Allow Direct Connections to Data Hosted on a Cloud Platform


If you maintain SQL-based data on a cloud platform, you can use direct connections to that data when you publish workbooks and data sources to Tableau Cloud. When you use a direct connection, you don't need to publish a static extract of the data. Depending on the underlying data type, you can determine how to keep the data current through a live connection or refreshing an extract on a schedule. You can also require users to provide credentials for accessing the data when they open views that connect to content.

Note: Tableau Cloud only supports connections to data hosted on a public cloud platform.

Enable encrypted connections

Encrypting connections using SSL is an option for underlying data sources. You can enable SSL encryption for connections to your hosted SQL data when you create the connection in Tableau Desktop. Complete the following steps to enable encrypted connections.

Tip: Make sure that Tableau Cloud is on your data provider's authorized list (safe list).

  1. In Tableau Desktop, connect to the data.

  2. In the Server Connection dialog box, select the Require SSL check box.

  3. For PostgreSQL, SQL Server-compatible connections, and other connections that don't have a option to embed certificates in the data source, click OK to finish.

    For some compatible connections, linked text appears under the Require SSL check box. This indicates that you can specify an alternative certificate file to use, such as a self-signed certificate.

  4. (Optional) Use a self-signed or other custom certificate to connect to this data over SSL.

    1. Select the link text that appears.

    2. In the Configure and Use SSL Certificate dialog, specify the certificate’s .pem file.

      For example, for MySQL connections to data hosted on Amazon RDS, you can point to Amazon’s self-signed certificate file at this address.

Untrusted certificates

If you are using certificates that aren't trusted by Tableau Cloud, such as self-signed certificates, or certificates signed by your company's internal CA, you may have problems connecting from Tableau Cloud. Try one of the following solutions.

  • If your connector allows embedding custom certificates, then use that. This is the solution described above.
  • Get new certificates for your database which are signed by a trusted public CA.
  • Use Tableau Bridge, which is Tableau’s connection proxy. You can configure your certificates to be trusted on the machine running Bridge, either by using TDC files, properties files, or by installing your certificates in the Windows System Trust Store.

Supported connectors

Refer to the "Tableau Cloud" tab in the Creators: Connect to Data on the Web topic for the list of supported connectors.

For more information about supported features by connector, refer to the specific connector topic in the Supported Connectors section of the Tableau User Help.

Note: Not all connectors in this list are supported by Tableau Prep Conductor. To see the supported list of connectors, open Tableau Prep Builder and expand the Connect pane.

See also

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