues to fail, your computer is having trouble locating the server. Contact your network administrator or database administrator.
      
3. On the data source page, do the following:
   
   1. (Optional) Click the default data source name at the top of the page, and then type a unique data source name for use in Tableau.
      
   2. Drag a table to the join area, and then click Go to Worksheet to begin building the view. Alternatively, drag additional tables to the join area and use conditions to join them. You can choose to combine tables or use Custom SQL when you are working with multiple tables. You can also add joins later.
      Optionally, you can make the following configurations before building the view:
      
      • Preview the data – In the preview area, select Update Now to preview the first 10,000 rows of the data source. If you add tables, remove tables, or make changes to the join conditions, click Update Now. If you want changes to automatically reflect in the preview area, click Automatically Update.
        
      • Change data types – Change the data type of a column by clicking the data type icon.
        
      • Rename or hide columns – Rename or hide a column by clicking the column header drop-down menu and selecting the respective option.
        
      • Connect live or use an extract – At the top of the data source page, select a live or extract connection to the data source. If you choose to take an extract, an Edit link displays allowing you to set up filters that define a subset of the data to include in the extract.
        
      • Add data source filters – Add data source filters to restrict the visibility and use of the fields in the data source.
        

An example of a Pivotal Greenplum data source is shown below.

DataStax Enterprise

This topic describes discusses how to connect Tableau to DataStax Enterprise database and set up the data source.

1. Click Connect to Data.
   
2. On the Connect page, click DataStax Enterprise.
   
3. Type the name of the server that hosts the database, and then click Connect.
   If the connection is unsuccessful, verify that your user name and password are correct. If the connection continues to fail, your computer is having trouble locating the server. Contact your network administrator or database administrator.
   
4. On the data source page, do the following:
   
   1. (Optional) Click the default data source name at the top of the page, and then type a unique data source name for use in Tableau.
      
   2. From the Schema drop-down list, type the schema name in the text box, click the search icon, and then select the schema.
      
   3. Type the table name in the Table text box, click the search icon, drag the table to the join area, and then click Go to Worksheet to begin building the view. Alternatively, drag additional tables to the join area and use conditions to join them. You can choose to combine tables or use Custom SQL when you are working with multiple tables. You can also add joins later.
      Optionally, you can make the following configurations before building the view:
      
      • Preview the data – In the preview area, select Update Now to preview the first 10,000 rows of the data source. If you add tables, remove tables, or make changes to the join conditions, click Update Now. If you want changes to automatically reflect in the preview area, click Automatically Update.
        
      • Change data types – Change the data type of a column by clicking the data type icon.
        
      • Rename or hide columns – Rename or hide a column by clicking the column header drop-down menu and selecting the respective option.
        
      • Connect live or use an extract – At the top of the data source page, select a live or extract connection to the data source. If you choose to take an extract, an Edit link displays allowing you to set up filters that define a subset of the data to include in the extract.
        
      • Add data source filters – Add data source filters to restrict the visibility and use of the fields in the data source.
        

An example of a DataStax Enterprise data source is shown below.

Cloudera Hadoop

This topic describes how to connect Tableau to a Cloudera Hadoop database and set up the data source. Refer to the Connecting to Cloudera Hadoop knowledge base article for more details about connecting to Hadoop data.

1. Click Connect to Data.
   
2. On the Connect page, click Cloudera Hadoop, and then do the following:
   
   1. Type the name of the server that hosts the database and the port number to use. If you are connecting using Impala you must use port 21000. This is the default port if you are using the 2.5.x driver (recommended).
      
   2. Select how to connect to the database. Depending on the version of Hadoop and the drivers you have installed, you can connect using one of the following:
      
      • Hive Server
        
      • Hive Server 2
      • Impala
      Note: For secure connections to Cloudera Hadoop, it is recommended that you use Hive Server 2. See Connecting to Hive server 2 in Secure Mode.
   3. Click Connect.
      If the connection is unsuccessful, verify that your user name and password are correct. If the connection continues to fail, your computer is having trouble locating the server. Contact your network administrator or database administrator.
      
3. On the data source page, do the following:
   
   1. (Optional) Click the default data source name at the top of the page, and then type a unique data source name for use in Tableau.
      
   2. From the Schema drop-down list, type the schema name in the text box, click the search icon, and then select the schema.
      
