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Integrating Tableau Data with Cascade: Bridging Visualization and Execution

Sync KPI Data from Tableau into Cascade

This guide explains how to integrate Tableau with Cascade to automatically sync KPI values from Tableau dashboards into Cascade Metrics.

The integration securely queries structured Tableau views using Tableau’s REST API and pulls time-series data into Cascade on a defined schedule. 

Integration Method

Tableau REST API (Required)

Cascade connects to Tableau by:

  1. Authenticating using a Personal Access Token (PAT) or Service Account
  2. Querying a specific Tableau View (report)
  3. Retrieving structured data
  4. Transforming results into KPI datapoints
  5. Upserting values into Cascade Metrics

1) Authentication Setup

Personal Access Token (Recommended for Production)

A Personal Access Token (PAT) allows secure server-to-server authentication without storing usernames/passwords.

Refer to the following link to setup a Permanent Access Token:
https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/useracct.htm#create-and-revoke-personal-access-tokens

Customer Steps (Tableau UI)

In Tableau:

  1. Click your profile icon
  2. Go to My Account Settings
  3. Under Personal Access Tokens, Click Create New Token
  4. Copy and securely store the token value (it is shown only once)

What the Customer Provides to Cascade

  • Tableau Server URL (e.g., https://yourcompany.tableau.com)
  • Site Name (if applicable)
  • Personal Access Token Name
  • Personal Access Token Secret
  • Confirmation that the token user has read access to the target view

Security Notes

  • All data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS / TLS 1.2+)
  • Cascade requires read-only access
  • No write operations are performed in Tableau

2) Identify the Tableau Site & View

Tableau Site

If using Tableau Online or multi-site Tableau Server, Cascade must know:

  • The Site Name (sometimes called Content URL)

Example: https://yourcompany.tableau.com/#/site/finance/views/SalesDashboard

In this case:

  • Site Name = finance
  • View Name = SalesDashboard

Tableau View (Data Source for Integration)

Cascade pulls data from a specific Tableau View.

Recommended Best Practice

Create a dedicated integration view that:

  • Returns only the KPI data needed
  • Uses a stable schema
  • Is formatted in tabular format
  • Contains time-series data

What the Customer Provides

  • View URL
  • Confirmation that the view is accessible by the integration user
  • Expected refresh cadence (daily, weekly, hourly)

3) Retrieving Data from Tableau

Cascade uses the Tableau REST API to:

  1. Sign in and retrieve an authentication token and site ID using endpoint below
    • POST /api/<version>/auth/signin
  2. Using the site ID the views available are fetched and the matching view (viewId) is found
    • GET /api/<version>/sites/{siteId}/views
  3. Once the ViewId is found, the View’s data can be queried
    • GET /api/<version>/sites/{siteId}/views/{viewId}/data

4) Scheduling & Data Refresh

The integration runs on a defined schedule (e.g., daily or hourly).

Each time it runs, Cascade retrieves the current result set of the configured Tableau View and updates the corresponding Cascade Metrics.

If you would like to limit the amount of data returned, we recommend applying appropriate filters directly within the Tableau View (e.g., date range filters such as “Last 24 months”).

5) Mapping Tableau Data to Cascade

Tableau Field > Cascade Field

Each view should return:

  • metric_key
  • metric_date
  • metric_value

How Cascade maps this:

  • metric_key > Cascade Metric
  • metric_date + metric_value > Data Point Upsert

6) Common Troubleshooting Scenarios

Authentication Errors

  • Invalid PAT
  • Token expired
  • Wrong Site Name

Permission Errors

  • Integration user lacks view access
  • View not published to correct site/project

Data Issues

  • Non-numeric values in metric_value
  • Missing date field
  • Unexpected schema changes