Tableau Denodo Connector in Tableau 10.4
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Tableau has released the Tableau Denodo Connector in Tableau 10.4, a built-in connector for accessing the Denodo Platform in a seamless way.

The new Tableau Denodo connector offers full interoperability between Tableau and Denodo, allowing Tableau users to take advantage of integrated access to all data through the Denodo data virtualization layer.

The combo of Denodo + Tableau truly enables self-service BI for business users with a very attractive value proposition. On the one hand, business users can get access to the datasets they need for their reporting purposes through business data views that have been created and published for them by IT in the data virtualization layer. Such views can follow their own business terminology and naming conventions avoiding potential data mismatches and inconsistencies. Users can freely generate any report over those datasets in Tableau.

On the other hand, IT remains in control, as data views in the data virtualization layer have been already governed by IT, guaranteeing and enforcing proper security and performance over them. IT can define such “self-service ready” data services in the data virtualization layer by importing and combining data from data sources, taking into account performance issues such as potential overload of data sources at peak times and allowing caching data when necessary.

Data sources are protected from uncontrolled access from business users thanks to the available mechanisms in the data virtualization layer for this purpose. For instance the Denodo resource manager allows the user to define specific workload management policies to guarantee a proper execution of the workload and protect source systems from uncontrolled access (see previous blog entries “Data Virtualization Performance and Source System Impact” for more information about this topic).

Thanks to the flexibility of the data virtualization layer IT can build virtual data marts for every LoB making use of their specific terminology and naming conventions.

The new connector offers performance improvements over the generic access as it pushes down more operations to Denodo so the data virtualization layer can delegate them to the sources reducing the overall execution time significantly. Users will be able to connect to Denodo from Tableau Desktop with Single Sign-On support. The configuration now is much easier and it can be done in simple steps.

This new connector as well as the Denodo capability to export to Tableau Data Extract will greatly improve customer experience using Tableau and Denodo for self-service BI and agile reporting.

Tableau Denodo Connector

Fig. 1 Tableau Denodo Connector: “Monthly_Sales_Area” business view shown in Tableau and Denodo

Summary of the Tableau Denodo Connector features:

  • Native connector that offers full interoperability between Tableau and Denodo.
  • Tableau pushes down more operations to Denodo which Denodo can delegate to the sources greatly improving performance.
  • Single Sign-On Support in Tableau Desktop.
  • Much easier configuration in simple steps.

For more information regarding the Tableau and Denodo technology partnership visit: www.denodo.com/partner/tableau.