   3. Type the table name in the Table text box, click the search icon, drag the table to the join area, and then click Go to Worksheet to begin building the view. Alternatively, drag additional tables to the join area and use conditions to join them. You can choose to combine tables or use Custom SQL when you are working with multiple tables. You can also add joins later.
      Optionally, you can make the following configurations before building the view:
      
      • Preview the data – In the preview area, select Update Now to preview the first 10,000 rows of the data source. If you add tables, remove tables, or make changes to the join conditions, click Update Now. If you want changes to automatically reflect in the preview area, click Automatically Update.
        
      • Change data types – Change the data type of a column by clicking the data type icon.
        
      • Rename or hide columns – Rename or hide a column by clicking the column header drop-down menu and selecting the respective option.
        
      • Connect live or use an extract – At the top of the data source page, select a live or extract connection to the data source. If you choose to take an extract, an Edit link displays allowing you to set up filters that define a subset of the data to include in the extract.
        
      • Add data source filters – Add data source filters to restrict the visibility and use of the fields in the data source.
        

Initial SQL

When connecting to Cloudera Hadoop, you can optionally specify a SQL command that will be run once upon connection. See Initial SQL to learn more about adding these commands to your connection.

Hadoop and Impala

When connecting to Hadoop using Impala, the queries are limited to 100,000 rows of data when the query includes an ORDER BY clause. This limit can be configured either by modifying the "order-by-limit" value in the workbook xml or using a TDC customization such as <customization name="order-by-limit" value='10' />.

An example of a Cloudera Hadoop data source is shown below.

Aster Database

This topic describes how to connect Tableau to an Aster Database database and set up the data source.

1. Click Connect to Data.
   
2. On the Connect page, click Aster Database, and then do the following:
   
   1. Type the name of the server that hosts the database and the name of the database that you want to connect to.
      
   2. Type the user name and password, and then click Connect.
      If the connection is unsuccessful, verify that your user name and password are correct. If the connection continues to fail, your computer is having trouble locating the server. Contact your network administrator or database administrator.
      
3. On the data source page, do the following:
   
   1. (Optional) Click the default data source name at the top of the page, and then type a unique data source name for use in Tableau.
      
   2. From the Schema drop-down list, select a schema.
      
   3. Drag a table to the join area, and then click Go to Worksheet to start building the view. Alternatively, drag additional tables to the join area and use conditions to join them. You can choose to combine tables or use Custom SQL when you are working with multiple tables. You can also add joins later.
      Optionally, you can make the following configurations before building the view:
      
      • Preview the data – In the preview area, select Update Now to preview the first 10,000 rows of the data source. If you add tables, remove tables, or make changes to the join conditions, click Update Now. If you want changes to automatically reflect in the preview area, click Automatically Update.
        
      • Change data types – Change the data type of a column by clicking the data type icon.
        
      • Rename or hide columns – Rename or hide a column by clicking the column header drop-down menu and selecting the respective option.
        
      • Connect live or use an extract – At the top of the data source page, select a live or extract connection to the data source. If you choose to take an extract, an Edit link displays allowing you to set up filters that define a subset of the data to include in the extract.
        
      • Add data source filters – Add data source filters to restrict the visibility and use of the fields in the data source.
        

Initial SQL

When connecting to Aster databases, you can optionally specify a SQL command that will be run once upon connection. To do this, select Data > Initial SQL. See Initial SQL to learn more about adding these commands to your connection.
In Aster, the Initial SQL can be used to generate an output table. This can improve performance of subsequent database access. Intial SQL in Aster also supports SQL-MapReduce, a framework created by Teradata Aster to allow developers to write powerful and highly expressive SQL-MapReduce functions. For details, see MapReduce, SQL-MapReduce Resources & Learning.

An example of an Aster Database data source is shown below.

Amazon Redshift

This topic describes how to connect Tableau to an Amazon Redshift database and set up the data source.

1. Click Connect to Data.
   
2. On the Connect page, click Amazon Redshift, and then do the following:
   
   1. Type the name of the server that hosts the database and the name of the database you want to connect to.
      
   2. Type the user name and password, and then click Connect.
      Select the Require SSL check box when connecting to an SSL server.
      If the connection is unsuccessful, verify that your user name and password are correct. If the connection continues to fail, your computer is having trouble locating the server. Contact your network administrator or database administrator.
      
