SharePoint Lists (JDBC)

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

This document describes how to connect Tableau to the SharePoint Lists (JDBC) driver and set up the data source.

Note: The SharePoint Lists JDBC connector requires Tableau 2022.3 or later and the SharePoint Lists JDBC driver.

Preparing to connect

Before you begin, gather this connection information:

  • The URL to the SharePoint site that contains the lists you want to connect to

  • The edition of your SharePoint server: on premises or SharePoint Online

  • The method of authentication: Azure AD, third-party SSO or integrated authentication

  • The user name or email address, password, and (optionally) SSO domain, if needed

Required API Permissions

In SharePoint, grant Tableau the following application programming interface (API) permissions:

  • profile
  • openid
  • email
  • AllSites.Manage
  • offline_access
  • User.Read

Using a custom OAuth Client

Tableau recommends you set up a custom OAuth client, so you can fully control your OAuth configuration according to your own IT policies. The option to use your own OAuth client also frees you from being tied to Tableau release cycles and Tableau’s OAuth client rotation schedule. For information on how to configure your own OAuth client see, Configure Custom OAuth for a site.

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.

Configuring SharePoint Lists (JDBC) on Tableau Server

If you are using Tableau Server, both the connector and driver must first be installed on each server node.

  1. Download the packaged Sharepoint Lists (JDBC) Tableau connector (TACO) file or "cdata.sharepoint.taco", from Tableau Exchange(Link opens in a new window).
  2. Move the .taco file to the following directory on each node of your Tableau Server instances:
  • Windows: C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\vizqlserver\Connectors
  • Linux: [Your Tableau Server Install Directory]/data/tabsvc/vizqlserver/Connectors
  1. Download and install the SharePoint Lists (JDBC) driver from the Tableau Driver center(Link opens in a new window). The JDBC driver (data.tableau.sharepoint.jar) needs to be placed in the following directory on each node of a Tableau Server instance:
  • Windows: C:\Program Files\Tableau\Drivers
  • Linux: /opt/tableau/tableau_driver/jdbc
  1. Restart Tableau Server.
  2. If you plan on using OAuth with SharePoint Lists (JDBC), some additional configuration of Tableau Server is also required. For more information, see Configure Azure AD for OAuth and Modern Authentication.

Make the connection and set up the data source

  1. Start Tableau and under Connect, select SharePoint Lists (JDBC).
  2. In the Server text box, enter the SharePoint URL.
  3. Select the Edition: On Premise or SharePoint Online.
  4. Select the Authentication method: Azure AD, Username and Password, NTLM, ADFS or Basic.
  5. If Azure AD is chosen, select Sign In.
  6. For other authentication methods, enter the required information, and then select Sign In.

Next, 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.

  1. To start your analysis, select the sheet tab.

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.

Both Authentication methods on a Mac require you to enter your user name and password to connect.

Refresh your data

Tableau supports only extract connections for SharePoint lists, not live connections. You can update the data by refreshing the extract; incremental refreshes are not supported. For more information, see Refresh Extracts. For information about refresh schedules, see Schedule Extract Refreshes as You Publish a Workbook.

 

See also

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