Visualize Live Avalara AvaTax Data in Tableau

Tableau is a visual analytics platform transforming the way businesses use data to solve problems. When paired with the CData Tableau Connector for Avalara, you can easily get access to live Avalara AvaTax data within Tableau. This article shows how to connect to Avalara AvaTax in Tableau and build a simple chart.

The CData Tableau Connectors enable high-speed access to live Avalara AvaTax data in Tableau. Once you install the connector, you simply authenticate with Avalara AvaTax and you can immediately start building responsive, dynamic visualizations and dashboards. By surfacing Avalara AvaTax data using native Tableau data types and handling complex filters, aggregations, & other operations automatically, CData Tableau Connectors grant seamless access to Avalara AvaTax data.

NOTE: The CData Tableau Connectors require Tableau 2020.3 or higher. If you are using an older version of Tableau, you will need to use the CData Tableau Connector for Avalara. If you wish to connect to Avalara AvaTax data in Tableau Cloud, you will need to use CData Connect.

Connect to Avalara AvaTax in Tableau

Open Tableau and click More under Connect -> To a Server. Select "Avalara AvaTax by CData," then configure the connection and click "Sign In."

The primary method for performing basic authentication is to provide your login credentials, as follows:

• User: Set this to your username.
• Password: Set this to your password.

Optionally, if you are making use of a sandbox environment, set the following:

• UseSandbox: Set this to true if you are authenticating with a sandbox account.

Authenticating Using Account Number and License Key

Alternatively, you can authenticate using your account number and license key. Connect to data using the following:

• AccountId: Set this to your Account Id. The Account Id is listed in the upper right hand corner of the admin console.
• LicenseKey: Set this to your Avalara Avatax license key. You can generate a license key by logging into Avalara Avatax as an account administrator and navigating to Settings -> Reset License Key.

Discover Schemas and Query Data

1. Select CData from the Database pull-down menu.
2. Select AvalaraAvatax from the Schema pull-down menu.
3. Drag the tables and views you wish to visualize onto the join area. You can include multiple tables.
4. Select Update Now or Automatically Update. Update Now lets you preview the first 10,000 rows of the data source (or enter the number of rows you want to see in the Rows text box). Automatically Update automatically reflects the changes in the preview area.
5. Click the tab for your worksheet. Columns are listed as Dimensions and Measures, depending on the data type. The CData Tableau Connector discovers data types automatically, allowing you to leverage the powerful data processing and visualization features of Tableau.
6. Drag a field from the Dimensions or Measures area to Rows or Columns. Tableau creates column or row headers.
7. Select one of the chart types from the Show Me tab. Tableau displays the chart type that you selected.

Using the CData Tableau Connector for Avalara with Tableau, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on Avalara AvaTax data. Download a free, 30-day trial and get started today.