Tableau

You can use Tableau with Dremio to derive powerful insights from your data and to create real-time dashboards.

You can connect from your Tableau application to Dremio in either of two ways:

• Configure a reusable connection in Tableau Desktop, Tableau Server, or Tableau Online to a project in Dremio
• Connect to a dataset by opening .tds file that you downloaded from Dremio

Supported Versions

Supported Authentication Methods

You can authenticate to Dremio through OAuth 2.0 for single sign-on (SSO) authentication. Alternatively, you can authenticate with a username and password, or with a personal access token that you have obtained from Dremio. If you want to authenticate your connection to Dremio by using a personal access token, see Personal Access Tokens.

If you want to authenticate through OAuth 2.0 for SSO authentication, follow these steps to enable SSO.

If you want to connect securely from Tableau Desktop on macOS to Dremio, follow these steps to enable SSL.

Enabling Single-Sign On (SSO) Authentication to Dremio from Tableau

Before enabling SSO authentication, configure your Dremio cluster for SSO authentication.

To enable SSO authentication to Dremio from Tableau:

1. On the BI Applications page in Dremio, click Tableau.

2. Ensure that Enable single sign-on for Tableau is toggled on.

3. For SSO authentication from Tableau Server: In the Redirect URIs field on the BI Applications page in Dremio, paste in the redirect URI for your Tableau Server. If you have set up more than one Tableau Server, you can add multiple URIs, separating them with commas. Each URI uses this format, where <tableau-server> is the hostname or IP address of Tableau Server:

   https://<tableau-server>/auth/add_oauth_token
   

4. Follow these steps to enable Tableau Desktop users to use SSO when connecting to Dremio by means of a .tds file that was downloaded from Dremio:

   a. Click the Settings icon.

   b. Select Support.

   c. In the Support Key field in the Support Keys section, type export.tableau.software-sso.enabled and click Show.

   d. Toggle the switch for this support key (which is listed to the left of the Show button) on and click Save.

5. If encryption is enabled for your Dremio cluster, add the support key export.tableau.extra-native-connection-properties and set the value to SSL=true.

Enabling SSL for macOS

If you’ve enabled SSL/TLS for JDBC connections for your Dremio server, and you are running Tableau Desktop on macOS, you must perform additional steps to fully enable secure communications.

1. Obtain the certificate from your Dremio server.
2. Install the certificate in the cacerts truststore, which comes with your Java 8 runtime. The location of the truststore is typically $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/security/cacert/. To install the .der certificate, perform a command like the following:

sudo keytool -importcert -alias dremio -keystore $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/security/cacerts -storepass changeit -file /path/to/dremioServerCert.der

3. Verify that the certificate has been added.

keytool -keystore cacerts -storepass changeit -list | grep -A1 dremio
dremio, Dec 16, 2019, trustedCertEntry,Certificate fingerprint (SHA1): 2B:2B:F6:D4:79:64:33:59:AB:43:3E:D9:17:C9:FD:A7:5E:C1:6D:42

Once complete, you must ensure that the Require SSL option is selected when adding your Dremio server to Tableau Desktop.

Tableau Desktop

If you are using Tableau Desktop 2021.2 or later, the recommended method of connecting to Dremio is by using the native Dremio connector. Alternatively, you can connect by using a Dremio connector that you install yourself.

If you are using Tableau Desktop 2021.1 or earlier, you must connect to Dremio by using a Dremio connector that you install yourself.

Before attempting to connect from Tableau Desktop to Dremio, ensure that Java 8 or later is installed on your system.

Connecting with Tableau Desktop’s Native Connector for Dremio

Tableau Desktop 2021.2 and later includes a connector that you can use to connect to Dremio. However, the connector requires the Dremio JDBC driver to be on your system.

Follow these steps to download the Dremio JDBC driver and connect to Dremio.

1. Download the Dremio JDBC driver and copy it to the Tableau Desktop’s Drivers folder:

   • macOS
     In a Terminal window, run the following command to download the driver to ~/Library/Tableau/Drivers. As an alternative, you can download the driver from the download site and move it to the folder by using Finder.

     curl -L https://download.dremio.com/jdbc-driver/dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar -o ~/Library/Tableau/Drivers/dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar
     

   • Windows
     In a command-line window, run the following command as an administrator to download the driver to C:\Program Files\Tableau\Drivers. As an alternative, you can download the driver from the download site and move it to the folder by using File Explorer.

     curl https://download.dremio.com/jdbc-driver/dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar -o C:\PROGRA~1\Tableau\Drivers\dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar
     

2. Open Tableau Desktop. If you already have Tableau Desktop open, restart the application.

3. Under the To a Server section in the Connect panel, click More.

4. Select Dremio. The Dremio connection dialog opens.

5. In the Server field, specify the Dremio DNS configured on your system.

6. In the Port field, specify the port, if it differs from the default port, which is 31010.

7. In the Username and Password fields, specify your Dremio credentials:

   • If you want to authenticate with your Dremio username and password, specify them in these fields.

