内容+Tableau Integration on Mac

mailene.h
mailene.h ✭✭✭

Does anyone have a recommendation on connecting Smartsheet data to desktop Tableau? Has anyone been able to successfully establish this connection using a Mac? I appreciate your tips!

Some background info:

1. I am using a Mac

2. I have tried using the Web Data Connector via Tableau but receive an error for the browser not being supported (although I have the latest version of Chrome, the top recommended browser by Smartsheet).

3. I have been in contact with Tableau, who states the error is on the smartsheet side.

4. The ODBC driver seems to only be for Windows?

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Comments

  • Mike L.
    Mike L. ✭✭

    Are you on a business or enterprise plan? Just trying to rule out the simple stuff.

  • mailene.h
    mailene.h ✭✭✭

    I'm on an enterprise plan. Thanks!

  • 嗨Mailene,

    #4 is correct. The OBDC driver was built by Microsoft, and is not compatible with Macs, unfortunately.

    Here is the Getting Started Guide from Smartsheet:http://smartsheet-platform.github.io/odbc-docs/#getting-startedthat has more specific information.

    Thank you,

    Kara

  • Hello—

    In theory, the WDC should work on your Mac. A few quick things for you to try:

    • 暂时尝试使用不同的浏览器(Firefoxor Safari) to see if you get the same issue.
    • If it works in another browser, there could be Chrome extensions interfering with the connection between Smartsheet and Tableau. I'd recommend disabling all of your extensions, seeing if you get the issue still—if you do, you can enable your extensions one-by-one to troubleshoot which ones are causing the issue.
    • Make sure your MacOS is updated to a compatible version with Tableau. You can find that info here:https://www.tableau.com/products/techspecs

    If the above doesn't work,contact our Support team directlyto troubleshoot further.

  • Hi Shaine,

    I too am getting a "browser not supported" error, but I am using a Windows PC. I'm trying to follow the instructions found here:https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/2478366-smartsheet-integration-tableau

    I'm entering the tableau.smartsheet url into the Web Data Connector, which is opening up some kind of Tableau browser (not my default Chrome)... and that seems to be where the error is. See attached.

    Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

    --Jeff

    screenshot.jpg

  • mailene.h
    mailene.h ✭✭✭

    Hi Shaine,

    Thanks for your response. I am experiencing the exact issue that Jeff Anderson explained below - I am not able to change to a different browser as it is defaulted via the connector and opens a window within Tableau Desktop.

    I have been in contact with support teams at both Tableau and Smartsheet and here are the learnings so far:

    • Error is on Smartsheet side, technically outside of scope for Tableau support team
    • Tableau support team tested and was able to recreate the issue
    • Tableau support team confirmed that the Smartsheet WDC works in previous versions of Tableau Desktop (up to and including 2018.3). I am using 2019.1 so I am looking to roll back my version of Tableau in order for this to work (not ideal).
    • Smartsheet likely needs to update WDC to work with latest version of Tableau
    • Smartsheet support team is aware of issue but they do not have an ETA on fix, also suggested using Tableau Desktop 2018.3.

    Thanks,

    Mailene

  • Hi Mailene—

    Thanks for providing this information! I've marked this as best answer for anyone else who might be experiencing this issue.

  • I ended up using the ODBC connection to get in. But I'm sure others will need to rely on the WDC.

  • Hi, Mailene and all,

    Thanks for starting this thread.

    I'm having the same issue Jeff experienced when I tried to connect Tableau to Smartsheet using the Web Data Connector. The error message was that my browser was not supported. Changing my default browser did not fix the issue, so I'm thinking of rolling back my Tableau version 2018.3 as Mailene suggested or trying the ODBC route since it worked for Jeff and I am on PC.

    Shane, is rolling back to an older version of Tableau the best solution?

    Thanks!

  • Hi all,

    Smartsheet and Tableau folks were able to connect and get clarity on the root cause. Tableau made an inadvertent change to the WDC affecting Tableau Desktop versions 2019.1 and 2019.2, which caused a breaking change to the Smartsheet connection. Tableau is working on a permanent fix with an estimated release in approximately 1.5 - 2 months, and in the meantime, Smartsheet is releasing a change as well, which should unblock the connection. The Smartsheet fix is tentatively scheduled for early May. In the meantime, using an earlier version, as RFHickey and Mailene suggested above should work successfully.

    Thanks everyone for bringing this to our attention -

    Best,

    Kara

  • Chris A
    Chris A ✭✭✭

    Kara,

    Thanks for the info. Any update on the schedule for the Smartsheet fix?

