Should I use Live Query or Extract when I connect from Tableau to OBIEE ?  How can I load the OBIEE metadata faster?  What happens if I press the “Update Now” button for an OBIEE data source?  How can I minimize the number of round trip queries from Tableau to OBIEE during ad-hoc analysis?

When it comes to connecting from Tableau to OBIEE as a data source, even Tableau experts have several questions.  This is because OBIEE is unlike any other data source that Tableau users typically connect to.  OBIEE is unique with respect to metadata, security, data volume, query performance and more.

Using Tableau as a data visualization tool for OBIEE is an exhilarating experience. If you are an analyst or data driven manager, it can make your daily work life easy.  But how do you get there?  What are some of the best practices for Tableau users connecting to OBIEE as a data source?

Best Practices Guide for Tableau Users

Based on our extensive experience working with some of the largest deployments of OBIEE and Tableau, we have compiled a best practices guide for business users connecting from Tableau to OBIEE data using BI Connector.   The best practices guide includes the following:

• Configuration of OBIEE as a data source using BI Connector
• Comparison of Live vs. Extract options for OBIEE data
• Steps to visualize OBIEE data efficiently with Tableau Desktop
• Publishing OBIEE data source to Tableau Server
• What (not) to do when extracting OBIEE data

You can access the best practices guide below.  It is also accessible via Slideshare.

Summary

By following a few well proven best practices, you can seamlessly access OBIEE as a data source from Tableau.  You can combine your enterprise OBIEE data with other data sources, create a new analytical models faster, and simplify your analytics.  If you have any questions regarding the best practices, or would like to see  a demo of the best practices, just drop us a note.   We will schedule a web conference at your convenience and answer your questions.

Happy Easy Analytics!