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Get the Report →Visualize Salesloft Data in Tableau Desktop (through CData Connect)
Create a virtual SQL Server database for Salesloft data in CData Connect (or Connect Server) and build visualizations from live Salesloft 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 Salesloft data within Tableau.
CData Connect Server provides a pure SQL Server interface for Salesloft, allowing you to easily build reports from live Salesloft 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 Salesloft, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return the requested Salesloft data.
This article shows how to create a virtual SQL Server database for Salesloft, connect to the virtual database in Tableau, and build a simple chart.
Create a Virtual SQL Server Database for Salesloft Data
CData Connect Server uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources and generate APIs.
- Login to Connect Server and click Connections.
- Select "Salesloft" from Available Data Sources.
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Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Salesloft.
SalesLoft authenticates using the OAuth authentication standard or an API Key. OAuth requires the authenticating user to interact with SalesLoft using the browser.
Using OAuth
For OAuth authentication, create an OAuth app to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL connection properties. See the OAuth section in the Help documentation for an authentication guide.Using APIKey
Alternatively, you can authenticate with an APIKey. Provision an API key from the SalesLoft user interface: https://accounts.salesloft.com/oauth/applications/. You will receive a Key which will be used when issuing requests.
- Click Save Changes
- 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 Salesloft data from Tableau Desktop.
Visualize Live Salesloft Data in Tableau Desktop
The steps below outline connecting to the virtual Salesloft database in CData Connect and building a simple visualization from the data.
- Open Tableau and click "Microsoft SQL Server" under Connect -> To a Server.
- 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 Salesloft data
- Username & Password: the credentials for a CData Connect user
- Select your newly created database and the table(s) you wish to visualize (defining relationships for JOINed tables as needed).
- Select Dimensions and Measures and configure your visualization.
SQL Access to Salesloft Data from On-Premise Applications
At this point, you have a direct connection to live Salesloft 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 Salesloft) from desktop applications like Tableau refer to our CData Connect page or download a free trial.