Visualize Live Xero Data in Tableau

Tableau is a visual analytics platform transforming the way businesses use data to solve problems. When paired with the CData Tableau Connector for Xero, you can easily get access to live Xero data within Tableau. This article shows how to connect to Xero in Tableau and build a simple chart.

The CData Tableau Connectors enable high-speed access to live Xero data in Tableau. Once you install the connector, you simply authenticate with Xero and you can immediately start building responsive, dynamic visualizations and dashboards. By surfacing Xero data using native Tableau data types and handling complex filters, aggregations, & other operations automatically, CData Tableau Connectors grant seamless access to Xero data.

NOTE: The CData Tableau Connectors require Tableau 2020.3 or higher. If you are using an older version of Tableau, you will need to use the CData JDBC Driver. If you wish to connect to Xero data in Tableau Cloud, you will need to use CData Connect AI.

Getting Started

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Connect to Xero in Tableau

Open Tableau and click More under Connect -> To a Server. Select "Xero by CData," then configure the connection and click "Sign In."

To connect, set the Schema connection property in addition to any authentication values. Xero offers authentication for private applications, public applications, and partner applications. Set the XeroAppAuthentication property to PUBLIC, PRIVATE, or PARTNER, depending on the type of application configured. To connect from a private application, you will additionally need to set the OAuthAccessToken, OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, CertificateStoreType, CertificateStore, and CertificateStorePassword.

To connect from a public or partner application, you can use the embedded OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL, or you can register an app to obtain your own OAuth values.

See the "Getting Started" chapter of the help documentation for a guide to authenticating to Xero.

Discover Schemas and Query Data

1. Select CData from the Database pull-down menu.
2. Select Xero from the Schema pull-down menu.
3. Drag the tables and views you wish to visualize onto the join area. You can include multiple tables. 👁 Selecting table(s)
   
4. Select Update Now or Automatically Update. Update Now lets you preview the first 10,000 rows of the data source (or enter the number of rows you want to see in the Rows text box). Automatically Update automatically reflects the changes in the preview area.
5. Click the tab for your worksheet. Columns are listed as Dimensions and Measures, depending on the data type. The CData Tableau Connector discovers data types automatically, allowing you to leverage the powerful data processing and visualization features of Tableau.
6. Drag a field from the Dimensions or Measures area to Rows or Columns. Tableau creates column or row headers.
7. Select one of the chart types from the Show Me tab. Tableau displays the chart type that you selected.
👁 Visualizing live Xero data

Using the CData Tableau Connector for Xero with Tableau, you can easily create robust visualizations and reports on Xero data. Download a free, 30-day trial and get started today.