    Chris

  • Chris A
    Chris A ✭✭✭
    edited 04/30/19

    I just got this from support:

    Hello Chris,

    Thanks for contacting Smartsheet Support. A fix for this issue was released on Friday 26th April and the Live Data Connector should now work as expected with the latest version of Tableau.If your issue has been resolved, there's no need to reply to this email. We value your feedback, so please let me know how I did by using the survey (the stars) at the end of this message.

    Ross

    Tier 2 Technical Customer Support Specialist

    However, I'm getting this error when trying to refresh my Smartsheet data in Tableau:

    An error occurred while communicating with the data source.

    The web data connector has reported an unrecoverable error and cannot proceed. If the connector has reported details of the error, they are displayed in the pane below.

    Smartsheet REST exception occurred. Error code: {0}. Error Message: {1}

  • Hi Chris,

    Sorry about any confusion on this. It appears that the agent was referring to the Live Data Connector (LDC) and not the Web Data Connector (WDC) that's used for Tableau.

    We just released an update for the WDC early this week to address this problem. Can you reply back to me and confirm that your Tableau integration is working properly?

  • Chris A
    Chris A ✭✭✭

    Shaine,

    I'm still getting the error.

    Chris

    Capture.PNG

  • Hi Chris—

    Thanks for confirming. It appears you're already working with one of our Support reps internally on this.

    Please follow up with them for further troubleshooting.

I would suggest reaching out to your system admin or account manager. If your company has access to a trial of Data Shuttle, it will still need to be turned on for your specific account.<\/p>"}]}},"status":{"statusID":3,"name":"Accepted","state":"closed","recordType":"discussion","recordSubType":"question"},"bookmarked":false,"unread":false,"category":{"categoryID":343,"name":"Add Ons and Integrations","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/apps-and-integrations","allowedDiscussionTypes":["discussion","question"]},"reactions":[{"tagID":3,"urlcode":"Promote","name":"Promote","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":5,"count":0},{"tagID":5,"urlcode":"Insightful","name":"Insightful","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":11,"urlcode":"Up","name":"Vote Up","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":13,"urlcode":"Awesome","name":"Awesome","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0}],"tags":[{"tagID":474,"urlcode":"data-shuttle","name":"Data Shuttle"}]},{"discussionID":108931,"type":"question","name":"Attachments and Deleted Users","excerpt":"My company uses onedrive to upload attachments to sheets. If a user uploads attachments via onedrive and the employee is deleted or deactivated, will the files still be accessible?","snippet":"My company uses onedrive to upload attachments to sheets. If a user uploads attachments via onedrive and the employee is deleted or deactivated, will the files still be accessible?","categoryID":343,"dateInserted":"2023-08-14T18:13:59+00:00","dateUpdated":null,"dateLastComment":"2023-08-14T19:29:57+00:00","insertUserID":165068,"insertUser":{"userID":165068,"name":"imayes","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/imayes","photoUrl":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/defaultavatar\/nWRMFRX6I99I6.jpg","dateLastActive":"2023-08-14T20:04:57+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭"},"updateUserID":null,"lastUserID":45516,"lastUser":{"userID":45516,"name":"Paul Newcome","title":"","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/Paul%20Newcome","photoUrl":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/userpics\/082\/nQPUTVFKKWDJ2.jpg","dateLastActive":"2023-08-18T20:45:06+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭✭✭✭✭✭"},"pinned":false,"pinLocation":null,"closed":false,"sink":false,"countComments":1,"countViews":44,"score":null,"hot":3384078836,"url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/108931\/attachments-and-deleted-users","canonicalUrl":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/108931\/attachments-and-deleted-users","format":"Rich","tagIDs":[268,549],"lastPost":{"discussionID":108931,"commentID":390560,"name":"Re: Attachments and Deleted Users","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/comment\/390560#Comment_390560","dateInserted":"2023-08-14T19:29:57+00:00","insertUserID":45516,"insertUser":{"userID":45516,"name":"Paul Newcome","title":"","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/Paul%20Newcome","photoUrl":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/userpics\/082\/nQPUTVFKKWDJ2.jpg","dateLastActive":"2023-08-18T20:45:06+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭✭✭✭✭✭"}},"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/"},{"name":"Get Help","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/get-help"},{"name":"Add Ons and Integrations","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/apps-and-integrations"}],"groupID":null,"statusID":3,"attributes":{"question":{"status":"accepted","dateAccepted":"2023-08-14T19:37:58+00:00","dateAnswered":"2023-08-14T19:29:57+00:00","acceptedAnswers":[{"commentID":390560,"body":"

