Visualize Live Instantly Data in Tableau

Jerod Johnson
Jerod Johnson
Director, Technology Evangelism
Use CData Tableau Connectors and Tableau Desktop to visualize live Instantly data.

Tableau is a visual analytics platform transforming the way businesses use data to solve problems. When paired with the CData API Driver for Tableau, you can easily get access to live Instantly data within Tableau. This article shows how to connect to Instantly in Tableau and build a simple chart.

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

Connect to Instantly in Tableau

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

Using API Key Authentication

Instantly uses API keys to authenticate requests. You can find or create your API key in the Instantly workspace settings under API & Webhooks.

After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

  • AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
  • APIKey: Set this to your Instantly API key (Bearer token for API v2).

Example connection string

Profile=C:\profiles\Instantly.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings="APIKey=your_api_key";

Discover Schemas and Query Data

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

Ready to get started?

Connect to live data from Instantly with the API Driver

Connect to Instantly