This chapter will focus on different methods for connecting to data in Tableau as well as data cleaning and transformation capabilities. The chapter explains how to connect to data in Salesforce via the Salesforce Connector, including the authentication and configuration steps required to establish the connection. Next, the chapter will cover connecting data exported to an SQL database and discuss how this method may be useful in certain scenarios. Tableau also allows you to manipulate data in several ways, such as pivot, join, and split, once the data is loaded in the software. The chapter will then move on to managing data sources in Tableau, including options for connecting to multiple data sources, creating data source filters, and calculating fields.
The chapter covers the following topics:
- Introduction to Tableau’s data capabilities
- Connecting to Salesforce data with Salesforce connector
- Connecting to data in SQL databases
- Data manipulation in Tableau
- Managing data sources in Tableau
By the end of this chapter, learners will be able to understand the importance of connecting to data in Tableau and the software’s data cleaning and transformation capabilities. They will do so by learning how to connect to Salesforce data using the Salesforce Connector, including the authentication and configuration steps required for a successful connection, and how to connect to data that has been exported to a SQL database and recognize scenarios where this method may be beneficial. They will also acquire the ability to manipulate data in Tableau using various techniques, such as pivot, join, and split, once the data is loaded into the software. Finally, they will develop skills in managing data sources in Tableau, including connecting to multiple data sources, creating data source filters, and crafting calculated fields and apply the knowledge gained from this chapter to effectively connect to, clean, and transform data in Tableau for enhanced data analysis and visualization.
Tableau can connect to a variety of data sources, both locally, like .csv and Excel files, and online sources, such as SQL databases, but also Hadoop clusters and files held on cloud storage, such as Google Drive and OneDrive.
For Salesforce data, there are two options:
- Connecting via Tableau’s Salesforce connector
- Connecting to the database where the Salesforce data is held (usually a SQL database)
We will now examine each option in detail.