   • If you have a personal access token, specify your username and then paste the token into the Password field.

8. If your Dremio cluster is configured for secure connections, select the Require SSL option.

9. (Optional) In the Advanced tab, specify the engine, queue, and tag. For information about how these values are used, see Workload Management.

10. Click Sign In.

Connecting After Manually Installing the Connector for Dremio

You can use this method of connecting with any supported version of Tableau Desktop.

1. If you are using Tableau Desktop 2021.1 or earlier, follow these steps:

   a. Download the dremio.taco file from the Tableau Extension Gallery.

   b. Move the dremio.taco file to Tableau Desktop’s Connectors folder:

   • macOS
     In a Terminal window, run the following command:

     cp <download-location>/dremio.taco ~/Documents/My\ Tableau\ Repository/Connectors/ 
     

   • Windows
     In a command-line window, run the following command:

     copy C:\<download-location>\dremio.taco C:\Users\[user]\Documents\My Tableau Repository\Connectors
     

2. If you are using Tableau Desktop 2021.2 or later, follow these steps:

   a. Download the dremio.taco file.

   b. Move the dremio.taco file:

   • macOS
     In a Terminal window, run the following command to copy the dremio.taco file to Tableau Desktop’s Connectors folder. Create the Connectors folder if it doesn’t already exist.

     cp <download-location>/dremio.taco ~/Library/Tableau/Connectors/
     

   • Windows
     In a command-line window, run the following command to copy the dremio.taco file to Tableau Desktop’s Connectors folder. Create the Connectors folder if it doesn’t already exist.

     copy C:\<download-location>\dremio.taco C:\Program Files\Tableau\Connectors
     

3. Download the Dremio JDBC driver and copy it to Tableau Desktop’s Drivers folder:

   • macOS
     In a Terminal window, run the following command to download the driver to ~/Libary/Tableau/Drivers. As an alternative, you can download the driver from the download site and move it to the folder by using Finder.

     curl https://download.dremio.com/jdbc-driver/dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar -o -l ~/Library/Tableau/Drivers/dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar
     

   • Windows
     In a command-line window, run the following command to download the driver to C:\Program Files\Tableau\Drivers. As an alternative, you can download the driver from the download site and move it to the folder by using File Explorer.

     curl https://download.dremio.com/jdbc-driver/dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar -o -l C:\Program Files\Tableau\Drivers\dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar
     

4. Open Tableau Desktop. If you already have Tableau Desktop open, restart the application.

5. Under the To a Server section in the Connect panel, click More.

6. Select Dremio. The Dremio connection dialog opens.

7. In the Server field, specify the hostname or IP address for Dremio.

8. In the Port field, specify the port, if it differs from the default port, which is 31010.

9. In the Authentication field, select either OAuth 2.0 or Username and Password.

10. If you selected OAuth 2.0 in the Authentication field, and your Dremio cluster is configured for single sign-on authentication, specify one of these URLs in the Dremio Authentication Server field, replacing <dremio-host> with the hostname or IP address for your Dremio coordinator node:

    • If your Dremio cluster does not use SSL: http://<dremio-host>:9047
    • If your Dremio cluster does use SSL: https://<dremio-host>:9047

11. If you selected Username and Password in the Authentication field, specify your Dremio credentials:

    • If you want to authenticate with your Dremio username and password, specify them in these fields.

    • If you have a personal access token, specify your username and then paste the token into the Password field.

12. If your Dremio cluster is configured for secure connections, select the Require SSL option.

13. (Optional) In the Advanced tab, specify the engine, queue, and tag. For information about how these values are used, see Workload Management.

14. Click Sign In.

15. If you chose to use single sign-on authentication, follow these steps:

    a. Sign into your identity provider. You are taken to the sign-in screen only the first time that you log into Dremio during a session in Tableau Desktop.

    b. Click Accept in the Authorize App dialog. This dialog appears only the first time that you authenticate from Tableau Desktop through your identity provider.

Creating a Live Connection to a Dataset from Dremio

You can generate a Tableau Datasource (.tds) file that represents a “live connection” to a dataset that is in Dremio. No actual data is stored in this file.

If you want to use single sign-on authentication when connecting to Dremio through the .tds file, ensure that you download the file only after single sign-on authentication is enabled and configured for your Dremio cluster.

1. On the Datasets page in Dremio, find the dataset you want to work with and click it to open it in the SQL editor.
2. Above the top-right corner of the editor, click the button that displays the Tableau logo. Dremio downloads a .tds file to your system.
3. Open the .tds.
4. Provide your credentials:

   • If you are not using single sign-on authentication, provide your Dremio credentials.

   • If you are using single sign-on authentication, follow these steps:

     1. Sign into your identity provider. You are taken to the sign-in screen only the first time that you log into Dremio during a session in Tableau.
     2. Click Accept in the Authorize App dialog. This dialog appears only the first time that you authenticate from Tableau through your identity provider.

Exporting a Dremio Dataset with SSL

If you have SSL enabled on Dremio, and you want to export a .tds file to use in a Tableau application for quickly connecting to a dataset, you can do so by add the support key export.tableau.extra-native-connection-properties and set the value to SSL=true. This property allows you to set the JDBC connection string when exporting a .tds file. The default is an empty string.

To know how to set the export.tableau.extra-native-connection-properties support key, see Support Keys.

Changing the Hostname

You can use the export.bi.hostname support key to change the default hostname of the SQL endpoint for generating TDS files. The export.bi.hostname property is available from Dremio version 13.0.0.

To know how to set the export.bi.hostname support key, see Support Keys.

Example: SSL setting

In the following example, SSL (for generating a self-signed certificate with an JDBC Dremio configuration) is enabled in the dremio.conf file. See Using Wire Encryption for more information.

services.coordinator.client-endpoint.ssl.enabled: true
services.coordinator.client-endpoint.ssl.auto-certificate.enabled: true

Example: export.tableau.extra-native-connection-properties value

SSL=true;DisableHostVerification=true;DisableCertificateVerification=true

Tableau Server

If you are using Tableau Server 2021.2 or later, the recommended method of connecting to Dremio is by using the native Dremio connector. Alternatively, you can connect by using a Dremio connector that you install yourself.

If you are using Tableau Server 2021.1 or earlier, you must connect to Dremio by using a Dremio connector that you install yourself.

Connecting with Tableau Server’s Native Connector for Dremio Cloud

Tableau Server 2021.2 and later includes a connector that you can use to connect to Dremio Dremio. However, the connector requires the Dremio JDBC driver to be on your system.

1. Download the Dremio JDBC driver and copy it to Tableau Desktop’s Drivers folder:

   • Windows
     In the command line, run the following command to download the driver to C:\Program Files\Tableau\Drivers. As an alternative, you can download the driver from the download site and move it to the folder by using File Explorer.

     curl https://download.dremio.com/jdbc-driver/dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar -o -l C:\Progra~1\Tableau\Drivers\dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar
     

   • Linux
     Download the driver from the download site and move it by using this command:

     mv <download-location>/dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar /opt/tableau/tableau_driver/jdbc/dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar
     

2. In a web browser, navigate to your Tableau Server site.

3. In your workbook, click Add a Data Source. Alternatively, you can publish an existing data source to Tableau Server.

4. In the Connect to Data dialog, select Dremio under the Connectors tab.

5. In the Dremio connection dialog, for Server, enter the Dremio DNS configured on your system.

6. For Port, enter the port if it differs from the default 31010 port.

7. In the Username and Password fields, specify your Dremio credentials:

   • If you want to authenticate with your Dremio username and password, specify them in these fields.

   • If you have a personal access token, specify your username and then paste the token into the Password field.

8. If your Dremio cluster is configured for secure connections, select the Require SSL option.

9. (Optional) In the Advanced tab, you can specify the Engine, Queue, and Tag.

10. Click Sign In.

Connecting After Manually Installing the Connector for Dremio

You can use this method of connecting with any supported version of Tableau Server.

1. If you are using Tableau Server 2021.1 or earlier, follow these steps:
   a. Download the dremio.taco file from the Tableau Extension Gallery.

   b. Move the dremio.taco file to Tableau Server’s Connectors folder:

   • Windows In a command-line window, run the following command:

     copy C:\<download-location>\dremio.taco C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\vizqlserver\Connectors
     

   • Linux Run the following command:

     mv <download-location>/dremio.taco /var/opt/tableau/tableau_server/data/tabsvc/vizqlserver/Connectors/dremio.taco
     

2. If you are using Tableau Server 2021.2 or later, follow these steps:

   a. Download the dremio.taco file.

   b. Move the dremio.taco file:

