How to Connect Databases (Oracle)
Before you begin, gather this connection information:
- Name of the server that hosts the database you want to connect to and the Oracle service name and port, or the TNS name.
- Authentication method: Integrated Authentication or user name and password.
- Are you connecting to an SSL server? You must configure the Oracle client before you can use SSL with Tableau. For more information, see Configure the Oracle Client to Use SSL with Tableau on Tableau Community.
Driver required
This connector requires a driver to talk to the database. You might already have the required driver installed on your computer. If the driver is not installed on your computer, Tableau displays a message in the connection dialog box with a link to the Driver Download page where you can find driver links and installation instructions.
Make the connection and set up the data source
1. Start Tableau and under Connect, select Oracle. For a complete list of data connections, select More under To a Server. Then do the following:
- Enter the server name or the TNS name. If you enter the server name, you must enter the Oracle service name and port number. If you enter the TNS name, do not enter the Oracle service name and port number.
- Select how you want to sign in to the server. Specify whether to use Integrated Authentication or a specific user name and password. On Windows only, tick the Require SSL box when connecting to an SSL server.
- (Optional) Select Initial SQL to specify a SQL command to run at the beginning of every connection, such as when you open the workbook, refresh an extract, sign in to Tableau Server or publish to Tableau Server. For more information, see Run Initial SQL.
- Select Sign In. If Tableau can't make the connection, verify that your credentials are correct. If you still can't connect, your computer is having trouble locating the server. Contact your network administrator or database administrator.
2. On the data source page, do the following:
- (Optional) Select the default data source name at the top of the page, and then enter a unique data source name for use in Tableau. For example, use a data source naming convention that helps other users of the data source figure out which data source to connect to.
- From the Schema drop-down list, select the search icon or enter the schema name in the text box and select the search icon, and then select the schema. Note: Search is case-sensitive.
- Under Table, select the search icon or enter the table name and select the search icon, and then select the table. Note: Search is case-sensitive. Tableau Desktop also supports connecting to Oracle table functions, which appear under Stored Procedures in the left pane of the Data Source page.
- Drag a table to the canvas, and then select the sheet tab to start your analysis. Use custom SQL to connect to a specific query rather than the entire data source. For more information, see Connect to a Custom SQL Query.
Oracle Data Source Example
Here is an example of an Oracle data source using Tableau Desktop on a Windows computer:
How to Connect Databases (SQL Server)
1. Before you begin, gather this connection information:
- Name of the server you want to connect to.
- (Optional) Port number if you want to connect to a non-default port.
- (Optional) Database name if you want to connect to a contained database.
- Authentication method: Windows Authentication or user name and password.
- Are you connecting to an SSL server?
- Do you want to set the database isolation level to read uncommitted data?
- (Optional) Initial SQL statement to run every time Tableau connects
Driver required
This connector requires a driver to talk to the database. You might already have the required driver installed on your computer. If the driver is not installed on your computer, Tableau displays a message in the connection dialog box with a link to the Driver Download page where you can find driver links and installation instructions.
Make the connection and set up the data source
1. Start Tableau and under Connect, select Microsoft SQL Server. For a complete list of data connections, select More under To a Server. Then do the following:
- Enter the name of the server you want to connect to. To connect to a non-default port, use the <server name>, <port number> format when entering the server name. For example, ExampleServer, 8055.
- (Optional) Enter a database name if you want to connect to a contained database.
- 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, and you are not in a Kerberos environment, you must enter the user name and password. Select the Require SSL check box when connecting to an SSL server.
- Specify whether to Read uncommitted data. This option sets the database isolation level to Read Uncommitted. Long queries from Tableau, including extract refreshes, can lock the database and delay transactions. Select this option to allow queries to read rows that have been modified by other transactions even when they have not been committed yet. When this option is cleared, Tableau uses the default isolation level specified by the database.
- (Optional) Select Initial SQL to specify a SQL command to run at the beginning of every connection, such as when you open the workbook, refresh an extract, sign in to Tableau Server, or publish to Tableau Server. For more information, see Run Initial SQL.
- Select Sign In. If Tableau can't make the connection, verify that your credentials are correct. If you still can't connect, your computer is having trouble locating the server. Contact your network administrator or database administrator.
2. On the data source page, do the following:
- (Optional) Select the default data source name at the top of the page, and then enter a unique data source name for use in Tableau. For example, use a data source naming convention that helps other users of the data source figure out which data source to connect to.
- From the Database drop-down list, select a database or use the text box to search for a database by name.
- Under Table, select a table or use the text box to search for a table by name. You can also specify a stored procedure in the database. For more information about stored procedures, including a list of constraints specific to SQL Server databases, see Use a Stored Procedure. Starting with Tableau version 2018.1, you can connect to spatial columns. For more information, see Connect to Spatial Data in a Database.
- Drag the table or stored procedure to the canvas, and then select the sheet tab to start your analysis. Use custom SQL to connect to a specific query rather than the entire data source. For more information, see Connect to a Custom SQL Query. Starting with Tableau version 2018.1, you can use Custom SQL to perform advanced spatial analysis on spatial columns in Microsoft SQL Server. For more information, see Use Custom SQL and RAWSQL to perform advanced spatial analysis.
Note: Tableau Desktop does not support the Microsoft SQL Server TIME data type. Fields of this data type are not imported and do not appear in Tableau Desktop. If included in stored procedures, TIME data type fields will not appear in Tableau Desktop. For more information, see Use a Stored Procedure.
Microsoft SQL Server data source example
Here is an example of a Microsoft SQL Server data source using Tableau Desktop on a Windows computer:
FAQs
1. What if your file or database type is not listed?
You have the option of creating your own connection using ‘Other Databases (ODBC) or Web Data Connector’.
For any questions or suggestions, please e-mail to [email protected]