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Purpose and Capabilities

The Tableau Connector enables Agentforce agents to interact with Tableau, allowing them to access dashboards, retrieve data from views and reports, and leverage existing data visualizations. This integration empowers Agentforce agents to incorporate business intelligence and data insights from Tableau directly into their workflows, facilitating data-driven decision-making and automated reporting tasks.

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Key Tools

The Tableau Connector provides tools to interact with your Tableau environment:

Tool NameDescriptionExample Inputs
tableau_list_sitesLists all available sites the authenticated user can access.(No inputs often needed, or server_url: "https://tableau.example.com")
tableau_list_workbooksLists workbooks within a specified site.site_id: "site_abc_123"
tableau_list_viewsLists views (sheets, dashboards) within a specified workbook.site_id: "site_abc_123", workbook_id: "workbook_def_456"
tableau_get_view_dataRetrieves the underlying data for a specific view (e.g., as CSV or JSON).site_id: "site_abc_123", view_id: "view_ghi_789", data_format: "csv"
tableau_get_view_imageRetrieves an image representation of a specific view.site_id: "site_abc_123", view_id: "view_jkl_012", image_resolution: "high"
tableau_get_view_pdfRetrieves a PDF representation of a specific view or workbook.site_id: "site_abc_123", view_id: "view_mno_345", page_orientation: "landscape"
tableau_query_data_sourceQueries a published Tableau data source directly (if permissions allow).site_id: "site_pqr_678", datasource_id: "ds_stu_901", query: "SELECT SUM(Sales) FROM Orders GROUP BY Region"
tableau_apply_filter_to_viewApplies a filter to a view and retrieves the updated image or data.site_id: "site_vwx_234", view_id: "view_yza_567", filter_name: "Region", filter_value: "West"

(Note: Actual tool names and parameters may vary based on the final implementation and Tableau API capabilities.)

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Prerequisites

To use the Tableau Connector, you will need:

  1. Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud (Online) Instance: Access to a running Tableau environment.
  2. User Account with Necessary Permissions: A Tableau user account that has permissions to access the desired sites, workbooks, views, and data sources.
  3. Personal Access Token (PAT) or Username/Password:
    • Personal Access Token (Recommended for Tableau Server 2019.4+ and Tableau Cloud): A PAT provides a secure way to authenticate API requests.
    • Username and Password (Legacy): Can be used but is generally less secure than PATs.
  4. Tableau REST API Enabled and Accessible: The Tableau REST API must be enabled on your Tableau Server (it is by default on Tableau Cloud) and accessible from the Agentforce environment.
  5. Site ID (for multi-site environments): If your Tableau environment uses multiple sites, you’ll often need the ID of the specific site you want to interact with.

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Setup Guide

Setting up the Tableau Connector involves configuring authentication to allow Agentforce to securely access your Tableau instance.

  1. Identify Your Tableau Environment:

    • Determine if you are using Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud.
    • Note your Tableau server URL (e.g., https://tableau.example.com or https://10az.online.tableau.com).

  2. Create a Personal Access Token (PAT) (Recommended):

    • Log in to your Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud account.
    • Navigate to your account settings or profile page.
    • Find the “Personal Access Tokens” section.
    • Create a new token. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., “Agentforce ACP Connector”).
    • Copy the generated PAT and Token Secret immediately. The secret is shown only once. Store these securely.

  3. (Alternative) Prepare Username/Password:

    • If not using PATs, ensure you have the username and password for the Tableau account that Agentforce agents will use.

  4. Gather Site Information (if applicable):

    • If your Tableau instance is multi-site, identify the Site ID (sometimes called the “content URL” or a unique identifier) for the site(s) Agentforce agents need to access. This is often part of the URL when you’re viewing content on a specific site.

  5. Configure the Connector in Agentforce:

    • In your Agentforce ACP configuration interface, navigate to the Tableau Connector settings.
    • Enter your Tableau Server URL.
    • Select the authentication method:
      • Personal Access Token: Enter the PAT Name and PAT Secret.
      • Username/Password: Enter the Tableau Username and Tableau Password.
    • If applicable, enter a default Site ID. This can often be overridden in individual tool calls if needed.
    • Save the configuration.

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Common Use Cases

  • Automated Reporting: Agentforce agents can fetch data or images from specific Tableau views and include them in automated reports or notifications.
  • Data-Driven Alerts: Agentforce agents can monitor data in Tableau views and trigger alerts or actions in other systems if certain thresholds are met.
  • Embedding Visualizations: Agentforce agents can retrieve images of Tableau dashboards to embed in other applications or communications.
  • Natural Language Querying of Data: Agentforce agents could potentially translate natural language questions into queries against Tableau data sources (requires advanced agent logic and appropriate tool design).
  • Data Extraction for Further Analysis: Agentforce agents can extract underlying data from views for use in other analytical processes or systems.

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Troubleshooting Tips

  • Authentication Errors (401 Unauthorized):
    • Verify the Tableau Server URL is correct.
    • If using PAT: Ensure the PAT Name and Secret are correct and the token has not expired or been revoked.
    • If using Username/Password: Double-check credentials. The account might be locked or require a password update.
    • Ensure the user account has permission to sign in to the Tableau instance and the specified site.
  • Resource Not Found (404 Not Found):
    • Check that the site_id, workbook_id, view_id, or datasource_id is correct.
    • Ensure the authenticated user has permission to access the specific Tableau resource.
    • The resource may have been renamed, moved, or deleted.
  • Permission Denied (403 Forbidden):
    • The authenticated user may not have the necessary permissions for the attempted action (e.g., trying to access data from a view they cannot see, or trying to query a data source without connect permissions). Review user permissions in Tableau.
  • API Version Compatibility:
    • Tableau REST API features can vary between versions. Ensure the tools being used are compatible with your Tableau Server/Cloud API version.
  • Site Mismatch:
    • If working in a multi-site environment, ensure the correct site_id is being used for requests. Operations are typically scoped to a single site.
  • Data Retrieval Issues:
    • When fetching view data, complex views or large datasets might take time or hit limits.
    • Permissions on underlying data sources can also affect data visibility in views.

For detailed information, consult the Tableau REST API Documentation.