Tableau REST API Help

What is in this tutorial?

This is the introduction to a 3-part tutorial on the basics of using the Tableau Server REST API to manage your resources. With this content, you can learn to use the REST API to:

• Sign in to a server.
• Create a project and publish a workbook to it.
• Create a user group and give it permissions to your workbook.

Here's what you'll find in each part:

• Introduction and Set Up (this page)
  • Join the Tableau Developer Program to activate your free Tableau sandbox and more (or use your own Tableau server).
  • Set up the tools used for the tutorial.
  • Download the tutorial workbook file (or use your own).
• Part 1: Tools, REST Basics, and Sign In (~20 minutes)
  • Read about REST basics.
  • Make a REST request to sign in to your server.
  • Learn to use the server’s response to authenticate other requests.
• Part 2: Create a Project and Publish a Workbook to It (~20 minutes)
  • Create a Tableau project.
  • List the projects on your site.
  • Publish a workbook.
• Part 3: Create a User Group and Give it Permissions (~20 minutes)
  • Manually add user to your site.
  • Create a group.
  • Add users to your group.
  • Give users permissions to your workbook.

What do I need to get started?

1. Join the Tableau Developer Program(Link opens in a new window) (or use your own server)

   For this tutorial, you will need administrative access to a Tableau Cloud account or an installation of Tableau Server version 9.0 or higher.

   If you need access to a server, you can register for the Tableau Developer Program(Link opens in a new window) and activate a personal Tableau Cloud sandbox at no cost. You will also be able to get updates and learning resources, participate in Tableau team sprint demos, and connect with others via the Tableau Developer Community Forum(Link opens in a new window).

2. Get the tools

   There are many means of making REST calls. This tutorial illustrates use of two common tools for sending single REST calls. Try one or both.

   Install Postman(Link opens in a new window) - Postman is a popular desktop application for making REST calls. It is useful for learning about REST calls, testing them out, and performing small operations on your server.

   Install cURL(Link opens in a new window) - cURL is a popular command line application for making REST calls. It is useful for the same kinds of things Postman is good at, and can be incorporated directly into scripts.

   To learn more, see Testing and Troubleshooting REST API Calls.

3. Get a Tableau workbook to publish

   For this tutorial, you can use any workbook you have on hand that is less than 64MB in size. Get-started-LATEST_PSL_0.twb(Link opens in a new window) is available from Tableau Public if you need a small workbook to use.

   When we refer to your workbook in the tutorial, we'll call it MY_WORKBOOK.twbx, replace that with your actual file name.

Now you are ready to start: Part 1: Tools, REST Basics, and Sign in (~20 minutes)

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