Connect to the Data Warehouse from Tableau

Answer

To access the Data Warehouse from Tableau:

Windows Setup

1. Make sure the Oracle client is installed on your computer.
2. Download and install Oracle drivers from the Tableau website
3. Make sure that the tnsnames.ora file, usually in C:\oracle\product\11.2.0\client\network\admin, contains an entry for the Data Warehouse's database:

   warehouse =
      (DESCRIPTION =
         (ADDRESS_LIST =
            (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = warehouse.mit.edu)(PORT = 1521))
         )
         (CONNECT_DATA = (SID = DWRHS))
      )
   

   1. If your tnsnames file does not have the warehouse, copy and paste the above text into your existing tnsnames.ora file.
   2. If you do not have a tnsnames.ora file, save this TNSNames.ora file to C:\oracle\product\11.2.0\client\network\admin.
4. Make sure the TNS_ADMIN environment variable points the directory containing the tnsnames.ora file.
   1. Go to Start > Control Panel > System.
   2. Click Advanced system settings.
   3. In the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables.
   4. Scroll through the System variables list for the "TNS_ADMIN" variable.
   5. If you see the variable, make sure the Value column matches the directory containing tnsnames.ora.
   6. If you don't see the variable, click New and add the variable and the directory in the Value.
   7. Click OK and close out of all the System/System properties windows.
5. Continue to Connect to the warehouse in Tableau.

Mac Setup

1. Make sure you're logged in as an Adminstrator.
2. Download TableauDrivers.dmg from the Tableau Drives page. (Tableau website > Drivers and Activation > Mac > Oracle > )
3. Double-click the downloaded .dmg file.
4. Double-click Tableau Oracle Libraries.pkg.
5. Accept all defaults to install the package.
6. Save this TNSNames.ora file to your desktop and copy it to /etc:
   • Note: Do not use the command line to copy the file
   1. In Finder, select Go > Go To Folder, and then type /etc (do not put a period after etc).
   2. Copy the .ora file to /etc
7. Configure the TNS_ADMIN environment variable:
   1. Start Terminal and type the following command:

      sudo nano /etc/launchd.conf

   2. Type your local password when prompted.
   3. Type the following:

      setenv TNS_ADMIN /etc

   4. Press Ctrl-X, then Y, then Enter to save changes and exit nano.
8. Restart the Mac.
9. Confirm you can connect to the Warehouse by opening Terminal and typing the following command:

   ping warehouse

10. Exit Terminal and continue to Connect to the warehouse in Tableau.

Connect to the warehouse in Tableau (Windows and Mac)

1. In Tableau, click Connect to Data.
2. Under On a server, click Oracle.
3. Enter the following values and leave all other fields blank:

   Server	warehouse
   Select User	a specific username and password
   Username	your Kerberos username
   Password	your Data Warehouse password (If you don't have a Data Warehouse password or have forgotten it, see Change Your Data Warehouse Password.)

   

4. Click Connect.
5. If you get an error, enter ".world" (without the quotes) in the Service field and try again.
6. If you're on a Mac, try the following:
   • Oracle database error 21561 (ORA-21561: OID generation failed)
7. To add tables from the Data Warehouse, see I've successfully connected to the Data Warehouse in Tableau, but I don't see anything. What do I do?