Tableau is one of the top business intelligence (BI) platforms for data-driven teams today. It leverages various data sources like enterprise applications, relational databases, spreadsheets, and more to create custom visual dashboards that facilitate analysis, strategy, and decision-making.
However, for commercial, marketing, operational teams, and other professional users, accessing data and information from Tableau can sometimes be challenging. The platform is highly SQL-focused, and many business users prefer to manipulate data not within the Tableau interface but in their preferred spreadsheet platform: Google Sheets.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about connecting Tableau to Google Sheets. Plus, check out our step-by-step video tutorial below on how to quickly connect Tableau to Google Sheets.
Video Tutorial: How to Connect Tableau to Google Sheets
TL;DR: Coefficient is the easiest way to connect Tableau to Google Sheets.
Is it Possible to Connect Tableau to Google Sheets?
There are several options to connect Tableau to Google Sheets, ranging from using data connector apps to more complex methods involving coding. This guide covers the best methods for connecting Tableau to Sheets, explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each option.
Why Connect Tableau to Google Sheets?
For sales, revenue, and other frontline professional teams involved in forecasting and analysis, data in Tableau can be very powerful. Tableau reports often contain KPIs that have already been extracted from primary data sources, cleaned for quality control, or transformed through SQL queries.
For example, if a Tableau report contains a “Prospect Score” KPI, all the work of converting raw data into a KPI is often already done. If a user from the sales team inserts this Prospect Score KPI into Google Sheets, they can integrate it into the forecasting models within the spreadsheet.
Connecting Tableau to Google Sheets
Importing Data with Coefficient
Using Coefficient’s Google Sheets integration with Tableau is a one-click connector and the easiest and fastest way to connect Tableau to Google Sheets. The pre-built connector allows you to automatically sync Tableau data with Google Sheets. The complete connection process takes about one to two minutes. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Install Coefficient
Go to the top menu of Google Sheets and click on Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons.
Type “Coefficient” in the Google Workspace Marketplace search bar. Click on the Coefficient app when it appears in the search results.
Click on Install, then Continue on the Coefficient installation window. Next, select the Google account you want to associate with Coefficient.
Check the required access permissions for Coefficient, then click on Allow. Go back to your Google spreadsheet, and you’ll see a prompt window confirming that you have successfully installed Coefficient.
Step 2: Connect to Tableau
Launch the Coefficient app by navigating to Extensions in the top menu of Google Sheets. Hover over Coefficient: Salesforce, HubSpot Data Connector in the dropdown menu and click Launch.
You’ll see the Coefficient sidebar appear on the right-hand side of the Google Sheets interface. Select Import Data.
Choose Tableau as the data source.
Log in to Tableau by providing your instance URL and site name for Tableau Online.
Choose an authentication method:
- If you have a direct connection to Tableau, use your username and password.
- If you’re using a Single Sign-On (SSO) connection, create a token from your Tableau account Settings page to log in.
After providing all the necessary credentials, click Connect to Tableau to link Google Sheets to Tableau.
Step 3: Import Tableau Data into Google Sheets
Follow the required steps for your import, and you’ll see the data automatically populate in your Google spreadsheet within seconds.
Set up an automatic refresh schedule to automatically sync changes between your source dataset and the Google Sheets data.
This eliminates manual data updates, improving data quality for your team and saving you a significant amount of time and effort.
Exporting Data with Tableau’s Google Sheets Connection
Tableau offers a built-in connection to Google Sheets. The connection links Sheets to Tableau using Tableau’s interactive interface. Follow these steps to connect Tableau to Google Sheets using this native connection.
Step 1: Connect Tableau to Sheets
Log in to your Tableau account as a user with creator role. Under the Connection column on the left-hand interface, and under the To a server option, click More servers, then select Google Sheets.
This will open a dialog box where you can log in to your Google account (if not already logged in). If you’re already logged in, click on the Google account you want to use or the account where the Tableau data resides.
Review the access permissions Tableau will need, then click Allow to grant Tableau access to Google Sheets.
Step 2: Send Sheets Data to Tableau
Use the search box to find the Google spreadsheet containing the data you want to link to Tableau either by URL or by name.
Select the desired Google spreadsheet from the list and click Connect. This should transfer the data from Google Sheets to Tableau.
After successfully connecting your Google Sheets data to Tableau, you can use the extract option to include the entire dataset from the selected sheet.
Tableau will display the dimensions and measures of the data within the Google sheet. Move the desired data onto Tableau’s dashboard to begin your visual analysis.
Coefficient: Connect in One Click, Always Fresh Data
Combining Tableau’s analytical capabilities and visualization features with Google Sheets can unlock enhanced insights. However, the method used to connect the two platforms will determine the relevance, depth, and accuracy of the resulting analysis. That’s why it’s important to use a solution like Coefficient.
Coefficient not only connects Tableau to Google Sheets in a single click but also automates data updates, ensuring that the data is always synced between Sheets and Tableau. Other options provide some form of connection between Tableau and Sheets but they don’t offer the speed, automation, user-friendliness, and accuracy that Coefficient does.
Try Coefficient for free now, with no credit card required, and discover how easy it is to connect Tableau and Sheets in just one click.
