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

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

Connect to Splunk in Tableau

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

To authenticate requests, set the User, Password, and URL properties to valid Splunk credentials. The port on which the requests are made to Splunk is port 8089.

The data provider uses plain-text authentication by default, since the data provider attempts to negotiate TLS/SSL with the server.

If you need to manually configure TLS/SSL, see Getting Started -> Advanced Settings in the data provider help documentation.

Discover Schemas and Query Data

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