Reporting

Tableau

This document outlines OvalEdge's integration with Tableau, enabling efficient metadata management through features such as crawling, delta crawling, report previews, and lineage building (both automatic and manual). Additionally, it supports impact analysis, ensures secure authentication through Credential Manager, and enhances metadata governance with Data Access Management (DAM) and bridge functionalities. 

Overview

Connector Details

Connector Category Reporting Tools
OvalEdge Release Connector Version Release6.3.4

Connectivity

[How OvalEdge connects to Tableau]

REST APIs
Tableau Versions Above 2022.2
OvalEdge Releases Supported (Available from) Release3.0 onwards

Important: The Tableau connector has been verified internally with the above Tableau version and is expected to be compatible with other supported Tableau versions. If you have any issues with different versions, please contact the GCS team.

Connector Features

Crawling
Delta Crawling
Profiling NA
Query Sheet NA
Report Preview
Auto Lineage
Manual Lineage
Secure Authentication via Credential Manager
Data Quality NA
DAM (Data Access Management)
Bridge

Getting Ready to Establish a Connection

Prerequisites

The following are the prerequisites to establish a connection between Tableau and OvalEdge:

Service Account User Permissions

Important: We recommend having a separate service account to establish a connection from OvalEdge to the data source with the following minimal set of permissions.

 

Objects Access Permission
Connector Validation Site Administrator or Explore (Can Publish)
Crawling Site Administrator or Explore (Can Publish)
Lineage Site Administrator or Explore (Can Publish)
Delta Crawling Site Administrator
Workbooks

Site Administrator or Explore (Can Publish)

Views

Site Administrator or Explore (Can Publish)

Sites

Site Administrator or Explore (Can Publish)

Data Sources

Site Administrator or Explore (Can Publish)

 

NOTE: Delta crawling requires revision history permissions to be enabled. If you are a site administrator, these permissions are enabled automatically. However, if you are using Explore (Can Publish), you must enable it manually.

Setup a Connection

Important: You must have the Connector Creator role to set up a connection in OvalEdge.

  1. Log into OvalEdge, go to Administration > Connectors, click + (New Connector), search for Tableau, and complete the required parameters.
    Note: Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory for establishing a connection.

    Field Name

    Description

    Connector Type

    By default, "Tableau" is displayed as the selected connector type.

    Connector Settings

    Credential Manager*

    Select the desired credentials manager from the dropdown list. Relevant parameters will be displayed based on your selection.

    Supported Credential Managers:

    • OE Credential Manager
    • AWS Secrets Manager
    • HashiCorp Vault
    • Azure Key Vault

    License Add Ons


    Auto Lineage Supported
    Data Quality Not Supported
    Data Access Supported
    • Select the checkbox for Auto Lineage Add-On to build data lineage automatically.
    • Select the checkbox for Data Access Add-On to enable the data access functionality.

    Connector Name*

    Enter a unique name for the Tableau connection              

    (Example: "Tableau_Prod").

    Connector Environment

    Select the environment (e.g., PROD, STG) configured for the connector.

    Host Name*

    Hostname or IP address of the Tableau server.

    Is Token Based Auth (Y/N)*

    Tableau consists of two types of Authentication:

    1. Tableau On-Premise: If the user selects ‘N’ from the dropdown, they must enter the Service Account username and password.
    2. Tableau Online: If the user selects ‘Y’ from the dropdown, they must provide token details. 

    Token Name*

    Enter the Tableau's Token Name. The token name refers to the name assigned to the authentication token or key.


    Note: This Field is available when the Token-based authentication mechanism is selected as "Y". 

    Token*

    Enter the Token related to the specific Token name. It 

    could be an API key, an OAuth token, a session ID, or 

    any other string used to authenticate the application with the data source.


    Note: This Field is available when the Token-based authentication mechanism is selected as "Y".

    User Name*

    You need a username to connect to the Tableau server. To access the Tableau environment, enter the service account name that has been established.


    Note: This Field is available when the Token-based authentication mechanism is selected as "N".

    Password*

    Enter the password of the Tableau server.


    Note: This Field is available when the Token-based authentication mechanism is selected as "N".

    Content URL

    Enter the name of the Tableau On-Premise site. 

