Visualize UKG Pro HCM Data in Tableau

The CData ODBC Driver for UKG Pro HCM enables you to access live UKG Pro HCM data in business intelligence tools like Tableau. In this article, you will integrate UKG Pro HCM data into a dashboard that reflects changes to UKG Pro HCM data in real time.

The CData ODBC drivers offer unmatched performance for interacting with live UKG Pro HCM data in Tableau due to optimized data processing built into the driver. When you issue complex SQL queries from Tableau to UKG Pro HCM, the driver pushes supported SQL operations, like filters and aggregations, directly to UKG Pro HCM and utilizes the embedded SQL engine to process unsupported operations (often SQL functions and JOIN operations) client-side. With built-in dynamic metadata querying, you can visualize and analyze UKG Pro HCM data using native Tableau data types.

Connect to UKG Pro HCM as an ODBC Data Source

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the UKGProHCM Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\UKGProHCM.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for UKGProHCM (see below).

UKGProHCM API Profile Settings

UKG Pro HCM uses Basic authentication combined with a customer API key to authorize access to the API. To connect, you will need your UKG Pro HCM credentials and a customer API key issued by UKG.

Set the following connection properties to authenticate:

• AuthScheme: Set this to Basic.
• User: Set this to your UKG Pro HCM username.
• Password: Set this to your UKG Pro HCM password.
• ProfileSettings: Set this to a semicolon-separated list containing:
  • Host: Your UKG Pro HCM tenant hostname (e.g., yourcompany.ultipro.com).
  • CustomerAPIKey: Your UKG customer API key. This is passed as the US-CUSTOMER-API-KEY request header on each API call.

To obtain your customer API key, contact your UKG Pro HCM administrator or refer to the UKG Developer Portal at https://developer.ukg.com.

When you configure the DSN, 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.

Add UKG Pro HCM Data to a Dashboard

1. Click Connect to Data -> More Servers -> Other Databases (ODBC).
   Select the CData Data Source Name (for example: CData API Source).
2. In the Database menu, select CData.
3. In the Table box, enter a table name or click New Custom SQL to enter an SQL query. This article retrieves the UserDetails table.
4. Drag the table onto the join area. At this point, you can include multiple tables, leveraging the built-in SQL engine to process complex data requests.
5. 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. The optimized data processing native to CData ODBC drivers enables unmatched performance in live connectivity.
6. 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.
7. Drop the UserId column in the Dimensions pane onto the dashboard. When you select dimensions, Tableau builds a query to the driver. The results are grouped based on that dimension. In Tableau, the raw query is automatically modified as you select dimensions and measures.

8. Drag the UserName column in the Measures field onto the Detail and Color buttons. Tableau executes the following query:

   
   SELECT UserId, SUM(UserName) FROM UserDetails GROUP BY UserId
   

   When you select a measure, Tableau executes a command to the driver to calculate a summary function, such as SUM, AVG, etc., on the grouped values. The SQL engine (embedded within the driver) is leveraged to process the aggregation of the data, where needed, providing a seamless experience in Tableau, regardless of the data source.

   To change the summary function, open the UserName menu and select the summary you want in the Measure command.

   

9. You can create other charts using dimensions and measures to build SQL queries visually:

   

With the CData ODBC Driver for UKG Pro HCM, you get live connectivity to your UKG Pro HCM data, allowing you to build real-time charts, graphs, and more.