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Get the Report →Visualize Salesforce Data Cloud Data from Tableau
Use the Tableau Desktop business intelligence tool to connect to Salesforce Data Cloud data.
With CData Drivers for Salesforce Data Cloud, you can use data access standards to unlock connectivity to business intelligence tools like Tableau. The CData JDBC Driver for Salesforce Data Cloud allows you to connect from Tableau on Windows and macOS. This article covers how to discover schemas and query Salesforce Data Cloud data data in real-time.
NOTE: If you are using Tableau 2020.3 or higher, you can use the CData JDBC Driver for Salesforce Data Cloud. If you wish to connect to Salesforce Data Cloud data in Tableau Cloud, you will need to use CData Connect.
Connect to Salesforce Data Cloud in Tableau
Before starting Tableau, make sure you've placed the .jar file in the correct folder:
- Windows: C:\Program Files\Tableau\Drivers
- MacOS: ~/Library/Tableau/Drivers
Once your .jar file is in place, establishing a connection is straightforward.
- Start Tableau.
- Under To a Server, select More.
- Select Other Databases (JDBC)
- Enter the JDBC connection string in the URL field.
- InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
- OAuthClientId (custom applications only): The Client ID assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
- OAuthClientSecret (custom applications only): The Client Secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
- Extracts the access token from the callback URL.
- Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.
- Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation so that they persist across connections.
- Select Sign in.
Salesforce Data Cloud supports authentication via the OAuth standard.
OAuth
Set AuthScheme to OAuth.
Desktop Applications
CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies authentication at the desktop.
You can also authenticate from the desktop via a custom OAuth application, which you configure and register at the Salesforce Data Cloud console. For further information, see Creating a Custom OAuth App in the Help documentation.
Before you connect, set these properties:
When you connect, the driver opens Salesforce Data Cloud's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application.
The driver then completes the OAuth process as follows:
For other OAuth methods, including Web Applications and Headless Machines, refer to the Help documentation.
Built-in Connection String Designer
For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Salesforce Data Cloud JDBC Driver. Either double-click the .jar file or execute the .jar file from the command-line.
From Windows:
java -jar 'C:\Program Files\CData[product_name]\lib\cdata.jdbc.salesforcedatacloud.jar'
From MacOS:
java -jar cdata.jdbc.salesforcedatacloud.jar
Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

When you configure the JDBC URL, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.
The following is a sample URL created in the designer:
jdbc:salesforcedatacloud:InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;
Discover Schemas and Query Data
- Select CData from the Database pull-down menu.
- Select CData from the Schema pull-down menu.
- Drag the table onto the join area. You can include multiple tables.
- 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.
- In the Connection menu, select the Live option, so that you skip loading a copy of the data into Tableau and instead work on real-time data.
- Click the tab for your worksheet. Columns are listed as Dimensions and Measures, depending on the data type. The CData Driver discovers data types automatically, allowing you to leverage the powerful data processing and visualization features of Tableau.
- Click and drag a field from the Dimensions or Measures area to Rows or Columns. Tableau creates column or row headers.
- 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 Salesforce Data Cloud with Tableau, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on Salesforce Data Cloud data. Download a free, 30-day trial and get started today.