3. On the data source page, do the following:
   
1. (Optional) Click the default data source name at the top of the page, and then type a unique data source name for use in Tableau.
   
2. From the Schema drop-down list, select a schema.
   
3. Drag a table to the join area, and then click Go to Worksheet to start building the view. Alternatively, drag additional tables to the join area and use conditions to join them. You can choose to combine tables or use Custom SQL when you are working with multiple tables. You can also add joins later.
   Optionally, you can make the following configurations before building the view:
   
   • Preview the data – In the preview area, select Update Now to preview the first 10,000 rows of the data source. If you add tables, remove tables, or make changes to the join conditions, click Update Now. If you want changes to automatically reflect in the preview area, click Automatically Update.
     
   • Change data types – Change the data type of a column by clicking the data type icon.
     
   • Rename or hide columns – Rename or hide a column by clicking the column header drop-down menu and selecting the respective option.
     
   • Connect live or use an extract – At the top of the data source page, select a live or extract connection to the data source. If you choose to take an extract, an Edit link displays allowing you to set up filters that define a subset of the data to include in the extract.
     
   • Add data source filters – Add data source filters to restrict the visibility and use of the fields in the data source.
     

An example of an Amazon Redshift data source is shown below.

Actian Vectorwise

This topic describes how to connect Tableau to an Actian Vectorwise database and set up the data source.

1. Click Connect to Data.
   
2. On the Connect page, click Actian Vectorwise, and then do the following:
   
   1. Type the name of the virtual node for the database and the name of the database you want to connect to.
      
   2. Select how you want to sign in to the server. Specify whether to use Windows Authentication or a specific user name and password. If the server is password protected, you must type the user name and password.
      
   3. Click Connect.
      If the connection is unsuccessful, verify that your user name and password are correct. If the connection continues to fail, your computer is having trouble locating the server. Contact your network administrator or database administrator.
      
3. On the data source page, do the following:
   
   1. (Optional) Click the default data source name at the top of the page, and then type a unique data source name for use in Tableau.
      
   2. From the Schema drop-down list, select a schema.
      
   3. Drag a table to the join area, and then click Go to Worksheet to begin building the view. Alternatively, drag additional tables to the join area and use conditions to join them. You can choose to combine tables or use Custom SQL when you are working with multiple tables. You can also add joins later.
      Optionally, you can make the following configurations before building the view:
      
      • Preview the data – In the preview area, select Update Now to preview the first 10,000 rows of the data source. If you add tables, remove tables, or make changes to the join conditions, click Update Now. If you want changes to automatically reflect in the preview area, click Automatically Update.
        
      • Change data types – Change the data type of a column by clicking the data type icon.
        
      • Rename or hide columns – Rename or hide a column by clicking the column header drop-down menu and selecting the respective option.
        
      • Connect live or use an extract – At the top of the data source page, select a live or extract connection to the data source. If you choose to take an extract, an Edit link displays allowing you to set up filters that define a subset of the data to include in the extract.
        
      • Add data source filters – Add data source filters to restrict the visibility and use of the fields in the data source.
        

An example of an Actian Vectorwise data source is shown below.

Tableau Server

This topic describes how to connect Tableau to a Tableau Server data source.

1. Click Connect to Data.
   
2. Click Tableau Server.
   
3. Type the name of the Tableau Server and click the Connect button.
   
   
4. Type your username and password, and the click the Sign In button.
   
   
5. You can sort the list by clicking on the headers in the table. Alternatively, search for a data source using the search box in the upper right corner. Click the Refresh button to refresh the list and show any new data sources. Select a data source in the list of published data sources. Tableau Server data sources are shown in the Data window with a Tableau icon.
   
   

When you’re connected to a Tableau Server data source, you can download a local copy by selecting the data source on the Data menu and then selecting Create Local Copy. A duplicate of the data source is added to the Data window.

Text File

This topic describes how to connect Tableau to a text file data and set up the data source. Tableau connects to delimited text files.

1. Click Connect to Data.
   
2. On the Connect page, click Text File, select the text file that you want to connect to, and then click Open.
   To connect to the text file using the Microsoft Jet-based connection, in the Open dialog box, click the Open drop-down menu, and then select Open with Legacy Connection. The data source page displays.
   