   • Windows In a command-line window, run the following command:

     copy C:\<download-location>\dremio.taco C:\Progra~1\Tableau\Connectors
     

   • On Linux: Run the following command:

     mv <download-location>/dremio.taco /opt/tableau/connectors/dremio.taco
     

3. Download the Dremio JDBC driver and copy it to Tableau Desktop’s Drivers folder:

   • Windows
     In the command line, run the following command to download the driver to C:\Program Files\Tableau\Drivers. As an alternative, you can download the driver from the download site and move it to the folder by using File Explorer.

     curl https://download.dremio.com/jdbc-driver/dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar -o -l C:\Progra~1\Tableau\Drivers\dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar
     

   • Linux
     Download the driver from the download site and move it by using this command:

     mv <download-location>/dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar /opt/tableau/tableau_driver/jdbc/dremio-jdbc-driver-LATEST.jar
     

4. In a web browser, navigate to your Tableau Server site.

5. In your workbook, click Add a Data Source. Alternatively, you can publish an existing data source to Tableau Server.

6. In the Connect to Data dialog, select Dremio under the Connectors tab.

7. In the Dremio connection dialog, for Server, enter the Dremio DNS configured on your system.

8. For Port, enter the port if it differs from the default 31010 port.

9. In the Authentication field, select either OAuth 2.0 or Username and Password.

10. If you selected OAuth 2.0 in the Authentication field, and your Dremio cluster is configured for single sign-on authentication, specify one of these URLs in the Dremio Authentication Server field, replacing <dremio-host> with the hostname or IP address for your Dremio coordinator node:

    • If your Dremio cluster does not use SSL: http://<dremio-host>:9047
    • If your Dremio cluster does use SSL: https://<dremio-host>:9047

11. If you selected Username and Password in the Authentication field, specify your Dremio credentials:

    • If you want to authenticate with your Dremio username and password, specify them in these fields.

    • If you have a personal access token, specify your username and then paste the token into the Password field.

12. If your Dremio cluster is configured for secure connections, select the Require SSL option.

13. (Optional) In the Advanced tab, you can specify the Engine, Queue, and Tag.

14. Click Sign In.

15. If you chose to use single sign-on authentication, follow these steps:

    a. Sign into your identity provider. You are taken to the sign-in screen only the first time that you log into Dremio during a session in Tableau Server.

    b. Click Accept in the Authorize App dialog. This dialog appears only the first time that you authenticate from Tableau Server through your identity provider.

Tableau Online

Connecting to Dremio

1. In a web browser, navigate to your Tableau Online site.

2. In your workbook, click Add a Data Source. Alternatively, you can publish an existing data source to Tableau Online.

3. In the Connect to Data dialog, select Dremio under the Connectors tab.

4. In the Server field in the Dremio connection dialog, specify the hostname or IP address of your Dremio coordinator node.

5. In the Port field, enter the port if it differs from the default 31010 port.

6. In the Authentication field, select either OAuth 2.0 or Username and Password.

7. If you selected OAuth 2.0 in the Authentication field, and your Dremio cluster is configured for single sign-on authentication, specify one of these URLs in the Dremio Authentication Server field, replacing <dremio-host> with the hostname or IP address for your Dremio coordinator node:

   • If your Dremio cluster does not use SSL: http://<dremio-host>:9047
   • If your Dremio cluster does use SSL: https://<dremio-host>:9047

8. If you selected Username and Password in the Authentication field, specify your Dremio credentials:

   • If you want to authenticate with your Dremio username and password, specify them in these fields.

   • If you have a personal access token, specify your username and then paste the token into the Password field.

9. If your Dremio cluster is configured for secure connections, select the Require SSL option.

10. (Optional) In the Advanced tab, you can specify the Engine, Queue, and Tag.

11. Click Sign In.

12. If you chose to use single sign-on authentication, follow these steps:

    a. Sign into your identity provider. You are taken to the sign-in screen only the first time that you log into Dremio during a session in Tableau Online.

    b. Click Accept in the Authorize App dialog. This dialog appears only the first time that you authenticate from Tableau Online through your identity provider.

Troubleshooting Tableau Client Connections

Dremio users may need to perform one of the following workarounds if they are using the specified version of Tableau to access a Dremio deployment.

Tableau 2019.4

Start Tableau from the command line with the -DDisableVerifyConnectorPluginSignature=true option. For example:

cd /Applications/Tableau Desktop 2019.4.app/Contents/MacOS
./Tableau -DDisableVerifyConnectorPluginSignature=true

Dremio JDBC 14.0 or Earlier

If you are running Java v9+, set the following environment variable on the machine running Tableau:

JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS=-Dcdjd.io.netty.tryReflectionSetAccessible=true