Tableau Admin

In this article, we’ll take a step-by-step journey from having no experience with Tableau Server Client (TSC) to writing your very first Python script that connects to a Tableau Server using a Personal Access Token (PAT). Whether you’re integrating Tableau into a Django project or simply automating your Tableau tasks, this guide is designed for beginners.

1. Introduction

Tableau Server Client (TSC) is an open-source Python library that allows you to interact with Tableau Server and Tableau Online programmatically. Using TSC, you can automate tasks like publishing workbooks, managing projects, and querying data from Tableau—all without manually navigating the Tableau interface.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to:

• Install the TSC library.
• Set up authentication using a Personal Access Token.
• Connect to Tableau Server and perform simple operations like retrieving a list of projects.
• Integrate the process with your Django site if needed.

2. Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• Basic Python knowledge: Familiarity with Python programming is helpful.
• Python installed: Preferably Python 3.6 or newer.
• Access to a Tableau Server or Tableau Online: You should have a Tableau Server URL and the necessary permissions to connect.
• A Personal Access Token (PAT): This is required for secure authentication. If you don’t have one, ask your Tableau administrator or generate it in your Tableau account settings. (Learn how to set up your PAT)
• Secure Credentials Storage: Instead of hardcoding your credentials, use a .env file. See our article on Setting Up a .env File for details.
• Django site (optional): If you plan to integrate this into a Django project, make sure you have a Django environment set up.

3. Installing the Tableau Server Client Library

First, you need to install the tableauserverclient package. You can do this easily with pip:

pip install tableauserverclient

If you’re working within a Django project, you might want to add this to your requirements.txt file.

4. Understanding Personal Access Tokens (PAT)

Tableau uses Personal Access Tokens as a secure method for authentication. A PAT allows your script or application to sign in without storing your username and password. It typically consists of two parts:

• PAT Name: A friendly name for your token.
• PAT Secret: The actual token string used for authentication.

Keep these credentials safe and do not expose them in your public repositories.

5. Building Your First TSC Script

Let’s dive into the code. We’ll create a Python script that signs into the Tableau Server, retrieves a list of projects, and prints them out. In your code editor, create a new file called tableau_connect.py

5.1. Import Required Libraries

import os
import tableauserverclient as TSC
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()  # Load variables from .env
            

5.2. Define Your Credentials and Server URL from .env

# Retrieve credentials from environment variables
SERVER_URL = os.getenv('TABLEAU_SERVER_URL')
PAT_NAME = os.getenv('TABLEAU_PAT_NAME')
PAT_SECRET = os.getenv('TABLEAU_PAT_SECRET')
SITE_ID = os.getenv('TABLEAU_SITE_ID')
            

5.3. Create the Authentication Object

# Create an authentication object using your PAT credentials.
tableau_auth = TSC.PersonalAccessTokenAuth(PAT_NAME, PAT_SECRET, SITE_ID)
            

5.4. Initialize the Server Object

# Initialize the server object.
server = TSC.Server(SERVER_URL, use_server_version=True)
            

5.5. Sign In and Retrieve Projects

# Sign in to the server and perform actions.
with server.auth.sign_in(tableau_auth):
    # Retrieve a list of projects on the server.
    all_projects, pagination_item = server.projects.get()

    print("List of projects on the server:")
    for project in all_projects:
        print(f"- {project.name}")
            

5.6. Full Script

import os
import tableauserverclient as TSC
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()  # Load environment variables from .env file

SERVER_URL = os.getenv('TABLEAU_SERVER_URL')
PAT_NAME = os.getenv('TABLEAU_PAT_NAME')
PAT_SECRET = os.getenv('TABLEAU_PAT_SECRET')
SITE_ID = os.getenv('TABLEAU_SITE_ID')

tableau_auth = TSC.PersonalAccessTokenAuth(PAT_NAME, PAT_SECRET, SITE_ID)
server = TSC.Server(SERVER_URL, use_server_version=True)

with server.auth.sign_in(tableau_auth):
    all_projects, pagination_item = server.projects.get()
    print("List of projects on the server:")
    for project in all_projects:
        print(f"- {project.name}")
            

6. Running Your Script

1. Save your code in a file named, for example, tableau_connect.py.
2. Create a .env file in the same directory with your credentials (see step 4).
3. Open your terminal or command prompt.
4. Navigate to the directory containing the script.
5. Run the script using Python:

   python tableau_connect.py

If your credentials are correct and you have access to the Tableau Server, you should see a list of project names printed on the console.

7. Integrating with Your Django Site

If you plan to incorporate this functionality into your Django site:

• Create a Django view: Write a view that calls this TSC code and displays the results in an HTML template.
• Error Handling: Add proper error handling and logging. You might not want to expose raw error messages to your users.
• Security: Never hard-code your PAT credentials in your code. Use Django’s settings and environment variables (loaded from a .env file) to store sensitive information.

For an example, see our How to Set Up Your PAT in Tableau article.

8. Conclusion

You’ve just built your first application using Tableau Server Client—from setting up the environment to writing and running a script that interacts with Tableau Server. This beginner guide lays the foundation for more advanced operations such as publishing workbooks, updating data sources, and managing users and permissions programmatically.

For more details and best practices, check out the full TSC documentation. Happy coding!