3. On the data source page, do the following:
   
   1. (Optional) Click the default data source name at the top of the page, and then type a unique data source name for use in Tableau.The default name is automatically generated based on the file name.
      
   2. Click Go to Worksheet to start building the view.
      Alternatively, drag additional tables to the join area and use conditions to join them. You can choose to combine tables or use Custom SQL when you are working with multiple tables. You can also add joins later.
      

Optional Settings

You can set the following options before building the view.

Set text file options

In the join area, hover over the table name until the gear icon displays, click the icon, and then specify the following:

1. • Select whether the first row contains column names. This option is selected by default. Alternatively you can have Tableau generate names when you connect. These names can be changed later.
     
   • Select the character that is used to separate the columns. Select from the list of characters or select Other to type in a custom character.
     
   • Select the text qualifier that encloses values in the text file.
     
   • Select a character set that describes the text file encoding. The available encodings are based on the operating system you are using. For example, on Windows, ANSI is listed as windows-1252 and OEM is listed as 437.
     
     Note: In workbooks created prior to Tableau Desktop 8.2 or use the legacy connection, you can select ANSI, OEM, UTF-8, UTF-16, or Other. When you select Other, you must specify the character set in the provided text field. This value is verified when the connection is attempted.
   • Select the locale by which the file should be parsed. This option tells Tableau which decimal and thousands separator to use.
     

Preview data and change data types

The first 10,000 rows of the data in the data source is automatically displayed below the join area. If you add tables, remove tables, or make changes to the join conditions, the preview updates. You can also do the following in the preview area:

• Change the data type of a column by clicking the data type icon.
  
• Rename or hide a column by clicking the column header drop-down menu and selecting the respective option.
  

Connect live or use an extract

At the top of the data source page, select a live or extract connection to the data source. If you choose to take an extract, an Edit link will display allowing you to set up filters that define the subset of the data to include in the extract.

Add data source filters

Add data source filters to restrict the visibility and use of the fields in the data source.

Best Practices

If all text files for a multi-table connection are in a separate directory, there is no possibility that users will inadvertently select a file that is not appropriate for the connection.

An example of a text file data source is shown below.

Note: If the text file contains columns that are more than 254 characters wide, Tableau is not able to use these fields for workbooks that were created before Tableau Desktop 8.2 or use the legacy connection. Either remove the columns, modify them to fit within 254 characters prior to connecting in Tableau, or upgrade the text file data source. Large text files often perform poorly as a data source, because the queries are slow.

Microsoft Excel

This topic describes how to connect Tableau to a Microsoft Excel file and set up the data source. Tableau can connect to .xls and xlsx files.

1. Click Connect to Data.
   
2. On the Connect page, click Microsoft Excel, select the Excel workbook you want to connect to, and then click Open.
   To connect to the Excel file using the Microsoft Jet-based connection, in the Open dialog box, click the Open drop-down menu, and then select Open with Legacy Connection. The data source page displays.
   
3. On the data source page, do the following:
   
   1. (Optional) Click the default data source name at the top of the page, and then type a unique data source name for use in Tableau.
      
   2. If your Excel file has one table, click Go to Worksheet to start building the view.
      Alternatively, drag additional tables to the join area and use conditions to join them. You can choose to combine tables or use Custom SQL when you are working with multiple tables. You can also add joins later.
      You can also connect to a named range the same way you connect to a worksheet. Named ranges are created in Excel by highlighting a range of cells and then selecting Define Name on the Formulas tab.
      You can connect to multiple Excel worksheets at the same time as long as each worksheet has a unique connection name.
      

Optional Settings

You can set the following options before building the view.

Set Excel table options

In the join area, hover over the table name until the gear icon displays, click the icon, and then specify whether the data includes field names in the first row. These names will become the names of the fields in Tableau. If column names are not included, they will be automatically generated by Tableau. You can rename the fields later.

Preview the data and change data types

The first 10,000 rows of the data in the data source is automatically displayed below the join area. If you add tables, remove tables, or make changes to the join conditions, the preview updates. You can also do the following in the preview area:

• Change the data type of a column by clicking the data type icon.
  
• Rename or hide a column by clicking the column header drop-down menu and selecting the respective option.
  

Connect live or use an extract

At the top of the data source page, select a live or extract connection to the data source. If you choose to take an extract, the Edit link displays allowing you to set up filters that define a subset of the data that you want to include in the extract.