As long as the document is still available in OneDrive, the document should still be available in Smartsheet. Think of it as a URL to a website. As long as the website is still up, it doesn't matter who the owner is.<\/p>"}]}},"status":{"statusID":3,"name":"Accepted","state":"closed","recordType":"discussion","recordSubType":"question"},"bookmarked":false,"unread":false,"category":{"categoryID":343,"name":"Add Ons and Integrations","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/apps-and-integrations","allowedDiscussionTypes":["discussion","question"]},"reactions":[{"tagID":3,"urlcode":"Promote","name":"Promote","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":5,"count":0},{"tagID":5,"urlcode":"Insightful","name":"Insightful","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":11,"urlcode":"Up","name":"Vote Up","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":13,"urlcode":"Awesome","name":"Awesome","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0}],"tags":[{"tagID":268,"urlcode":"Attachments","name":"Attachments"},{"tagID":549,"urlcode":"account-and-user-management","name":"Account and User Management"}]},{"discussionID":104380,"type":"question","name":"Questions about Bridge from a potential newbie","excerpt":"We are considering upgrading to Advance, and I have questions about Bridge capabilities: Our project blueprint includes multiple reports that pull entries from master logs based on the job number. This means that our admins have to add the job number to every single new report filter when they set up a project. Can Bridge…","snippet":"We are considering upgrading to Advance, and I have questions about Bridge capabilities: Our project blueprint includes multiple reports that pull entries from master logs based…","categoryID":343,"dateInserted":"2023-04-24T16:40:19+00:00","dateUpdated":"2023-04-24T17:41:23+00:00","dateLastComment":"2023-08-14T17:16:34+00:00","insertUserID":126351,"insertUser":{"userID":126351,"name":"Julie Fortney","title":"","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/Julie%20Fortney","photoUrl":"https:\/\/aws.smartsheet.com\/storageProxy\/image\/images\/u!1!hZje4WgcMyQ!en9eZ1QFHfo!MFtz_rjuwYj","dateLastActive":"2023-08-18T21:46:54+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"Overachievers"},"updateUserID":126351,"lastUserID":140451,"lastUser":{"userID":140451,"name":"Brian_Richardson","title":"","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/Brian_Richardson","photoUrl":"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/a\/AAcHTtdoak7dmkycj4YXWA0KDZnC6qO3ZJMvHnAxo52tsjtiGh4=s96-c","dateLastActive":"2023-08-19T15:11:48+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"Overachievers"},"pinned":false,"pinLocation":null,"closed":false,"sink":false,"countComments":7,"countViews":316,"score":null,"hot":3374392013,"url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/104380\/questions-about-bridge-from-a-potential-newbie","canonicalUrl":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/104380\/questions-about-bridge-from-a-potential-newbie","format":"Rich","tagIDs":[369],"lastPost":{"discussionID":104380,"commentID":390521,"name":"Re: Questions about Bridge from a potential newbie","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/comment\/390521#Comment_390521","dateInserted":"2023-08-14T17:16:34+00:00","insertUserID":140451,"insertUser":{"userID":140451,"name":"Brian_Richardson","title":"","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/Brian_Richardson","photoUrl":"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/a\/AAcHTtdoak7dmkycj4YXWA0KDZnC6qO3ZJMvHnAxo52tsjtiGh4=s96-c","dateLastActive":"2023-08-19T15:11:48+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"Overachievers"}},"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/"},{"name":"Get Help","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/get-help"},{"name":"Add Ons and Integrations","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/apps-and-integrations"}],"groupID":null,"statusID":3,"attributes":{"question":{"status":"accepted","dateAccepted":"2023-04-26T14:21:28+00:00","dateAnswered":"2023-04-26T02:30:08+00:00","acceptedAnswers":[{"commentID":373252,"body":"

Hey @Julie Fortney<\/a> <\/p>

I'll answer what I can and shout out to @Brian_Richardson<\/a> for back up. <\/p>

#1 Report Filters- To my knowledge there isn't a direct Report Filter update however I wondered if the column was a dropdown list - if so, Bridge can update dropdown lists and if the filter was set to select all it made me wonder if the filter would pick it up new selections. (Datashuttle also updates dropdown lists if this method works)<\/p>

#2 I've had problems with a slow sheet erroring out in Bridge. The sheet was massive and Bridge would time-out. Bridge did not help this sheet (it might have been too large for anything to help)<\/p>

#3 -I don't have any experience with Control Center, so sorry, I can't answer those questions<\/p>

