Tableau

1

What is the difference between a personal access token and a username and password when connecting to Tableau?

Two authentication methods are available:

• Personal Access Token: Preferred for both Tableau Server and Tableau Cloud.

• Username and Password: Available only for Tableau Server.

• Tableau Cloud requires a personal access token.

• Username and password can be used for Tableau Server when the user doesn’t want to generate a Personal Access Token.

2

Why does the Content URL field sometimes need a site name and sometimes not?

The Content URL field is used to enter the Tableau site name.

• Personal access token: A site name is required.

• Username and Password: The Content URL can be left empty unless the account has Server Administrator access to all sites.

3

What level of access is needed on the Tableau side to allow crawling to work correctly?

The required access depends on the number of sites being crawled:

• Site Admin Explorer: Suitable for specific individual sites.

• Explorer Can Publish: Can also be used for relevant sites.

• Server Administrator: Recommended when crawling many or all sites.

• Server Administrator access removes the need to configure roles separately for each site.

4

Is a certificate always required to connect to an on-premise Tableau server?

No. A certificate is required only when the on-premise Tableau server is secured and a TLS-related connection issue occurs.

• No certificate is required for a non-secured server.

• No certificate is required when a trusted secure connection is already established.

• A certificate becomes relevant when a secure channel cannot be created.

5

How can a personal access token be generated inside Tableau?

A personal access token can be created from the Tableau account settings.

• Enter a name for the token and create it.

• Copy and securely store the token value immediately.

• The token value is displayed only once and must be entered in the connection setup form.

6

How can a cloud-based Tableau environment be distinguished from a server-based environment?

The environment type is mainly identified by the host name entered during setup.

• Server: Usually uses a private domain name or IP address.

• Cloud: Uses a domain configured for cloud access and may use a custom domain name.

• Token-based authentication is recommended for both environments and is mandatory for Tableau Cloud.

7

What is the Alias Host Name field used for?

The Alias Host Name field is used when the connection address and report-preview address are different.

• The main connection address is used for validation and API calls.

• The alias is used to open and preview reports.

• The alias allows report previews to redirect to the domain normally used for viewing reports.

8

What does Validate check?

Validate checks only the Tableau sign-in.

• A successful validation means Tableau returned a token.

• A successful validation does not confirm that projects or TWB files are accessible.

• If validation succeeds but crawling returns no content, verify the required View and Download rights, Content URL, or Crawl All Sites configuration.

9

What does error 401001 or a sign-in error indicate?

A 401001 or sign-in error can occur when the authentication details or site configuration are incorrect.

• Verify the username, password, or personal access token.

• Confirm that the user has access to the specified Content URL site.

• Revalidate the connection after correcting the authentication or site details.

10

Does the connector modify Tableau content?

No. The connector performs read-only operations against Tableau.

• Signs in to Tableau.

• Lists metadata.

• Downloads XML content.

• Does not publish or delete Tableau content.

11

Are Owner, Steward, and Custodian Tableau login roles?

No. Owner, Steward, and Custodian are OvalEdge governance roles.

• These roles are used for governance within OvalEdge.

• These roles do not represent Tableau authentication accounts.

• These roles do not sign in to Tableau.

12

Is the Port field used for Tableau API connectivity?

No. The connection uses the following format:

https://{host}/api/{version}

• A separate Port value is not used.

• The API version must match the supported XSD.

1

How is the Tableau structure of site, project, workbook, and view reflected while crawling?

Tableau uses a layered content structure:

• Site: Separate content space.

• Project: Organizes content and controls access; projects can contain sub-projects.

• Workbook: Located within a project and contains one or more views.

• View: Represents a worksheet or dashboard.

During crawling, the structure is represented as Site + Project → Workbook → View.

2

What happens when a parent folder is selected for crawling instead of a specific subfolder?

Selecting a parent folder does not automatically crawl all content inside its subfolders.

• The parent folder crawl retrieves reports and data sources directly under that folder.

• Subfolders must remain selected to include their content.

• Subfolders are selected by default unless deliberately turned off before crawling.

3

What is delta crawling and how does it decide what to bring in?

Delta crawling retrieves only reports that are new or changed since the previous crawl.

• The connector checks the modified date and created date of Tableau reports.

• Only items with a newer date than the previous crawl are retrieved.

• This avoids crawling the entire Tableau environment again.

4

Why are dashboards, worksheets, and different chart types all shown as the same type in the catalog?

Tableau uses View as the technical term for these content types.

• A worksheet is a view.

• A dashboard is a view containing multiple views.

• Chart types such as bar charts and pie charts are also represented as views.

• The catalog therefore represents these Tableau objects consistently as View.

5

Why do some column names appear duplicated when looking at a workbook or view?

Column information at the workbook or view level combines columns used across the individual visuals.

• The same column used in multiple visuals appears multiple times.

• Each individual usage is counted rather than merged into one entry.

• This is expected behavior and does not indicate an error.

• Reviewing the specific visual in Tableau shows where the column is used.

6

Why is validation successful but the crawl returns no content?

A successful validation confirms that sign-in worked, but does not confirm access to Tableau content.

• Verify View and Download permissions.

• Verify the Content URL configuration.

• Enable or verify Crawl All Sites when content from multiple sites is required.

7

Does the connector download Tableau extracts?

No. Tableau content APIs are called with includeExtract=false.

• Hyper extract files are not downloaded.

• The connector retrieves the required metadata and XML content instead.

8

Why is source code empty after crawling?

Lineage cannot be built when the required source code is not available.

• Verify that the account has Download rights.

• Recrawl the required reports so the TWB/TDS source code is stored.

• Run the lineage process after the source code becomes available.

9

Which jobs should be run for Tableau metadata and lineage?

Use the following sequence:

• Validate the Tableau connection.

• Crawl the selected report groups.

• Build Lineage after crawling.

• Do not expect a Profile job for this workflow.

10

How are Tableau objects mapped in OvalEdge?

Tableau objects are mapped as follows:

• Site + Project → Report Group

• Workbook / DataSource → Report

• View/Dashboard → Report (Sub-report)