Web Data Connector
Web Data Connector for Tableau
To address the needs of connecting to less popular data sources, Tableau provides the option to use Web Data Connectors. These are scripts that we can write ourselves, connecting Tableau with data from virtually any resource that has a REST API interface.
What you will gain by using the Connector:
- You will save time by eliminating repetitive, manual data exports from the application to a file and loading that data into the Tableau environment.
- You will gain access to data that was previously unavailable to you.
Tableau WDC – what is it?
Data and the information contained within are currently one of the most valuable resources in the world. With this awareness, creators of analytical platforms are actively working on integrating their products with other environments, creating so-called native connectors. These are ones that are available “out of the box” and allow you to connect to data from other systems with just a few clicks.
Tableau has also been expanding the list of these ready-made connectors for years, enabling its users to seamlessly connect data from the most popular tools on the market to their products such as Tableau Desktop, Prep, or Server.
Despite the best efforts, the development of the BI platform in this direction has its limitations. Imagine that on one side we have the creators of Tableau, and on the other, the whole world of hundreds of thousands of tools and systems that generate data. Therefore, it happens that even though Tableau has a list of dozens of various connectors, we won’t find among them a native capability to connect, for example, with our e-commerce system.
However, the creators of Tableau are aware of this situation. To address the needs of connecting to less popular data sources, Tableau provides the option to use Web Data Connectors. These are scripts that we can write ourselves, connecting Tableau with data from virtually any resource that has a REST API interface.
How do we support the creation of Tableau Web Data Connector?
At Astrafox, we specialize in integrating Tableau with other systems. In the case of WDC, the scope of such support focuses on two things:
- Building the connector.
- Hosting the connector.
Both tasks require proper preparation, because:
- When it comes to building, proper planning of the needs related to the data that will be extracted from the source system will ensure that script creation is cost-effective. The less often we edit the created code to add something new, the cheaper the whole process will be.
- Regarding hosting the connector, its availability will, of course, be key. Here, you need to determine whether you have a resource that can be used to make it available online or if you prefer for this to be handled on our end.
Examples of our Web Data Connectors
- Jira,
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Zen Desk,
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Strava,
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FitBit,
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Symfonia,
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Paymo,
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Pipedrive.