Visualize Azure Data Catalog 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 Azure Data Catalog data within Tableau.

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

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

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

   You can optionally set the following to read the different catalog data returned from Azure Data Catalog.

   CatalogName: Set this to the CatalogName associated with your Azure Data Catalog. To get your Catalog name, navigate to your Azure Portal home page > Data Catalog > Catalog Name

   Connect Using OAuth Authentication

   You must use OAuth to authenticate with Azure Data Catalog. OAuth requires the authenticating user to interact with Azure Data Catalog using the browser. For more information, refer to the OAuth section in the help documentation.

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 Azure Data Catalog data from Tableau Desktop.

Visualize Live Azure Data Catalog Data in Tableau Desktop

The steps below outline connecting to the virtual Azure Data Catalog 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 Azure Data Catalog 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 Azure Data Catalog Data from On-Premise Applications

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