Applies to: Tableau Desktop

This article describes how to connect Tableau to a Microsoft PowerPivot database.

Before you begin

Before you begin, gather this connection information:

  • SharePoint URL, or SharePoint, UNC, or local Excel file name

    If you plan to publish the workbook to Tableau Server, make sure to connect to a PowerPivot file on SharePoint. Tableau Server does not support connections to local PowerPivot files.

Note: Tableau Desktop supports Microsoft PowerPivot 2010 and 2013.

Use this connector with Tableau Desktop on a Windows computer.

Driver required

This connector requires a driver to talk to the database. You might already have the required driver installed on your computer. 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 Microsoft PowerPivot. For a complete list of data connections, select More under To a Server. Then do the following:

    1. Select whether to connect to a PowerPivot file using a SharePoint URL, a SharePoint UNC (file path), or a local Excel file.

    2. Select Sign In.

  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. The file name appears under Select a File. Note that there is one file per connection. Search for or select a perspective available in that file.

    3. Select the sheet tab to start your analysis.

Use PowerPivot perspectives

PowerPivot data may contain one or more perspectives. Perspectives are subsets of objects from the model that define sets of data. Typically perspectives are defined for a particular group of users or business scenario. Using perspectives can make it easier to navigate large data sources.

See also

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