SETTING UP A DATA CONNECTOR

When you start Tableau Desktop, you see the available connectors in the Connect pane on the left side of the screen (see Figure 2.1). Different types of files are listed first; then common server types, such as Tableau Server, MySQL, and Oracle; and then the data sources to which you have recently established a connection.

Figure 2.1 In Tableau, you can connect to a variety of common file and server types.

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NOTE   Contrary to how other applications commonly work, data files are not opened in Tableau. Instead, the software connects to a file or database and creates a new Tableau workbook. Tableau reads in the data, but it doesn't write back to the original file or database. This means you don't have to worry about accidentally overwriting your data. But it also means Tableau is not able to create or edit data tables. For that, you need a tool like Excel or a database system.

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Connecting to a File

To analyze data that is stored...