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

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

Connect to Excel Online in Tableau

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

You can connect to a workbook by providing authentication to Excel Online and then setting the following properties:

• Workbook: Set this to the name or Id of the workbook.

  If you want to view a list of information about the available workbooks, execute a query to the Workbooks view after you authenticate.

• UseSandbox: Set this to true if you are connecting to a workbook in a sandbox account. Otherwise, leave this blank to connect to a production account.

You use the OAuth authentication standard to authenticate to Excel Online. See the Getting Started section in the help documentation for a guide. Getting Started also guides you through executing SQL to worksheets and ranges.

Discover Schemas and Query Data

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