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Tableau Cloud

This guide explains how to connect Tableau Cloud to Solid so you can analyze dashboard usage, lineage, and data source metadata.

Overview

Solid connects to Tableau Cloud to read:

  • Dashboards and Workbooks
  • Views
  • Usage activity and statistics
  • Data sources and connections

Important: Solid does not modify or publish anything in Tableau. All access is read-only.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • Administrative access to Tableau Cloud
  • Permission to create users and assign roles
  • Access to the Tableau projects you want Solid to scan

Step 1: Create a Tableau Cloud User

Create a dedicated Tableau Cloud user for Solid integration.

Instructions

  1. Log into Tableau Cloud as an administrator
  2. Navigate to Users section
  3. Click Add Users
  4. Create a new user with the following details:
    • Username: solid_integration (or your preferred name)
    • Site Role: Explorer

Note: Explorer is the minimum role required to read Tableau metadata.

Reference: Tableau Documentation - Add Users

Step 2: Grant Project Access

Give the Solid user read access to all Tableau projects you want to inspect.

Instructions

  1. Navigate to each project you want Solid to access
  2. Click on the project's Permissions settings
  3. Add the Solid user you created in Step 1
  4. GrantExplorer permissions

Important: The user must have at least read access to retrieve metadata from dashboards, workbooks, and data sources.

Step 3: Create a Personal Access Token (PAT)

Create a Personal Access Token that Solid will use to authenticate with Tableau Cloud.

Instructions

  1. Log into Tableau Cloud as the Explorer user you created in Step 1
  2. Go to My Account Settings → Personal Access Tokens
  3. Click Create new token
  4. Enter a Token Name (e.g., Solid Integration)
  5. Click Create
  6. Copy the Token Secret immediately - it will only be shown once

Important: Store the Token Name and Token Secret securely. You will need both values to configure Solid.

Reference: Tableau Documentation - Personal Access Tokens

Step 4: Configure Solid

Once you have the Personal Access Token, configure the integration in Solid.

Instructions

  1. Log into the Solid platform
  2. Navigate to Settings → Integrations → Tableau
  3. Enter the following information:
    • Token Name: The name you created in Step 3
    • Token Secret: The secret value you copied in Step 3
    • Site Name: Your Tableau Cloud site name (visible in your Tableau Cloud URL)
    • Domain: Your Tableau Cloud URL (e.g., https://yourcompany.online.tableau.com)
    • Verify SSL: Set to true (recommended)
  4. Click Test Connection
    • If the connection fails, verify:
      • Token Name and Token Secret are correct
      • The user has access to at least one project
      • The Domain URL is correct
  5. Click Save

Step 5: Select Projects to Sync

Choose which Tableau projects Solid should monitor.

Instructions

  1. After saving the connection, you'll see a list of available projects
  2. Select the projects you want Solid to analyze
  3. Click Save

Note: Only selected projects will sync into Solid. The user must have read access to each selected project.

What Data Does Solid Collect?

Solid uses the Tableau REST API to collect the following metadata:

Workbooks and Views

Solid retrieves information about workbooks and views:

  • Workbook names and descriptions
  • View (dashboard) names and details
  • Owner information
  • Project associations
  • Creation and modification dates

API Reference: Workbooks and Views

Usage Statistics

Solid collects usage information to understand dashboard adoption:

  • View counts
  • User access patterns
  • Last accessed timestamps
  • Popular dashboards

API Reference: Content Exploration

Data Sources

Solid retrieves metadata about data sources:

  • Data source names and types
  • Connection details (excluding credentials)
  • Associated workbooks
  • Refresh schedules

API Reference: Data Sources

Projects

Solid collects project structure:

  • Project names and hierarchy
  • Project descriptions
  • Permissions structure

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

If you're having trouble connecting:

  1. Verify the Token Secret - Ensure you copied the entire token secret when it was displayed
  2. Check the Site Name - This should match the site ID in your Tableau Cloud URL
  3. Confirm the Domain URL - Include the full URL with protocol (e.g., https://yourcompany.online.tableau.com)
  4. Validate user status - Ensure the Tableau user account is active and not suspended

Permission Issues

If Solid can't access certain projects or dashboards:

  1. Check project permissions - Verify the Solid user has at least Viewer access to each project
  2. Confirm site role - Ensure the user has Explorer role or higher
  3. Review project-level permissions - Some projects may have additional access restrictions

Token Issues

If your token stops working:

  1. Check token expiration - Personal Access Tokens may expire based on your organization's policies
  2. Regenerate the token - Create a new token and update it in Solid
  3. Verify the user account - Ensure the associated user account is still active

Security Best Practices

  • Use a dedicated service account rather than a personal user account
  • Store tokens securely and never commit them to version control
  • Rotate tokens regularly according to your organization's security policies
  • Grant minimum necessary permissions - only provide access to required projects
  • Monitor token usage through Tableau's admin console
  • Revoke unused tokens immediately when they're no longer needed
  • Enable SSL verification to ensure secure communication with Tableau Cloud

API Rate Limits

Tableau Cloud enforces API rate limits. Solid's integration is designed to respect these limits, but be aware:

  • Standard rate limits apply to all API calls
  • Large environments with many workbooks may take longer to sync initially
  • Subsequent syncs are incremental and faster

If you encounter rate limiting issues, contact Solid support for optimization options.

Additional Resources

Updated about 1 month ago