Tableau lineage configuration

To import lineage metadata from Tableau, create a data source definition, a connection, and a metadata import job.

Tableau is a data visualization tool that simplifies data and converts it into actionable insights.

Supported versions

  • Tableau Cloud
  • Tableau Server 10.3

Processed metadata

The following Tableau metadata is processed and displayed on lineage:

  • Workbooks:
  • Data sources:
    • Published data sources and data sources that are part of a workbook
    • Connection to a database (for example PostgreSQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, or Db2). You can load the entire data set or you can connect by using custom SQL.
    • Connection to a file (CSV, XLSX, and so on)
    • User-defined calculations
    • Sets
    • Groups
    • Parameters
    • Geographical data
    • Extracts
    • Joins
    • Union
    • Pivot

Limitations

The following limitations apply:

Prerequisite configuration

Before you import lineage metadata, ensure that the following prerequisites are met:

  • Tableau REST API is enabled.
  • To download workbooks and data sources, you must have one of the following roles:
    • Site Administrator. Such user can download everything.
    • Explorer. Additionally, provide download permission individually for all workbooks and data sources that you want to analyze.

Creating a metadata import asset

Data source connection

To connect to the data source from which you want to import lineage metadata, you need to select a data source definition and a connection. You can create them before you start creating the metadata import, or you can create them when you create and configure the metadata import asset.

Data source definition

Select Tableau as the data source type.

Connection

To create the connection asset, you need the following connection details:

  • Hostname or IP address of Tableau. Do not include http or https.
  • Site: the name of Tableau site. Leave the value empty to use the default site for on-premises Tableau Server. Provide the value if you use Tableau Cloud or if the default site of on-premises Tableau Server is overridden.
  • Credentials: username and password of the user with appropriate permissions, or Personal Access Token.

For connection details, see Tableau connection.

Connection mode

You can connect to Tableau by using one of the following connection modes:

Include and exclude lists

You can include or exclude assets up to the workbook level. Provide projects and workbooks in the format project/sub-project/workbook. The whole input is evaluated as a regular expression. Assets that are added later in the data source will also be included or excluded if they match the conditions that are specified in the lists. Example values:

  • myProject/: all workbooks in myProject
  • myProject2/.*: all workbooks in myProject2
  • myProject3/myWorkbook1: myWorkbook1 from myProject3
  • myProject4/myWorkbook[1-5]: any workbook in myProject4 with a name that starts with myWorkbook and ends with a digit between 1 and 5
  • myProject4/mySubProject/myWorkbook[1-5]: any workbook in myProject4 and mySubProject nested within it, with a name that starts with myWorkbook and ends with a digit between 1 and 5".

External inputs

You can add whole exported Tableau workbooks as external inputs in the archive .zip file. The file can have the following structure:

[project_name] - Arbitrary nested folder structure of project folders.
 [workbook].twb - A file with the workbook.
 [workbook].twbx - A file with the workbook.
 [workbook].tds - A file with the workbook data source.
 [workbook].tdsx - A file with the workbook data source.

You can download workbooks and data sources from your parent project in Tableau Cloud or Tableau Server.

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