Publish Zendesk-Connected Dashboards in Tableau Server

Tableau Server is a visual analytics platform transforming the way businesses use data to solve problems. When paired with the CData Tableau Connector for Zendesk, you get access to live Zendesk data within Tableau Server. This article shows how to connect to Zendesk in Tableau Desktop, publish a Data Source to Tableau Server, and build a simple chart from that data.

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

Enable Connectivity to Zendesk in Tableau Server

Start by installing the CData Tableau Connector on the machine hosting Tableau Server.

Installation on a Linux Machine:

1. Unpack the setup.zip archive. Creating a directory for the connector like /opt/cdata/zendesk is recommended, but the exact install location does not matter.
2. Navigate to the lib subdirectory under the install directory. Generate a license file by running this command and following the prompts:

   java -jar cdata.tableau.zendesk.jar -l

3. Copy cdata.tableau.zendesk.jar and cdata.tableau.zendesk.lic into the drivers directory, /opt/tableau/tableau_driver/jdbc.
4. Copy cdata.zendesk.taco into the connectors directory, MyTableauServerRootDir/data/tabsvc/vizqlserver/Connectors. In most cases MyTableauServerRootDir is located at /var/opt/tableau/tableau_server.
5. Restart Tableau Server.

If you cannot execute the java commmand from step 2, you will need to install a Java runtime environment. The name of this package differs on Red Hat-based and Debian-based systems:

You can substitute Java 8 with a later Java release as needed.

Installation on a Windows Machine:

1. Run the setup.exe installer. The driver JAR file will be automatically placed in the drivers directory, C:\Program Files\Tableau\Drivers.
2. Navigate to the lib folder under the installation directory. By default the installation directory is a folder in C:\Program Files\CData.
3. Copy cdata.tableau.zendesk.lic into the drivers directory.
4. Copy cdata.tableau.zendesk.taco into the connectors directory, MyTableauServerRootDir/data/tabsvc/vizqlserver/Connectors. In most cases MyTableauServerRootDir is located under C:\ProgramData.
5. Restart Tableau Server.

Connect to Zendesk in Tableau Desktop

Once the connectors are installed on the Server machine, we can configure a connection to Zendesk in Tableau Desktop and publish a Zendesk-based Data Source to Tableau Server.

1. Open Tableau Desktop.
2. Click More under Connect -> To a Server.
3. Select "Zendesk by CData".
4. Configure the connection to the data.

   Connecting to Zendesk

   To connect, set the URL and provide authentication. The URL is your Zendesk Support URL: https://{subdomain}.zendesk.com.

   Authenticating to Zendesk

   You can authenticate using the Basic or OAuth methods.

   Using Basic Authentication

   To use Basic authentication, specify your email address and password or your email address and an API token. Set User to your email address and follow the steps below to provide the Password or ApiToken.

   • Enable password access in the Zendesk Support admin interface at Admin > Channels > API.
   • Manage API tokens in the Zendesk Support Admin interface at Admin > Channels > API. More than one token can be active at the same time. Deleting a token deactivates it permanently.

   Using OAuth Authentication

   See the Getting Started guide in the CData driver documentation for an authentication guide.

5. Click "Sign In".

👁 Configuring the Connector (Salesforce is shown)

Discover Schemas and Query Data

Once you establish the connection to Zendesk data, you can configure which entities to visualize.

1. Select CData from the Database pull-down menu.
2. Select Zendesk 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 auto-loads the changes in the preview area.

Publish Data to Tableau Server

After you configure the data you wish to visualize, you can publish the Data Source to a Tableau Server instance. In Tableau Desktop:

1. Click Server -> Sign In.
2. Enter the URL for your Tableau Server.
3. Authenticate with Tableau Server credentials.
4. Click Server -> Publish Data Source and select your data source.
5. Click Publish.
6. Select the Project, name the Data Source, and optionally add a description.
7. Click Publish. 👁 Publish the Data Source to Tableau Server
   

This creates a new entry under the server's data source list, from which you an change the data source's permissions, view its history, and perform other management tasks.

👁 Data Source Entry

Note that workstation connected to the same server will be able to use the same source in Tableau Desktop, even if the connector isn't installed there. Also, workbooks created directly on Tableau Server (via the web interface) can use this source.

Visualize Zendesk Data in Tableau Server

With the Data Source published to Tableau Server, you are ready to visualize Zendesk data.

1. Login to your Tableau Server instance.
2. Connect to the remote source using the Search for Data -> Tableau Server in the Connect sidebar. 👁 Remote Data Source
   
3. Click the published Data Source.
4. Click New Workbook.
5. In the workbook, Zendesk fields 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 Zendesk data in Tableau Server
   

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