My fav Bridge solutions?<\/p>

-Capturing Approver Names in approval workflows<\/p>

-Adding rows - same sheet, different sheets, Child rows to Parents, On a weekly cadence, Adding New rows of acquired data to a status update sheet which feeds into a dashboard report<\/p>

-Translating Employee Ideas from their native tongue to English<\/p>

-Checking FedEx Tracking Status on a sheet's worth of shipments<\/p>

I hope this helps<\/p>

Kelly<\/p>"},{"commentID":373322,"body":"

Hey @Julie Fortney<\/a> !<\/p>

  1. In general you cannot update reports with bridge or the API, you can only get report information and details. So unless you are able to come up with a different solution you may be out of luck. Although, if this is a control center program, you may be able to use \"Dynamic Reports\" which adds new sheets to reports every time a project is provisioned (and removes as projects are archived). <\/li>
  2. Maybe using JavaScript in bridge would help, hard to say. <\/li>
  3. Unfortunately not.. You can not programmatically retrieve a form link (Big functionality gap in my opinion). We have begged Smartsheet to dynamically update forms with control center. Also you can not update the contents of widgets in dashboards with bridge or the api.<\/li>
  4. You could definitely set up a solution to achieve this. It would involve using a summary sheet in your blueprint where the link to your template sheets is profile data on your summary sheet. From there you can get the sheet id for each project in bridge, loop through them and make updates.<\/li><\/ol>"},{"commentID":373373,"body":"

    @Kelly Moore<\/a> thanks for the shout out :-) but I'm not sure I can help more than what's already been posted. <\/p>

    @Julie Fortney<\/a> in general Bridge is an API tool. You can setup multi-branched workflows in Bridge with pre-set API calls and utilities. You can also do custom HTTP calls to any API that you have access to in the cloud. So anything you can do with API calls you can do with Bridge. It also, importantly, allows you to run Javascript code using the results of your API calls, and to trigger workflows on changes to Smartsheet content or on any other webhook that you can receive from other tools.<\/p>

    There's a fair amount of Smartsheet API methods that are prebuilt into Bridge, but not all of them. So if you're looking at the Bridge documentation for Smartsheet<\/a> integrations and not finding what you need, you can also look at the Smartsheet API documentation<\/a> to see if there's something there to help you out. If you find an API method to use that's not already pre-built as an integration, then you can use the Custom HTTP Call step to directly call the API. You just have to provide the Smartsheet API with an API token, which you can assign to yourself in your Personal Settings.<\/p>

    It looks like your specific questions were answered pretty comprehensively by Kelly and Samuel but here's my 2c:<\/p>

    1. Because you cannot adjust report filters using the Smartsheet API, you cannot do this with Bridge. Here's the Reports methods<\/a>. You might want to consider a workaround for the process of having reports hand-updated with new job numbers. Perhaps leverage a creation date or flag new items with a checkbox that's cleared once the conditions are met that would cause the project to fall back off the report? You can also explore the \"contact has any of current user\" filter to pick up specific jobs for the viewer?<\/li>
    2. You could definitely use Bridge to read one sheet on a schedule or trigger, perform calculations using Javascript or the included utilities, and post the results. It may be faster and more stable than a huge number of formulas in Smartsheet, but I'm not 100% sure it would be. I would probably first explore using Data Mesh, which is setup to do this in a much more friendly way. If you don't already use Data Mesh, it's basically a batch index\/match tool. <\/li>
    3. As Samuel said, there's no API for updating widgets on a dashboard or retrieving a form URL. Also, I tested copying a dashboard and sheet in a common folder, where the form link was embedded in the dash, and unfortunately it does not update the form link. Seems like a gap and would be a good enhancement request. You could potentially work around this by having a common sheet with the form to capture entries, have a dropdown in that form for the project name that you can keep updated with Bridge, do a lookup to the sheet ID that the entry should go to on a sheet that Bridge maintains, and then copy the form responses into the individual project sheets using Bridge. I know that's pretty roundabout.<\/li>
    4. As Samuel and Kelly said, you can push dropdown updates through Bridge, it works better than Data Shuttle. You wouldn't need to maintain a separate lookup sheet though, if you create a report that contains the dropdown columns across your various created sheets, and then read that report with Bridge, the return from the API includes the source sheet ID and column ID for each report row. You can then leverage that to point Bridge at the right columns across your sheets without having to maintain a separate lookup.<\/li><\/ol>

      At Iron Mountain we use Bridge for a variety of use cases, here's the most effective ones:<\/p>