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Connecting to Tableau Using Spark SQL connector
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Connecting to Tableau Using Spark SQL connector

Owned by Sarabjeet Kaur
Last updated: Jan 24, 2025
4 min read

Applies to: Kyvos Enterprise  Kyvos Cloud (SaaS on AWS) Kyvos AWS Marketplace

Kyvos Azure Marketplace   Kyvos GCP Marketplace Kyvos Single Node Installation (Kyvos SNI)

Kyvos emulates a Spark SQL table to allow connections from BI tools. So, even if you are using an older version of Tableau (prior to 2019.4), you can still use Kyvos to accelerate your analytics.

Download and install Tableau drivers for Spark Simba connectivity from the Tableau website according to your requirements.

Once the Spark Simba driver is installed, you can connect Tableau to the Kyvos semantic models using any of the following methods:

  • Through Tableau interface

  • Using Tableau Data Source File

Connecting to Kyvos semantic models through Tableau interface

On the Tableau window, select the Kyvos option from the To a Server list on the navigation pane.

  1. In the displayed Spark SQL dialog box, specify your connection information as described below:

    1. In the Server field, type the IP address or hostname of your Kyvos Web App Server without HTTP. For example, use kyvos_install NOT http://kyvos_install.

    2. In the Port field, type the number of the TCP port that the Kyvos Web App Server uses to listen for client requests. If using SSL, then use port 443, else use port 8081.

    3. In the Spark Server Type field, select the SparkThriftServer (1.1 and later) option.

    4. In the Authentication Mechanism field, do the following:

      1. Username and Password: Provide your Kyvos username and password.

      2. Kerberos: Provide the following that you mentioned when configuring Kerberos SSO:

        1. Realm

        2. Host FQDN

        3. Service Name

    5. In the Transport field, select the HTTP option.

    6. In the HTTP Path field, type your client path.

      • If authenticating through Username and Password, you must provide HTTP path as kyvos/sql

      • If authenticating Kerberos, you must provide HTTP path as kyvos/sqlSSO

    7. Select the Require SSL checkbox if connecting to an SSL server.

    8. (Optional) Select Initial SQL to specify a SQL command to run at the beginning of every connection, such as when you open the workbook, refresh an extract, sign in to Tableau Server, or publish to Tableau Server. For more information, see Run Initial SQL.

  2. Click Sign In. On the Data Source page, navigate to the Schema of the semantic model you want to connect to and select the semantic model. You can search for the Schema and then for the name of the semantic model/table.

  3. Drag the selected table to the right pane. Next, go to Sheet1 to start browsing the semantic model.

  4. Optionally, you can preview the data by using the Update Now

The levels, attributes, and measures in the semantic model are listed under the Dimensions and Measure sections based on data types or Tableau’s recommendations based on field names. You can start querying and analyzing your data.

Connecting Kyvos semantic models using Tableau Data Source connection

When you use a TDS file, you will see the dimensions, hierarchies, measures, levels, and attributes as they are configured in the Kyvos semantic model. If you generate a TDS file from the Kyvos web portal and publish it to the Tableau Server, you don’t need to provide the connection details to your users. A TDS file contains the metadata of the semantic model and connection information.

To create a TDS File in Kyvos, perform the following steps.

  1. From the Kyvos Web portal, click Toolbox > Utilities.

  2. Select the Export Semantic Model Metadata option from the list.

  3. Select the semantic models you want to browse and click Download Selected.

  4. In the Download Selected Semantic Model Metadata dialog box, select the Tableau Data Source (Spark SQL) option from the Format drop-down.

  5. Enter the details in Tableau Version, Server IP/Hostname, Server Port, and optionally the username used to connect.

  6. Click Download.

Connecting to Kyvos semantic models using TDS File on Tableau Server or Tableau Desktop

Once you have downloaded the TDS file, you can connect Kyvos semantic models using this TDS file on Tableau Server and Tableau Desktop. For this, open the TDS file in Tableau, and enter your credentials and click Sign In.

Optionally, edit the connection details by using the Edit Connection option.

Publish the TDS file and allow Tableau to pre-load the semantic model metadata. Your semantic model is now ready for your users.

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