Tableau WDC

Tableau WDC

Tableau Web Data Connector (WDC) is a powerful tool that allows you to create custom connectors to web data sources within Tableau. It enables you to connect to data from APIs, websites, and other online sources that don’t have native connectors in Tableau.

Here’s how Tableau Web Data Connector works:

• Creating a WDC:
  
  • With the Tableau WDC SDK (Software Development Kit), you can develop your own connector by writing HTML, JavaScript, and Tableau-specific functions. This connector acts as a bridge between your web data source and Tableau.
• Collecting Data via WDC:
  
  • When a user connects to your WDC in Tableau, the JavaScript code in the connector is executed. This code interacts with the web data source’s API or HTML structure to retrieve the data.
• Defining Schema and Data Collection:
  
  • You define the schema of the data you’re fetching and instruct the connector how to collect and structure that data.
• Authentication and Parameters:
  
  • If the web data source requires authentication (like API keys or OAuth), you can include the necessary authentication mechanisms within your WDC.
• Connecting in Tableau:
  
  • Users connect to your custom WDC in Tableau just like they would with any other data source. They enter the URL of your connector, and the connector retrieves data from the web source according to your defined logic.

1. Visualizing in Tableau:

• • After connecting to your web data source through the WDC, users can visualize, analyze, and create reports using the data in Tableau.

Using WDC, you can bring in data from various online sources that may not have pre-built connectors available in Tableau. However, creating a WDC requires some development skills and understanding of both Tableau and the source’s API or data structure.