Databricks

Applies to: Tableau Cloud, Tableau Desktop, Tableau Prep, Tableau Server

This article describes how to connect Tableau to a Databricks database and set up the data source.

Before you begin

Before you begin, gather this connection information:

  • Name of the server that hosts the database you want to connect to
  • HTTP path to the data source
  • Authentication method:
    • Databricks login (recommended)
    • Personal Access Token
  • Sign in credentials to be used with your chosen authentication method:
    • Databricks login details (OAuth)
    • Personal Access Token password
  • Get connection details for a Databricks compute resource.
  • (Optional) Initial SQL statement to run every time Tableau connects

Driver required

This connector requires a driver to talk to the database. If the driver is not installed on your computer, Tableau displays a message in the connection dialog box with a link to the Driver Download(Link opens in a new window) page where you can find driver links and installation instructions.

Make the connection and set up the data source

  1. Start Tableau and under Connect, select Databricks. For a complete list of data connections, select More under To a Server. Then do the following:

    1. Enter the Server Hostname.
    2. Enter the HTTP Path to the data source.
    3. Select the Authentication method: Databricks login(recommended) or Personal Access Token.

      Note: Basic authentication using a Databricks user name and password reached end of life as of July 2024. For more information, see End of life for Databricks-managed passwords(Link opens in a new window).

    4. Enter the sign-in credentials for the authentication method you chose:

    5. (Optional) Select Initial SQL to specify a SQL command to run at the beginning of every connection, such as when you open the workbook, refresh an extract, sign in to Tableau Server, or publish to Tableau Server. For more information, see Run Initial SQL.

    6. Select Sign In.

      If Tableau can't make the connection, verify that your credentials are correct. If you still can't connect, your computer is having trouble locating the server. Contact your network administrator or database administrator for more assistance.

  2. On the data source page, do the following:

    1. (Optional) Select the default data source name at the top of the page, and then enter a unique data source name for use in Tableau. For example, use a data source naming convention that helps other users of the data source figure out which data source to connect to.

    2. Under Schema, select a schema or use the text box to search for a schema by name.
    3. Under Table, select a table or use the text box to search for a table by name.
    4. Drag the table to the canvas, and then select the sheet tab to start your analysis.

      Use custom SQL to connect to a specific query rather than the entire data source. For more information, see Connect to a Custom SQL Query.

Sign in on a Mac

If you use Tableau Desktop on a Mac, when you enter the server name to connect, use a fully qualified domain name, such as mydb.test.ourdomain.lan, instead of a relative domain name, such as mydb or mydb.test.

Alternatively, you can add the domain to the list of Search Domains for the Mac computer so that when you connect, you need to provide only the server name. To update the list of Search Domains, go to System Preferences > Network > Advanced, and then open the DNS tab.

Databricks best practices and troubleshooting

 

To learn more about optimizing your workbooks, connections, and general Tableau performance, there is a wealth of advice available in Optimize Workbook Performance.

For information about best practices and troubleshooting when using Tableau with Databricks clusters, see the Tableau(Link opens in a new window) topic on the Databricks website.

See also

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