Add data source filters

Add data source filters to restrict the visibility and use of the fields in the data source.

Additional Information

An example of a Microsoft Excel data source is shown below.

Note: If the Excel file contains columns that are more than 254 characters wide, Tableau is not able to use these fields for workbooks that were created before Tableau Desktop 8.2 or use the legacy connection. Either remove the columns, modify them to fit within 254 characters prior to connecting in Tableau, or upgrade the Excel data source.

Microsoft Access

This topic describes how to connect Tableau to a Microsoft Access file and set up the data source. Tableau supports all Access data types except OLE Object and Hyperlink.

1. Click Connect to Data.
   
2. On the Connect page, click Microsoft Access, select the Access file that you want to connect to, and then click Open. The data source page displays.
   If the Access file is password protected or it is a file that is protected by workgroup security, a dialog box opens where you can enter your database password or select Workgroup Security. If the file is protected by workgroup security, type the Workgroup Information file name, User, and Password into the corresponding text fields.
   
3. On the data source page, do the following:
   
   1. (Optional) Click the default data source name at the top of the page, and then type a unique data source name for use in Tableau.The default name is automatically generated based on the file name.
      
   2. Drag a table to the join area. You can drag a table or query.
      
   3. If your Access file contains one table, click Go to Worksheet to begin building the view. Alternatively, drag additional tables to the join area and use conditions to join them. You can choose to combine tables or use Custom SQL when you are working with multiple tables. You can also add joins later.
      

Optional Settings

You can set the following options before building your view.

Preview the data and change data types

The first 10,000 rows of the data in the data source is automatically displayed below the join area. If you add tables, remove tables, or make changes to the join conditions, the preview updates. You can also do the following in the preview area:

• Change the data type of a column by clicking the data type icon.
  
• Rename or hide the column by clicking the column header drop-down menu and selecting the respective option.
  

Connect live or use an extract

At the top of the data source page, select a live or extract connection to the data source. If you choose to take an extract, an Edit link will display allowing you to set up filters that define the subset of the data to include in the extract.

Add data source filters

Add data source filters to restrict the visibility and use of the fields in the data source.

An example of an Access data source is shown below.

Note: If the Access file contains columns that are more than 254 characters wide, Tableau will not be able to use these fields. Either remove the columns from the table or modify them to fit within 254 characters prior to connecting with Tableau.

Tableau Data Extract

This topic describes how to connect Tableau to a Tableau Data Extract file.

1. Click Connect to Data.
   
2. Click Tableau Data Extract.
   
3. In the Open dialog box, navigate to and select a Tableau Data Extract file.
   
4. Click Open.
   
5. Give the connection a name for use in Tableau.
   Specify a unique name for the connection. A default name is automatically generated.
   

A completed Connection dialog box for Tableau Data Extract files is shown below.

Connecting to Data Sources

Click one of the follow for information on how to connect to a data source.

• Tableau Data Extract File
• Microsoft Access
• Microsoft Excel
• Text File
• Tableau Server
• Actian Vectorwise
• Amazon Redshift
• Aster Database
• Cloudera Hadoop
• DataStax Enterprise
• Pivotal Greenplum
• EXASolution
• Firebird
• Google Analytics
• Google BigQuery
• Hortonworks Hadoop Hive
• HP Vertica
• IBM DB2
• IBM Netezza
• MapR Hadoop Hive
• Microsoft Analysis Services
• Microsoft PowerPivot
• Microsoft SQL Server
• MySQL
• OData
• Oracle
• Oracle Essbase
• ParAccel
• PostgreSQL
• Progress OpenEdge
• Salesforce
• Splunk
• SAP HANA
• SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse
• SAP Sybase ASE
• SAP Sybase IQ
• Teradata
• Teradata OLAP Connector
• Window Azure Marketplace DataMarket
• Other Databases (ODBC)

Using OAuth for Data Connections

For Salesforce.com, Google Analytics, and Google BigQuery data sources, you can connect to data through the OAuth 2.0 open authentication process. OAuth keeps your data source credentials secure with the data provider, and it can simplify the management of embedded credentials and extract refreshes.
When you perform tasks that require signing in to an OAuth-enabled data source, you automatically create an OAuth connection. For example:

• Connect to Salesforce.com, Google Analytics, or Google BigQuery data.
• Open a published workbook that connects to the OAuth-enabled data source.
• Create a new workbook from a data source published to Tableau Server or Tableau Online.

