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Tableau Server

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

Overview

Solid connects to your Tableau Server instance to read:

  • Dashboards and Workbooks
  • Views and Data sources
  • Usage activity and Metadata

Important: Solid has read-only access. It will never modify, delete, or publish content to your server.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • Administrative access to Tableau Server
  • Permission to create users and assign roles
  • Personal Access Token (PAT) functionality enabled on your Tableau Server
  • Access to the Tableau projects you want Solid to scan

Note: If the Personal Access Token section is missing from your Tableau Server, check with your Server Administrator to enable this feature.

Step 1: Create a Tableau Server User

Create a dedicated Tableau Server user for Solid integration.

Instructions

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

Note: The Viewer role allows Solid to access the REST API and Metadata API to read your assets without the ability to edit or download underlying data.

Reference: Tableau Documentation - Set Users' Site Roles

Step 2: Grant "View" Access to Projects

In Tableau Server, permissions are separate from site roles. You must ensure the Solid user has the View capability for every project, workbook, and data source you want to inspect.

Recommended Approach

  1. Create a "Service Accounts" group in Tableau Server
  2. Add the Solid user to this group
  3. Grant the group View access at the Project level
  4. Ensure permissions are set to "Include" or "Locked" so they cascade to all workbooks within the project

Instructions

  1. Navigate to the project you want Solid to access
  2. Click on Permissions
  3. Add the Solid user or Service Accounts group
  4. Grant the following permissions:
    • View - Required
    • View Comments - Recommended
  5. Set permission inheritance to ensure access to all content within the project

Important: The user must have View permissions for each project, workbook, and data source you want Solid to analyze.

Step 3: Create a Personal Access Token (PAT)

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

Instructions

  1. Log into Tableau Server as the dedicated Viewer user you created in Step 1
  2. Click your user icon in the top right corner
  3. Navigate to My Account Settings
  4. Scroll to the Personal Access Tokens section
  5. Enter a Token Name (e.g., Solid Integration)
  6. Click Create New Token
  7. 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 Server site name (or leave blank for default site)
    • Domain: Your Tableau Server URL (e.g., https://tableau.yourcompany.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 View access to at least one project
      • The Domain URL is correct and accessible
      • SSL certificate is valid (if Verify SSL is enabled)
  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 View access to each selected project.

What Data Does Solid Collect?

Solid uses the Tableau REST API and Metadata API to collect the following information:

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
  • Tags and categories

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
  • User engagement metrics

API Reference: Content Exploration

Data Sources

Solid retrieves metadata about data sources:

  • Data source names and types
  • Connection details (excluding credentials)
  • Associated workbooks
  • Extract refresh schedules
  • Database connections

API Reference: Data Sources

Projects and Permissions

Solid collects project structure:

  • Project names and hierarchy
  • Project descriptions
  • User and group permissions (for lineage analysis)

Metadata API Data

Solid uses the Metadata API to extract:

  • Database and table lineage
  • Column-level dependencies
  • Calculated field definitions
  • Data flow relationships

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 - Leave blank for the default site, or use the exact site name from your Tableau Server
  3. Confirm the Domain URL - Include the full URL with protocol (e.g., https://tableau.yourcompany.com)
  4. Validate SSL certificate - If using self-signed certificates, you may need to disable SSL verification (not recommended for production)
  5. Check network accessibility - Ensure Solid can reach your Tableau Server (firewall rules, VPN requirements)

Permission Issues

If Solid can't access certain projects or dashboards:

  1. Check project permissions - Verify the Solid user has View access to each project
  2. Confirm content permissions - Some workbooks may have additional access restrictions
  3. Review permission inheritance - Ensure permissions cascade from project to workbooks
  4. Verify group membership - If using a Service Accounts group, confirm the user is a member

Token Issues

If your token stops working:

  1. Check token expiration - Personal Access Tokens may have expiration policies set by your administrator
  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
  4. Confirm PAT is enabled - Check with your Server Administrator that Personal Access Tokens are enabled

Performance Issues

If syncing is slow or timing out:

  1. Check server resources - Ensure Tableau Server has sufficient resources
  2. Reduce project scope - Start with fewer projects and add more gradually
  3. Schedule syncs during off-peak hours - Configure Solid to sync when server usage is low
  4. Contact Solid support - For optimization recommendations based on your environment size

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 View access to required projects
  • Monitor token usage through Tableau Server's admin console
  • Revoke unused tokens immediately when they're no longer needed
  • Enable SSL verification to ensure secure communication
  • Use HTTPS for all connections to Tableau Server
  • Implement firewall rules to restrict API access to authorized IP addresses
  • Enable audit logging to track API usage

Server Requirements

Tableau Server Version

  • Minimum version: Tableau Server 2019.1 or later
  • Recommended version: Latest stable release
  • Personal Access Tokens must be enabled

Network Requirements

  • Solid must be able to access your Tableau Server URL
  • Port 80 (HTTP) or 443 (HTTPS) must be accessible
  • If using a reverse proxy, ensure API endpoints are properly forwarded

API Availability

  • REST API must be enabled (enabled by default)
  • Metadata API must be accessible (available in Tableau Server 2019.3+)

Additional Resources

Updated about 2 months ago