Connect to the Data Warehouse from Tableau
Answer
To access the Data Warehouse from Tableau:
Windows Setup
- Make sure the Oracle client is installed on your computer.
- Download and install Oracle drivers from the Tableau website
- 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)) )
- If your tnsnames file does not have the warehouse, copy and paste the above text into your existing tnsnames.ora file.
- If you do not have a tnsnames.ora file, save this TNSNames.ora file to C:\oracle\product\11.2.0\client\network\admin.
- Make sure the TNS_ADMIN environment variable points the directory containing the tnsnames.ora file.
- Go to Start > Control Panel > System.
- Click Advanced system settings.
- In the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables.
- Scroll through the System variables list for the "TNS_ADMIN" variable.
- If you see the variable, make sure the Value column matches the directory containing tnsnames.ora.
- If you don't see the variable, click New and add the variable and the directory in the Value.
- Click OK and close out of all the System/System properties windows.
- Continue to Connect to the warehouse in Tableau.
Mac Setup
- Make sure you're logged in as an Adminstrator.
- Download TableauDrivers.dmg from the Tableau Drives page. (Tableau website > Drivers and Activation > Mac > Oracle > )
- Double-click the downloaded .dmg file.
- Double-click Tableau Oracle Libraries.pkg.
- Accept all defaults to install the package.
- Save this TNSNames.ora file to your desktop and copy it to /etc:
- Note: Do not use the command line to copy the file
- In Finder, select Go > Go To Folder, and then type /etc (do not put a period after etc).
- Copy the .ora file to /etc
- Configure the TNS_ADMIN environment variable:
- Start Terminal and type the following command:
sudo nano /etc/launchd.conf
- Type your local password when prompted.
- Type the following:
setenv TNS_ADMIN /etc
- Press Ctrl-X, then Y, then Enter to save changes and exit nano.
- Start Terminal and type the following command:
- Restart the Mac.
- Confirm you can connect to the Warehouse by opening Terminal and typing the following command:
ping warehouse
- Exit Terminal and continue to Connect to the warehouse in Tableau.
Connect to the warehouse in Tableau (Windows and Mac)
- In Tableau, click Connect to Data.
- Under On a server, click Oracle.
- 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.) - Click Connect.
- If you get an error, enter ".world" (without the quotes) in the Service field and try again.
- If you're on a Mac, try the following:
- 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?
Jul 07, 2015
Susan Riley Hart
There's one place in the instructions where it didn't quite match what I was seeing. The instructions say:
3. Connect to the warehouse in Tableau
On the initial Tableau screen, there was no "Connect to Data" for me to click on. What I needed to do was skip to Step 2.
Apr 26, 2016
Isaac Chuang
The mac drivers are here: http://www.tableau.com/support/drivers?qt-drivers=1#mac-oracle
May 11, 2016
Jon P Daries
Mac Setup:
In addtion to the tnsnames.ora file you need a sqlnet.ora file to do the kerb login, the sqlnet.ora file should have the following text:
Also, instead of setting the environment variable, it's easier to create an environment.plist file saved in ~/Library/LaunchAgents/environment.plist that contains this text:
Restart after installing those files.