Connecting to Data Using OAuth

On the Tableau Desktop Connect page, when you select an OAuth-enabled data source, you are directed to the data provider’s sign-in form, where you provide your credentials and approve Tableau access.

The data provider returns an access token that is used for authentication.

Workbooks with OAuth Connections

When you open a published workbook that has a connection to an OAuth data source, you are prompted to authenticate to the data source. If you have an existing OAuth access token for that data, you can select the existing token to open the workbook. Otherwise you can create a new access token (credential).

Selecting Create new credential takes you through the authentication process as described earlier in this topic in Connecting to Data Using OAuth.

Note: If you have not published your workbook or data source to a Tableau server, you are not able to embed OAuth credentials to bypass authentication and connect directly to the data. For information about using embedded OAuth credentials with published workbooks and data sources, see the next section, OAuth on Tableau Server, and the related topics.

OAuth on Tableau Server

If you have an account on Tableau Server or Tableau Online, you can save OAuth tokens with your user preferences. You can then use the saved tokens when you open a published workbook and are prompted for credentials.
You can also edit data connections on the server to embed access tokens, to allow direct access to the data, or to facilitate scheduled extract refresh tasks.

Single Source for Embedded Credentials

If you embed the same OAuth credentials into multiple published data sources, you do not need to update each location manually when credentials expire. When it’s time to replace or refresh an OAuth access token, if you use the same user credentials to obtain the update, the embedded locations are updated all at once.
For information about working with OAuth tokens on the server, see the following topics:

• Manage Credentials
• Edit Data Connections, specifically Authentication Options for Google and Salesforce.com

Connecting to Data and Editing Data Sources

Connect to Data

To build views of your data, you must first connect Tableau to data and set up the data source.

To connect to Data

1. Select Data > Connect to data or press Ctrl + D on your keyboard. You can also select the Connect to data option on the start page.
   
   
2. On the Connect page, select the type of data you want to connect to.
   

After the initial connection is established, the database and schemas or tables display on the left side of the page. Here you can combine different sheets or tables to create joins, preview the data in your data source, and then go to the worksheet. When you go to the worksheet, the data source fields display on the left side of the workbook in the Data window.

You can display information about the connection by selecting the data source on the Data menu and then selecting Properties. The properties of an example data source are shown below.

Edit the Data Source

At anytime during your analysis you can edit the data source used in the workbook. You might want to edit the data source to:

• Specify a new location for the data source. For example, suppose the name or location of a data source you were using has changed and is no longer available using the previous connection information. In this case, you can direct the workbook to the correct location without losing your work.
  
• Apply analyses created using one data source to another data source.
  Suppose you create a workbook containing several views involving markets, products, sales, and profits and you want to apply the analyses to a new data source. Instead of recreating each view, you can edit the original data connection and specify a new data source.
  

To edit the data source

1. On the Data menu, select a data source, and then select Edit Data Source.
   
2. On the data source page, make the changes to the data source.
   For example, if you are using a Microsoft Excel data source, you can specify a new file by clicking the Excel file name under Workbook. Alternatively, you can select a different table to analyze.
   

Replace Field References

When you successfully connect to a new data source, all worksheets in the workbook that previously referred to the original data source now refer to the new data source. If the new data source does not have the same field names as the original workbook, the fields become invalid and are marked with an exclamation point . You can quickly resolve the problem by replacing the field’s references.
For example, say you have a workbook connected to a data source that contains a Product Category field. Then you edit the data source connection to point to a new data source that has all the same data but instead of Product Category, the field name has been changed to Product Type. The Product Category field remains in the Data window but is marked as invalid. To make the field valid, you can replace the references, which means you can map the invalid field to a valid field in the new data source (for example, Product Category corresponds to Product Type).

To replace field references

1. Right-click the invalid field in the Data window and then select Replace References.
   
2. In the Replace References dialog box, select a field from the new data source that corresponds to the invalid field.
   

Duplicate the Data Source

Sometimes you’ll want to make changes to a data source such as add more tables, hide and show fields, set field defaults, and so on. When you make these changes it affects all sheets that use the data source. You can duplicate the data source so that you can make the changes without affecting the existing sheets. To duplicate a data source, on the Data menu, select a data source , and then select Duplicate. When you duplicate a data source, the duplicate source name has “(copy)” appended to the end.

