Set up the Tableau Add-On for Google Workspace
The Tableau add-on for Google Workspace allows you to securely view and interact with Tableau content directly within your workflow. You can embed image snapshots of Tableau visualizations and Pulse metrics into Google Docs and Slides. You can also connect your Tableau Cloud data sources directly to Google Sheets and export data from your Google Sheets to Tableau Cloud.
The add-on is available for Tableau Cloud and Tableau Server and is available through the Google Workspace Marketplace. Tableau administrators are responsible for installing and setting up the application to connect a Tableau site with a Google Workspace environment.
For information about using the Tableau add-on for Google Workspace, see Access Tableau Content in Google Workspace.
Prerequisites
To set up the Tableau add-on for Google Workspace, you need these apps and accounts:
-
Tableau Cloud or Tableau Server
-
A site admin account for Tableau Cloud or a server admin account for Tableau Server
-
A Google Workspace subscription
-
A Google Workspace admin account
-
User licenses for both Tableau and Google Workspace, where each user's Google Workspace email address matches their Tableau username
Install the Tableau add-on
Open the Google Workspace Marketplace and search for the Tableau Add-on listing.
If the install button is unavailable, your Google Workspace admin may have a defined allow-list of available add-ons. Make sure that your Google Workspace admin has added the Tableau Add-on to the allow list. It’s also possible for the Google Workspace admin to auto-install the add-on for users based on Google user groups.
If the install button is active, select it and then open up Google Docs or Slides in a new browser tab. After the add-on has been installed, you'll see a Tableau icon in the right side-panel.
Configure the Tableau add-on
The first time you open the Tableau add-on, you'll be prompted to authorize access. The Tableau add-on needs access to your Google Drive files (For example, Google Docs and Google Slides) to import and export content from Tableau.
Clicking the Authorize Access button will trigger an OAuth notification, which will outline the specific permissions required.
After granting access to the Tableau add-on, you may get one more prompt asking if the add-on can access this specific document of slide. Instead of asking for access to all the user’s Drive files, we only ask for permissions on files you want to use the add-on with. Select Allow.
Configure your Tableau site
The first time you open the Tableau add-on, you'll be prompted to add a Site Configuration. This is where you specify the Tableau site that you want to integrate with Google Workspace.
To establish a new Tableau Connected App, your Tableau administrator should follow the guidelines for Configuring Connected Apps with Direct Trust. This app enables the add-on to authenticate with Tableau by using the context of the active Google user. The Access Level and Domain Allowlist settings can be bypassed, as they pertain only to the Tableau Embedding API. The Tableau add-on relies solely on the Tableau REST API. Make sure that the connected app is set to Enabled, as the default state is disabled.
Next, the Tableau site administrator must complete the necessary configuration fields within the Tableau add-on. To maintain security and prevent unintentional changes, only Google users with admin permissions on the Tableau site are permitted to manage site configurations.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Label | [Optional] Friendly name for your Tableau site (uses Tableau Site, if left blank). |
| Tableau Base URL | The hostname of your Tableau environment. |
| Tableau Site | Your Tableau site name, as it appears in the URL. Note that this property is case sensitive. If you're using Tableau Server’s default site, leave this field blank. |
| User Mapping | This dropdown specifies how to map your Google Workspace user to your Tableau username. Currently, only email is supported. |
| Client ID | Tableau connected app’s Client ID. |
| Secret ID | Tableau connected app’s Secret ID. |
| Secret Value | Tableau connected app’s Secret Value. |
After you select Save, refresh the web page for the changes to take effect. The next time you open the Tableau Add-on, you should see a dropdown menu that contains a list of all the Sites you’ve configured.
To integrate more sites with the add-on, select the Configure button located at the bottom of the interface. This feature allows you to oversee and adjust all site configurations that are active within the add-on.