    Reference document: https://help.tableau.com/current/api/rest_api/en-us/REST/rest_api_concepts_auth.htm

    Note: This is mandatory if you are validating with Tableau online.

    Tableau API Version*

    OvalEdge supports Tableau versions from 2.8 to 3.24.

    Note: Each Tableau version should have a specific API version that is compatible with it.

    Alias Host Name

    Alias Host Name helps to simplify and clarify the naming of data sources.

    Connection String*

    Configure the connection string:

    • Automatic Mode: The system generates a connection string based on the provided credentials.
      • Example (Tableau): https://{server}/api/2.6
    • Manual Mode: Manually enter a valid connection string by enabling the toggle.

    Note: Replace placeholders with actual database details.

    Default Governance Roles

    Default Governance Roles*

    Select the appropriate users or teams for each governance role from the dropdown list. All users and teams configured in OvalEdge Security are displayed for selection. 

    Admin Roles

    Admin Roles*

    Select one or more users from the dropdown list for Integration Admin and Security and Governance Admin. All users configured in OvalEdge Security are available for selection.

    No Of Archive Objects*

    This shows the number of recent metadata changes to a dataset at the source. By default, it is off. To enable it, toggle the Archive button and specify the number of objects to archive.

    Example: Setting it to 4 retrieves the last four changes, displayed in the 'Version' column of the 'Metadata Changes' module.

    Bridge

    Select Bridge*

    If applicable, select the bridge from the drop-down list.

    The drop-down list displays all active bridges configured in OvalEdge. These bridges enable communication between data sources and OvalEdge without altering firewall rules.


  2. After entering all connection details, you can perform the following actions:
    1. Click Validate to verify the connection.
    2. Click Save to store the connection for future use.
    3. Click Save & Configure to apply additional settings before saving.
  3. The saved connection will appear on the Connectors home page.

Manage Connector Operations

Crawl


Important: You must have the Integration Admin role in OvalEdge for crawl operations.

The Crawl/Profile button allows you to select one or more schemas for crawling. 

  1. Navigate to the Connectors page and click Crawl/Profile.
  2. Select the schemas you want to crawl.
  3. The Crawl option is selected by default.
  4. Click Run to collect metadata from the connected source and load it into the OvalEdge Data Catalog.
  5. After a successful crawl, the information appears in the Data Catalog > Report / Report Column tab.

The Schedule checkbox allows automated crawling for a selected timeframe, from a minute to a year.

  1. Click the Schedule checkbox to enable the Select Period drop-down.
  2. Select a time period for the operation from the drop-down menu.
  3. Click Schedule to initiate metadata collection from the connected source.
  4. The system will automatically execute the crawl operation at the scheduled time.

Other Operations

The Connectors page in OvalEdge provides a centralized view of all configured connectors and their health status.

Managing connectors includes:

  • Connector Health: Displays performance using a green icon for active connections and a red icon for inactive connections, helping to monitor the connection between OvalEdge and data sources.
  • Viewing: Click the Eye icon next to the connector name to view connector details, including databases, tables, columns, and codes.

Nine Dots Menu Options:

You can view, edit, validate, build lineage, modify connector settings and delete connectors using the Nine Dots menu.

  • Edit Connector: Update and revalidate the data source.
  • Validate Connector: Check the connection's integrity.
  • Settings: Modify connector settings.
    • Crawler: Configure data extraction.
    • Access Instructions: Add notes on how data can be accessed.
    • Business Glossary Settings: Manage term associations at the connector level.
    • Others: Configure notification recipients for metadata changes.
  • Delete Connector: Remove a connector with confirmation.

Metadata Mapping

Source Object

Source Attribute

OvalEdge Attribute

OvalEdge Category

OvalEdge Type

Projects

Top Level Project

Report Group

Reports

-

Sub Projects

Report Group

-

-

Project Descriptions

Source Description

Descriptions

-

Workbook

Workbook Name

Report Name

Reports

Workbook

Workbook description

Source Description

Description

Description

Workbook type

Type

Reports

Workbook

Datasource

Datasource Name

Report Name

Reports

Datasource

Datasource description

Source Description

Description

Description

Datasource type

Type

Reports

Datasource

Views

View Name

Report Name

Reports

-

View Type

Type

Reports

View

Visuals

Visual Filed

Report Column

Report Columns

Dimensions, Measures, Calculated Fields

 


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