Rename the Data Source

When you connect to a data source, you are given the option to give it a name for use in Tableau Desktop. You can change the name you specified by selecting the data source on the Data menu and then selecting Rename. Naming a connection is useful when you have a single workbook connected to many data sources. The name you assign can help you keep track of the specifics of the connection. You can also review the connection properties by selecting a data source on the Data menu, and then selecting Properties.

Supported Data Source Types

Tableau Desktop supports a wide variety of data source types, including Microsoft Office files, SQL databases, comma delimited text files, and multi-dimensional databases.

The data source types supported by your copy of Tableau Desktop is determined by the version purchased. For more information on data source compatibility requirements, go to the Technical Specifications page on the Tableau website.

Basic Connection

To begin building your view and analyzing the data, first connect Tableau to one or more data sources. A data source can be as simple as an Excel workbook, or as elaborate as a SQL Server or Oracle data warehouse. After connecting and setting up the data source in Tableau, to the data source and preparing the data source for analysis, the data fields become available in the Data window on the left side of the workbook. This section describes the types of data supported and how to create and maintain a basic connection.

1. Supported Data Sources
2. Connecting to Data and Editing Data Sources
3. Using OAuth for Data Connections
4. Connecting to Data Sources
5. Connecting to a Custom SQL Query
6. Initial SQL
7. Stored Procedures
8. Replacing Data Sources
9. Exporting Data Sources
10. Upgrading Data Sources
11. Refreshing the Data
12. Closing Data Sources
13.  

Connect to Data

This section explains how to create and manage both basic and advanced connections to all of the supported data sources. Follow a step-by-step tutorial for connecting to each data source. Also, learn how to paste data into Tableau, join new tables, create and manage extracts, and monitor queries. In addition to the following,

1. Basic Connection
2. Clipboard Data Sources
3. Working with Multiple Connections
4. Joining Tables
5. Extracting Data
6. Managing Queries
7. Understanding Data Fields

Save your Work

After you have created all the desired views of your data, you should save the results in a Tableau Workbook. Saving a Tableau workbook allows you to save all your worksheets for later use. It also allows you to share your results using a convenient file. Follow the steps below to save your workbook.

1. Select File > Save or press Ctrl + S on your keyboard.
   
   
2. Browse to a file location to save the workbook.
   By default, Tableau saves workbooks in the Workbooks directory in your Tableau Repository.
   
   
3. Specify a file name for the workbook.
   
   
4. Specify a file type. You can select from the following options:
   Tableau Workbook (.twb) – Saves the all the sheets and their connection information in a workbook file. The data is not included.
   Tableau Packaged Workbook (.twbx) – Saves all the sheets, their connection information and any local resources (e.g., local file data sources, background images, custom geocoding, etc.).
   
   
5. When finished, click Save.
   

Building Views (Automatically)

Rather than building views by dragging and dropping fields, you can use Show Me™ to create views automatically.
This section presents two examples using the Sample-Superstore Sales (Excel) data source that comes with the application.

Example 1 – Show Me with Two Fields

Example 2 – Show Me with Many Fields

Example 1 – Show Me with Two Fields

In this example, you will create a line chart that displays profit as a function of time. Follow the steps below to create this view.

1. Select Order Date and Profit in the Data window. Hold the Control key (Ctrl) on your keyboard to select multiple fields.
   
   
2. Click Show Me on the toolbar.
   
   
3. In the Show Me pane, select the type of view you want to create.
   
   Because a date dimension and a measure are selected, Tableau suggests you build a line view, which is generally the best way to look at measures over time.
   

The view below shows SUM(Profit) over time. Each point on the line represents the sum of profit for the corresponding year.

You can see the values for each year by turning on Mark Labels. Click the Mark Labels button on the toolbar.

Example 2 – Show Me with Many Fields

In this example you will use Show Me to build a scatter plot that shows sales versus profit for each product and customer.

1. Select Sales, Profit, Item, and Customer Name in the Data window. Hold the Control key (Ctrl) on your keyboard to select multiple fields.
   
