Publish HubDB-Connected Dashboards in Tableau Server



Use CData JDBC drivers and Tableau Server to visualize live HubDB data.

Tableau Server is a visual analytics platform transforming the way businesses use data to solve problems. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for HubDB, you get access to live HubDB data within Tableau Server. This article shows how to connect to HubDB in Tableau Desktop, publish a Data Source to Tableau Server, and build a simple chart from that data.

The CData JDBC Driver enables high-speed access to live HubDB data in Tableau Server. Once you install the driver, you simply authenticate with HubDB and you can immediately start building responsive, dynamic visualizations and dashboards. By surfacing HubDB data using native Tableau data types and handling complex filters, aggregations, & other operations automatically, CData JDBC Driver grants seamless access to HubDB data.

Enable Connectivity to HubDB in Tableau Server

Start by installing the CData JDBC Driver on the machine hosting Tableau Server.

If your server is a Linux Machine:

  1. Copy cdata.jdbc.hubdb.jar and cdata.tableau.hubdb.lic.
  2. Place the copies in the Tableau Server Connectors folder (/opt/tableau/tableau_driver/jdbc).
  3. Restart Tableau Server.

If your server is a Windows Machine:

  1. Copy cdata.jdbc.hubdb.jar and cdata.tableau.hubdb.lic.
  2. Place the copy in the Tableau Server drivers directory (C:\ Program Files\Tableau\Drivers).
  3. Restart Tableau Server.

Next, install the CData JDBC Driver on the machine running Tableau Desktop. Before starting Tableau on Windows, make sure that you have placed the .jar file in the C:\Program Files\Tableau\Drivers folder. Before starting Tableau on macOS, make sure that you have placed the .jar file in the ~/Library/Tableau/Drivers folder.

Connect to HubDB in Tableau Desktop

Once the driver is installed on the Server machine, we can configure a connection to HubDB in Tableau Desktop and publish a HubDB-based Data Source to Tableau Server.

  1. Open Tableau Desktop.
  2. Click More under Connect -> To a Server.
  3. Select "Other Databases (JDBC)".
  4. Configure the connection to the data. The driver comes with a connection string builder that streamlines creating and managing the content of connection strings. Note that you will need to manually add "jdbc:hubdb" to the beginning of the connection string.
  5. Click "Sign In".

There are two authentication methods available for connecting to HubDB data source: OAuth Authentication with a public HubSpot application and authentication with a Private application token.

Using a Custom OAuth App

AuthScheme must be set to "OAuth" in all OAuth flows. Be sure to review the Help documentation for the required connection properties for you specific authentication needs (desktop applications, web applications, and headless machines).

Follow the steps below to register an application and obtain the OAuth client credentials:

  1. Log into your HubSpot app developer account.
    • Note that it must be an app developer account. Standard HubSpot accounts cannot create public apps.
  2. On the developer account home page, click the Apps tab.
  3. Click Create app.
  4. On the App info tab, enter and optionally modify values that are displayed to users when they connect. These values include the public application name, application logo, and a description of the application.
  5. On the Auth tab, supply a callback URL in the "Redirect URLs" box.
    • If you're creating a desktop application, set this to a locally accessible URL like http://localhost:33333.
    • If you are creating a Web application, set this to a trusted URL where you want users to be redirected to when they authorize your application.
  6. Click Create App. HubSpot then generates the application, along with its associated credentials.
  7. On the Auth tab, note the Client ID and Client secret. You will use these later to configure the driver.
  8. Under Scopes, select any scopes you need for your application's intended functionality.

    A minimum of the following scopes is required to access tables:

    • hubdb
    • oauth
    • crm.objects.owners.read
  9. Click Save changes.
  10. Install the application into a production portal with access to the features that are required by the integration.
    • Under "Install URL (OAuth)", click Copy full URL to copy the installation URL for your application.
    • Navigate to the copied link in your browser. Select a standard account in which to install the application.
    • Click Connect app. You can close the resulting tab.

Using a Private App

To connect using a HubSpot private application token, set the AuthScheme property to "PrivateApp."

You can generate a private application token by following the steps below:

  1. In your HubDB account, click the settings icon (the gear) in the main navigation bar.
  2. In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Integrations > Private Apps.
  3. Click Create private app.
  4. On the Basic Info tab, configure the details of your application (name, logo, and description).
  5. On the Scopes tab, select Read or Write for each scope you want your private application to be able to access.
  6. A minimum of hubdb and crm.objects.owners.read is required to access tables.
  7. After you are done configuring your application, click Create app in the top right.
  8. Review the info about your application's access token, click Continue creating, and then Show token.
  9. Click Copy to copy the private application token.

To connect, set PrivateAppToken to the private application token you retrieved.

Discover Schemas and Query Data

Once you establish the connection to HubDB data, you can configure which entities to visualize.

  1. Select CData from the Database pull-down menu.
  2. Select HubDB 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 auto-loads the changes in the preview area.

Publish Data to Tableau Server

After you configure the data you wish to visualize, you can publish the Data Source to a Tableau Server instance. In Tableau Desktop:

  1. Click Server -> Sign In.
  2. Enter the URL for your Tableau Server.
  3. Authenticate with Tableau Server credentials.
  4. Click Server -> Publish Data Source and select your data source.
  5. Click Publish.
  6. Select the Project, name the Data Source, and optionally add a description.
  7. Click Publish.

This creates a new entry under the server's data source list, from which you an change the data source's permissions, view its history, and perform other management tasks.

Note that workstation connected to the same server will be able to use the same source in Tableau Desktop, even if the driver isn't installed there. Also, workbooks created directly on Tableau Server (via the web interface) can use this source.

Visualize HubDB Data in Tableau Server

With the Data Source published to Tableau Server, you are ready to visualize HubDB data.

  1. Login to your Tableau Server instance.
  2. Connect to the remote source using the Search for Data -> Tableau Server in the Connect sidebar.
  3. Click the published Data Source.
  4. Click New Workbook.
  5. In the workbook, HubDB fields are listed as Dimensions and Measures, depending on the data type. The CData JDBC Driver 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 JDBC Driver for HubDB with Tableau Server, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on HubDB data. Download a free, 30-day trial and get started today.

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