Visualize ConstantContact Data in Tableau Desktop (through CData Connect)



Create a virtual SQL Server database for ConstantContact data in CData Connect (or Connect Server) and build visualizations from live ConstantContact data in Tableau Desktop.

Tableau is a visual analytics platform transforming the way businesses use data to solve problems. When paired with CData Connect (or Connect Server), you can easily get access to live ConstantContact data within Tableau.

CData Connect Server provides a pure SQL Server interface for ConstantContact, allowing you to easily build reports from live ConstantContact data in Tableau Desktop — without replicating the data to a natively supported database. As you build visualizations, Tableau Desktop generates SQL queries to gather data. Using optimized data processing out of the box, CData Connect Server pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc) directly to ConstantContact, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return the requested ConstantContact data.

This article shows how to create a virtual SQL Server database for ConstantContact, connect to the virtual database in Tableau, and build a simple chart.

Create a Virtual SQL Server Database for ConstantContact Data

CData Connect Server uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources and generate APIs.

  1. Login to Connect Server and click Connections.
  2. Select "ConstantContact" from Available Data Sources.
  3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to ConstantContact.

    Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the ConstantContact Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\ConstantContact.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for Profile (see below).

    ConstantContact API Profile Settings

    ConstantContact uses OAuth-based authentication.

    First, you will need to register an OAuth application with ConstantContact. You can do so from the ConstantContact API Guide (https://v3.developer.constantcontact.com/api_guide/index.html), under "MyApplications" > "New Application". Your Oauth application will be assigned a client id (API Key) and you can generate a client secret (Secret).

    After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

    • AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth.
    • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to manage the process to obtain the OAuthAccessToken.
    • OAuthClientId: Set this to the client_id that is specified in you app settings.
    • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the client_secret that is specified in you app settings.
    • CallbackURL: Set this to the Redirect URI you specified in your app settings.
  4. Click Save Changes
  5. Click Privileges -> Add and add the new user (or an existing user) with the appropriate permissions.

With the virtual database created, you are ready to connect to ConstantContact data from Tableau Desktop.

Visualize Live ConstantContact Data in Tableau Desktop

The steps below outline connecting to the virtual ConstantContact database in CData Connect and building a simple visualization from the data.

  1. Open Tableau and click "Microsoft SQL Server" under Connect -> To a Server.
  2. In the connection wizard, enter the values for your CData Connect instance and click "Sign In"
    • Server: the address of your Connect instance and port of the TDS endpoint, separated by a comma (default port is: 1433)
    • Database: the virtual database you configured for the ConstantContact data
    • Username & Password: the credentials for a CData Connect user
  3. Select your newly created database and the table(s) you wish to visualize (defining relationships for JOINed tables as needed).
  4. Select Dimensions and Measures and configure your visualization.

SQL Access to ConstantContact Data from On-Premise Applications

At this point, you have a direct connection to live ConstantContact data from your Tableau Desktop workbook. You can create new visualizations, build dashboards, and more. For more information on gaining SQL access to data from more than 200 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources (including ConstantContact) from desktop applications like Tableau refer to our CData Connect page or download a free trial.

Ready to get started?

Learn more or sign up for a free trial:

CData Connect Server