Visualize Oracle Eloqua Data in Tableau Desktop (through CData Connect)

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 Oracle Eloqua data within Tableau.

CData Connect Server provides a pure SQL Server interface for Oracle Eloqua, allowing you to easily build reports from live Oracle Eloqua 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 Oracle Eloqua, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return the requested Oracle Eloqua data.

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

Create a Virtual SQL Server Database for Oracle Eloqua 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 "Oracle Eloqua" from Available Data Sources.
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Oracle Eloqua.

   There are two authentication methods available for connecting to Oracle Eloqua: Login and OAuth. The Login method requires you to have the Company, User, and Password of the user.

   If you do not have access to the username and password or do not wish to require them, you can use OAuth authentication. OAuth is better suited for allowing other users to access their own data. Using login credentials is better suited for accessing your own data.

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 Oracle Eloqua data from Tableau Desktop.

Visualize Live Oracle Eloqua Data in Tableau Desktop

The steps below outline connecting to the virtual Oracle Eloqua 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 Oracle Eloqua 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 Oracle Eloqua Data from On-Premise Applications

At this point, you have a direct connection to live Oracle Eloqua 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 Oracle Eloqua) from desktop applications like Tableau refer to our CData Connect page or download a free trial.