   
2. Click Show Me on the toolbar.
   
   
3. In the Show Me pane, select the scatter view.
   
   

Show Me automatically creates a scatter plot with the fields you selected. You can now manually start dragging fields to further refine the view.

Example 5 – Color Encoding

In this example you will modify the view from Example 4 – Filter Data to color the marks by region. Follow the steps below to build this view.
Drag the Region dimension from the Data window and drop it on Color.
Placing a dimension on Color separates the marks according to the members in the dimension, and assigns a unique color to each member. The color legend displays each member name and its associated color.

Each pane now has four lines, one for each region. This view now shows profit for each customer segment and region for 2011 and 2012 orders with a positive profit.

Example 4 – Filter Data

In this example you will modify the view from Example 3 – Small Multiples to only show data for orders in 2011 and 2012 and made a profit.

1. Drag the Profit measure from the Data window and drop it on the Filters shelf.
   
   
2. Select the aggregation you want to use for the filter. For this example, select SUM to create a filter on the SUM of the profit data.
   
   Filtering aggregated data means that the selected aggregation function (sum, average, etc.) is applied to the data and then it is filtered. Filtering disaggregated data (All values) means that the individual data rows are filtered before any aggregation function is applied. Aggregations do not apply to multidimensional data because in those databases, the data has already been aggregated in the database.
   
3. In the Filter dialog box, use the sliders or type into the text box to change the lower limit on the range of values to 0.
   
   
4. When finished, click OK.
   The view updates to only show orders that had a SUM(Profit) over $0. No new axes were created because the field was not added to the Rows or Columns shelves.
   
5. Select Filter on the Year(Order Date) field menu.
   
   
6. In the Filter dialog box, deselect all years except 2011 and 2012 and then click OK.
   
   

The SUM(Profit) is calculated only for data rows where profit is greater than or equal to $0 and Order Date is 2011 or 2012.

Example 3 – Small Multiples

In this example you will modify the view from Example 2 – Nested Table to show quarterly profit by year and customer segment.
Drag the Customer Segment dimension from the Data window and drop it just to the left of the Profit axis in the view.
The field is added to the Rows shelf and row headers are created. Each header represents a member of the Customer Segment field.

Tableau does not allow you to place a dimension to the right of a measure on either the Rows or Columns shelves.

The new dimension divides the view into 16 panes: one for each combination of year and customer segment. This view is a more complex example of a nested table and is often referred to as a small multiples view.

Example 2 – Nested Table

In this example you will modify the view from Example 1 – Basic View to show quarters in addition to years. Follow the steps below to build this view.

Show quarters using one of the following methods:

• Drill down on the Year(Order Date) field by clicking the plus button on the left side of the field.
  
  
• Drag the Order Date field from the Data window and drop it on the Columns shelf to the right of the Year(Order Date) field.
  
  

The new dimension divides the view into separate panes for each year. Each pane has columns for the quarters of the given year. This view is called a nested table because it displays multiple headers, with quarters nested within years.

Example 1 – Basic View

In this example, you will build a basic view that shows yearly profits. Follow the steps below to build this view.

1. Click and drag the Order Date field from the dimensions area of the Data window to the Columns area of the view.
   When you place a field on columns area of the view it is also added to the Columns shelf. You can also drag directly to these shelves. When you drag a field over a shelf, a blue arrow indicates that the shelf can accept the field.
   
   The resulting table has four columns and one row. Each column header represents a member of the Order Date field (2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013). Each cell contains an “Abc” label, which indicates that the current mark type for this view is text.
   
   
   Notice that the field is colored blue indicating it is discrete. Also, the field name changed to YEAR(Order Date) because year is the default date level for this field. The default date level is determined by the highest level that contains more than one distinct value (e.g., multiple years, multiple months, etc.). That means that if Order Date contained data for only one year but had multiple months, the default level would be month. You can change the date level using the field menu.
   
2. Drag the Profit field from the Measures area of the Data window and drop it on the Rows area of the view.
   The table is automatically transformed into a line chart and a vertical axis is created for the measure. A line is used as a great way to compare data over time, and allow you to visually compare data and identify trends effectively.
   
   

The line chart shows profit over time. Each point along the line shows the sum of profit for the corresponding year.

The Profit field is colored green, indicating that it is continuous. Also the field name changed to SUM(Profit). That’s because the default aggregation for measures in a relational database is SUM. You can change the aggregation using the field menu.