Using Tableau

You can work with Spark data in Tableau by using the Spark SQL data source option, which uses the Simba Spark ODBC Driver to connect to the data store.

The following procedure is written for Tableau 9. The Simba Spark ODBC Driver also supports Tableau 8 and Tableau 7.

Important:

Make sure that the bitness of the driver that you are using matches the bitness of Tableau. If you are using the 32-bit version of Tableau, then you need to use the 32-bit version of the driver. If you are using the 64-bit version of Tableau, then you need to use the 64-bit version of the driver. For more information about diagnosing the issue, see "Architecture Mismatch Problems" in Troubleshooting.

To connect using Tableau:

  1. In Tableau, in the left navigation pane, select More Servers > Spark SQL.
  2. In the Spark SQL Connection dialog box, provide your connection information:
    1. In the Server field, type the IP address or host name of your Spark server.
    2. In the Port field, type the number of the TCP port that the Spark server uses to listen for client requests.

      3. Note:

      By default, Spark uses port 10000.

    3. From the Type drop-down list, select the appropriate server type for the version of Spark that you are running:
      • For Shark 0.8.1 or earlier, select SharkServer.
      • Or, for Shark 0.9.*, select SharkServer2.
      • Or, for Spark 1.1 or later, select SparkThriftServer.
    4. If your Spark server is configured to use authentication, then select the appropriate authentication mechanism from the Authentication drop-down list and provide the necessary credentials and authentication settings in the fields below the list.

      5. Note:

      For detailed information about configuring authentication, see the Simba Spark ODBC Driver Installation and Configuration Guide.

  3. To confirm your settings and connect to the Spark server, click OK.

The specified data store is loaded in Tableau. You can now use that data to create reports.

For more information about connecting to a Spark server through Tableau, see the "Spark SQL" reference topic in the Tableau online help system.

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