How does Tableau connect to data sources?

Tableau connects to data sources using a variety of methods, allowing users to visualize and analyze data from multiple origins. Here are the primary ways Tableau connects to data sources: 1. **Direct Connection**: - Tableau can establish a live connection to various databases, including relational databases (such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, and others), OLAP databases, and cloud data sources. When set up as a live connection, Tableau queries the database directly for real-time data updates. 2. **Data Extraction**: - In addition to live connections, Tableau allows users to create extracts of their data. Extracts are snapshots of the data that are stored in Tableau's optimized format (.hyper files). This is beneficial for improving performance and enabling offline analysis. Users can schedule extract refreshes to keep the data up to date. 3. **Files**: - Tableau supports connections to various file types, such as Excel files, CSV files, JSON files, and more. Users can simply drag and drop their files into Tableau to establish a connection. 4. **Web Data Connectors (WDC)**: - For web-based data sources, Tableau provides a Web Data Connector feature that enables users to connect to APIs and web services. Developers can build custom connectors to interact with specific web data services. 5. **Tableau Server and Tableau Online**: - Tableau can connect to its own server environments (Tableau Server and Tableau Online) where data is managed and shared in a centralized manner. 6. **Cloud Services**: - Tableau allows connections to various cloud-based platforms like Google BigQuery, Salesforce, Amazon Redshift, Snowflake, and others. It facilitates smooth analysis of cloud-hosted data. 7. **Custom SQL**: - Users also have the option to write custom SQL queries when connecting to a database. This allows for more refined data selection and manipulation before bringing it into Tableau. 8. **Data Blending**: - Tableau supports data blending, which allows users to combine data from different sources within the same visualization. This is useful when working with disparate data sources that cannot be joined at the database level. To establish any of these connections, users typically start by selecting a connection option in Tableau's interface, provide the necessary credentials (such as username and password), and configure settings to complete the connection process. Once successful, users can begin building visualizations and dashboards with the connected data.