Tableau - Accessing Tableau's DB

Please note that TABLEAU does not advice anyone to access their DB. So if you are doing it you are on your own.

Tableau has 2 DB
  1. Postgresql for managing all its reporting repositories
  2. FireBird for mapping repositories

Tools Required
  1. pgAdmin 3 for PostgreSql
  2. Flamerobin for FireDB

Accessing Tableau's PostgreSQL DB

  1. Tableau has 2 buitin userid
    • tableau = with read-only access to some of Tableau's view
    • tblwgadmin = admin user will all privileges
  2. Please note tblwgadmin is like a admin user, so if you are using this you have to be very careful. Or if you dont admin privs but just need enough access to read the tables then use just "tableau" user.
Get access for "tableau" user. 
  1. First set a password for "tableau" userid
    • open command prompt
    • go to <Tableau_Home>\Tableau Server\7.0\bin
    • run - tabadmin dbpass <give a password>
    • Restart the server
  2. Now open pgAdmin3 and from the top menu click "file" -> "add server" and enter the below details and connect.
  3. And when you connect it you see 2 DB 
    1. postgres
    2. workgroup = all tableau repositories stored here 

Get access for "tblwgadmin" user. 

  1. Open pgAdmin3 and from the top menu click "file" -> "add server" and enter the below details and connect. 
  2. Once you connect this. You have full access to Tableau's DB.. yay.. just be careful

Accessing Tableau's FireBird  DB

  1. Install FlameRobin
  2. right click on home and Register a server  
  3. Register a DB -> and enter the required details 
    • db path =<Tableau_server_home>\8.0\vizqlserver\local\data\GEOCODING.fdb ( make sure this file is not in read-only mode)
    • user name: SYSDBA
    • Password: <sysdba pwd> 
  4. right click on the registered DB and click "connect"
  5. You now have complete access to the Tableau's Maping repository 





Comments

Graham MacLeod said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Graham MacLeod said…
What should "sysdba pwd" be substituted for? This isn't something we can set ourselves so I would imagine it's a hard coded pw. I have tried SYSDBA, sysdba, leaving it blank, I have also tried exactly as you say, "sysdba pwd".

It keeps saying "No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it".

** I originally put the lt and gt signs in around sysdba pwd and this was read as an html tag and removed. That's why I deleted my last comment.
VVS said…
Make sure the file is not read-only.
Also try to make a copy of the original file and and try to register it.
Graham MacLeod said…
But what is the password I should be using?
Unknown said…
Hi Venkat - do you actually know the password for the Firebird database? I have been trying everything possible to figure this out and it seems there is no easy way to get into it (except maybe under Mac OS X).

Being able to customise the built in geocoder would be far superior than trying to work through the alternate way of creating a "custom geocoder".
Graham MacLeod said…
Hi David. I have been able to connect to the database through tableau as a data source by entering the host as localhost, navigating to the GEOCODING.fdb file and then deleting "localhost" from the host field. I can then just enter SYSDBA as the user and leave the password blank. Not sure how to add data into this as yet. I'm looking at python to do this at the moment. I know Richard Leeke on the tableau forums has used perl to create an exe that can do this.

If you manage to enter data into the DB, I'd be interested in hearing how you managed it.
VVS said…
@David O'Donnell - you dont need any password.

I will see if I can make some examples of how to insert data into the DB.

I vaguely remember downloading some FIREBIRD client ( found by googling) and was able to modify the data.
Joe said…
Hi All, my team was able to insert our own polygons into this database and use them in filled maps. It is not that hard to do.

1. Copy the geocoding.fdb file to another directory.

2. Right click on the file, hit properties, and uncheck 'read only'

3. In flamerobin, change the database to not read only.

4. I was unable to get the geocoding to work via new tables. I still dont' know how to do that. However, I added new rows to the state objects and it recognized my polygons when my data matched the name of the object I inserted in the tableau DB. You just need to make sure that none of your object names are the same as a state or any of its synonyms.
It says that while logging in as localhost are user and password details by tableau server. The _system_users table info has user info. Where does the password info gets stored?
Peter said…
Hello. All.
I have tried to connect the fdb file using the FlameRobin.
Used SYSDBA and left blank for the password.
and it gives me this error;
IBPP::SQLException
isc_attach_database failed
SQL Message : -902
Engine Code : 335544721
Unable to complete network request to host "localhost"
Fialed to establish a connection.

Anybody help on this?
Thanks!
VVS said…
@Peter - did you make a copy of the db and change the permissions?
VVS said…
@Vijai - sorry can y throw in more details.
James Campbell said…
My installation insisted on a password. I eventually got in using password "masterkey". This is firebird default apparently. Suspect it maybe is the local Firebird server password, not the actual Tableau DB but not my area.

Also this was on a copied db with readonly tag removed
mangipudi said…
@James Campbell

thanks Bro
rmouniak said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
seoprofessional said…
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