Schedule Extract Refreshes for a Virtual Connection

Applies to: Tableau Data Management

One of the benefits of virtual connections is that you can reuse the same extract multiple times, reducing data proliferation and removing redundant extract refresh jobs. To ensure that extract data is fresh for any content that uses a virtual connection, you can create an extract refresh schedule for the tables in your connection after you publish the connection.

You can also schedule extract refreshes of data sources and workbooks that use virtual connections. See Schedule Refreshes on Tableau Cloud(Link opens in a new window) and Refresh Data on a Schedule(Link opens in a new window) (Tableau Server).

Extract tables

See Extract table data(Link opens in a new window).

Schedule extract refreshes on Tableau Server

  1. Navigate to the virtual connection page. (From the Home or Explore page, click Virtual Connections from the dropdown menu, then select your virtual connection.)
  2. At the top of the page, a heading should say Data is Extract. If it says Data is Live, refresh your browser.
  3. Select the Scheduled Tasks tab and click +New Task.
  4. The Create Scheduled Task dialog box opens. The Create Scheduled Task dialog box looks different in Tableau Server and Tableau Cloud. If you're using Tableau Cloud, see Schedule Extract Refreshes for a Virtual Connection(Link opens in a new window) in the Tableau Cloud Product Help.
  5. Select a schedule from the dropdown menu.
  6. For cases when multiple tables use extracts, select Dependent or Independent. (In Tableau Server 2023.3 and earlier, these options were "Keep tables in sync" and "Refresh tables independently", but the underlying meaning is the same.)
    • Dependent means that none of the extracts will be updated if one or more tables' extract refresh jobs fails.
    • Independent means that the success or failure of a table's extract job doesn't affect whether or not other tables' extracts are updated.
  7. Select Refresh Type. You can configure the type of extract in the virtual connection editor. For more information, see the Incremental Extracts section of the Create a Virtual Connection page. (In Tableau Server 2023.3 and earlier, virtual connections don't support incremental extracts, so you won't see these options.)
    • Full means that full extract refresh jobs will be run on all extracts in the virtual connection, regardless of whether they are configured for full extract refresh or incremental extract refresh.
    • Incremental means that incremental extract refresh jobs will be run on all incremental extracts in the virtual connection. For all other extracts in the virtual connection, full extract refresh jobs will be run.
  8. Select Add or Edit Tables and select the tables you want to refresh.
  9. Select OK.
  10. Select Apply.

Time limit for extract refreshes

To ensure that long running refresh tasks don't take up all system resources and don't prevent refreshes of other extracts on your site, extract refreshes for a virtual connection are subject to a two-hour time limit. For more information about the timeout limit for refresh tasks and suggestions for resolving these errors, see Time limit for extract refreshes(Link opens in a new window). However note that virtual connections support only full and not incremental refreshes.

Who can do this

To publish a virtual connection or set permissions, you must

  • have credentials to the database that the virtual connection connects to, and
  • be a server or site administrator, or a Creator.

Next step

After you schedule extract refreshes for a virtual connection, you can Use a Virtual Connection

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