How to Build Tableau Reports on MySQL Data using the DataDirect MySQL Drivers

• Download and install the Progress DataDirect ODBC driver using the 15-day trial software. In this tutorial, we are connecting to MySQL Database.     

• Configure a data source for your database. See the DataDirect documentation for assistance with setting up your data source. You will learn how to configure a MySQL Data source for both ODBC and JDBC in the following steps.  

1. After the DataDirect MySQL ODBC driver has been installed, open ODBC Administrator to configure the connection and click on “Add”.        

2. Choose the “DataDirect X.X MySQL Wire Protocol” and click on “Finish.”   

3. The ODBC MySQL Wire Protocol Driver Setup window will pop up.   

4. The Logon dialog will pop up. Provide logon credentials and click on “OK.”      

5. A dialog box will confirm that the connection is established.      

1. Start Tableau and select the “Other Databases (ODBC)” option.   

2. In the pop-up window select the “DSN” radial button, choose the data source previously configured to connect to MySQL in the dropdown, and click on “Connect.”  

3. The Logon Dialog will reappear. Enter your password and click on “OK.” 

4. The string extras will appear in the designated box. Enter any additional parameters required to connect to your MySQL data source, such as a username and password, and select “Sign In.” 

1. After the driver has been downloaded:     

• If you are on Windows, extract the PROGRESS_DATADIRECT_JDBC_MYSQL_WIN.zip and run the PROGRESS_DATADIRECT_JDBC_INSTALL.exeto install the JDBC driver.      

• If you are on Linux, extract the PROGRESS_DATADIRECT_JDBC_MYSQL_WIN.zip and run the PROGRESS_DATADIRECT_JDBC_INSTALL.jarto start the installation.      

2. After you have completed the installation, you can find the Progress DataDirect MySQL jar file.     

• On Windows, you will find it at C:\Program Files\Progress\DataDirect\Connect_for_JDBC_51\lib\mysql.jar      

• On Linux, you will find it at ~/home/<username>/Progress/DataDirect/ Connect_for_JDBC_51/lib/mysql.jar 

1. To get started, copy db2.jar from the Progress installation location to Tableau’s driver location.     

• For Windows: copy mysql.jar to C:\Program Files\Tableau\Drivers      

• For Mac: copy mysql.jar to ~/Library/Tableau/Drivers     

2. Open Tableau and create a new data source.      

• Select “Other Databases (JDBC).”  

• The pop-up window will appear. 

• Paste the JDBC connection string into the “URL” textbox. Enter credentials for username and password.      

1. Select “Sign In” and the Tableau configuration screen should now appear.  

2. In the database dropdown menu choose the data source.    

3. You can use Tableau's schema and table drop-down list to browse and select your data, or you can execute SQL statements by clicking on the "New Custom SQL" option.  

• The image below shows the schemas on the left-hand side.      

4. A popup dialogue box will appear to edit custom SQL.  

5. Once Tableau can access your relevant data, you can easily create reports like those shown below: