Salesforce offers a highly customizable, all-around business software suite for modern businesses. Through this platform, users gain access to a choice of products for sales, service, marketing, and other business-related activities. Tableau is a brand of business analytics software (now) owned by Salesforce. This platform can work in correlation with other services and products offered by the Salesforce CRM. It is possible to use all services together but to do so; you need to first understand how SFDC Tableau Integration works.

Through this article, we will share the steps through which users can integrate these two powerful systems to avail themselves of the benefit of the same.

Steps To Set Up Tableau With Salesforce CRM Cloud

Following its acquisition by Salesforce, Tableau became a popular application in the Salesforce suite. According to acquisition policy, this platform is equipped with it a built-in Salesforce connector. This feature allows users to connect Tableau analytics with their Salesforce data easily and quickly. To avail themselves of the benefits of this feature, users need to create a Salesforce account, and after it, they need to install Tableau through the host workstation.

Before installing Tableau, you need to ensure your machine matches all of the system requirements necessary for the Tableau integration. After ensuring that your system meets all requirements, you can install Tableau by following these installation instructions:

1. Ensure your APIs are in a proper working condition: APIs are programs that allow users to gain access to data available in the Salesforce platform. Before you begin working, you must know that your Salesforce products and applications are linked with your organization number.

To connect Tableau with your Salesforce working account, you need to ensure that your business's org has the permission of the following APIs:

• SOAP API for signing in.

• BULK API for installing objects.

• REST API to gain access to metadata and install unsupported objects by BULK API.

• Replication of SOAP API to retrieve data modifications.

If you are uncertain about these functionalities, you can communicate with your IT teams or Salesforce support teams to learn about the requirements.

2. Launch Tableau connector: After enabling all necessary APIs, it is time to launch Tableau. For this purpose, you need to navigate the server provided in the control panel. There, you have to select the 'Salesforce' option. This opens a new browser page which has a dialogue box. Provided dialogue box promotes you to submit your Salesforce username and password. After submitting the details, you can proceed to the next option. In the next option, you have to allow Tableau to access your Salesforce account.

3. Name your data source: In this step, you get access to reach the data source page. At this stage of Salesforce Marketing Cloud Tableau Integration, you can transfer your Salesforce data to the Tableau platform. You can also rename your data source from the option available at the top of the screen. This is the best practice for your company's naming convention, as it helps other users identify the data source.

4. Select a schema: At this stage, you need to create a link between your Salesforce data and Tableau analytics. For this purpose, you can select between the standard or custom connection.

Standard connection employs predefined queries with a drag and drop interface for data analysis.

Custom connections allow users to write down their queries. For this purpose, the users' window comes with multiple connection options. To utilise these options, users require working knowledge of VizQL, a Tableau query language.

5. Update data periodically: The first time you connect Tableau to your Salesforce system, the system uploads a static snapshot of your consumer's data. This depicts that data up-gradation requires manual working. This is why you need to upgrade your system periodically.

It is noteworthy that any negation in completing an incremental refresh to data in 30 days period will cause you to re-upload the entire data from the first step. Hence, you should update your data periodically.

Conclusion

In the above paragraphs, we have discussed how to connect Salesforce with the Tableau platform. After the "Select a schema" step, there are three more steps, but these are optional. This is why we have not discussed those factors here. Now, as you have learnt all these steps and strategies, you can take benefit from Salesforce services for your marketing needs.

If you still face difficulty in any Salesforce-related matters, you should feel free to communicate with Dreamstel. Dreamstel Communications Pvt Ltd is a popular Salesforce Consulting Company. This agency is famous for its strong client support system.