Visualize Live SAP SuccessFactors 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 SAP SuccessFactors, you can easily get access to live SAP SuccessFactors data within Tableau. This article shows how to connect to SAP SuccessFactors in Tableau and build a simple chart.

The CData Tableau Connectors enable high-speed access to live SAP SuccessFactors data in Tableau. Once you install the connector, you simply authenticate with SAP SuccessFactors and you can immediately start building responsive, dynamic visualizations and dashboards. By surfacing SAP SuccessFactors data using native Tableau data types and handling complex filters, aggregations, & other operations automatically, CData Tableau Connectors grant seamless access to SAP SuccessFactors 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 SAP SuccessFactors. If you wish to connect to SAP SuccessFactors data in Tableau Cloud, you will need to use CData Connect Cloud.

Connect to SAP SuccessFactors in Tableau

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

You can authenticate to SAP Success Factors using Basic authentication or OAuth with SAML assertion.

Basic Authentication

You must provide values for the following properties to successfully authenticate to SAP Success Factors. Note that the provider will reuse the session opened by SAP Success Factors using cookies. Which means that your credentials will be used only on the first request to open the session. After that, cookies returned from SAP Success Factors will be used for authentication.

• Url: set this to the URL of the server hosting Success Factors. Some of the servers are listed in the SAP support documentation (external link).
• User: set this to the username of your account.
• Password: set this to the password of your account.
• CompanyId: set this to the unique identifier of your company.

OAuth Authentication

You must provide values for the following properties, which will be used to get the access token.

• Url: set this to the URL of the server hosting Success Factors. Some of the servers are listed in the SAP support documentation (external link).
• User: set this to the username of your account.
• CompanyId: set this to the unique identifier of your company.
• OAuthClientId: set this to the API Key that was generated in API Center.
• OAuthClientSecret: the X.509 private key used to sign SAML assertion. The private key can be found in the certificate you downloaded in Registering your OAuth Client Application.
• InitiateOAuth: set this to GETANDREFRESH.

Discover Schemas and Query Data

1. Select CData from the Database pull-down menu.
2. Select SAPSuccessFactors 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 SAP SuccessFactors with Tableau, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on SAP SuccessFactors data. Download a free, 30-day trial and get started today.