Using OAuth for Data Connections

For Salesforce.com, Google Analytics, and Google BigQuery data sources, you can connect to data through the OAuth 2.0 open authentication process. OAuth keeps your data source credentials secure with the data provider, and it can simplify the management of embedded credentials and extract refreshes.
When you perform tasks that require signing in to an OAuth-enabled data source, you automatically create an OAuth connection. For example:

• Connect to Salesforce.com, Google Analytics, or Google BigQuery data.
• Open a published workbook that connects to the OAuth-enabled data source.
• Create a new workbook from a data source published to Tableau Server or Tableau Online.

Connecting to Data Using OAuth

On the Tableau Desktop Connect page, when you select an OAuth-enabled data source, you are directed to the data provider’s sign-in form, where you provide your credentials and approve Tableau access.

The data provider returns an access token that is used for authentication.

Workbooks with OAuth Connections

When you open a published workbook that has a connection to an OAuth data source, you are prompted to authenticate to the data source. If you have an existing OAuth access token for that data, you can select the existing token to open the workbook. Otherwise you can create a new access token (credential).

Selecting Create new credential takes you through the authentication process as described earlier in this topic in Connecting to Data Using OAuth.

Note: If you have not published your workbook or data source to a Tableau server, you are not able to embed OAuth credentials to bypass authentication and connect directly to the data. For information about using embedded OAuth credentials with published workbooks and data sources, see the next section, OAuth on Tableau Server, and the related topics.

OAuth on Tableau Server

If you have an account on Tableau Server or Tableau Online, you can save OAuth tokens with your user preferences. You can then use the saved tokens when you open a published workbook and are prompted for credentials.
You can also edit data connections on the server to embed access tokens, to allow direct access to the data, or to facilitate scheduled extract refresh tasks.

Single Source for Embedded Credentials

If you embed the same OAuth credentials into multiple published data sources, you do not need to update each location manually when credentials expire. When it’s time to replace or refresh an OAuth access token, if you use the same user credentials to obtain the update, the embedded locations are updated all at once.
For information about working with OAuth tokens on the server, see the following topics:

• Manage Credentials
• Edit Data Connections, specifically Authentication Options for Google and Salesforce.com