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

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

Connect to FreshBooks in Tableau

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

To connect to FreshBooks, you can set the CompanyName and Token connection properties. Alternatively, you can use the OAuth authentication standard.

OAuth can be used to enable other users to access their own company data. To authenticate using OAuth, you will need to obtain the OAuthClientId and OAuthClientSecret by registering an app. See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide to using OAuth.

Discover Schemas and Query Data

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