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Tableau

Tableau is a widely-used business intelligence and data visualization platform that enables data analysts to build interactive dashboards and reports. MotherDuck supports both Tableau Cloud (via the Tableau Cloud Bridge) and Tableau Server.

How to use Tableau Cloud with MotherDuck via Tableau Bridge​

Setup​

This guide assumes you have a Tableau account and a Tableau Cloud Site. If you don't, sign up or ask your organization to purchase a plan, or sign up for a free trial.

Setup Bridge client​

Use instructions here to install and setup Bridge client.

  1. Make sure the machine where the Bridge client is installed has access to the Database used in the above steps.

    Important notes:

    Network access - Because Bridge facilitates connections between your private network data and Tableau Cloud, it requires the ability to make outbound connections through the internet. After the initial outbound connection, communication is bidirectional.

    Required ports - Tableau Bridge uses port 443 to make outbound internet requests to Tableau Cloud and port 80 for certificate validation.

  2. Install Bridge client and make sure the Bridge client is logged in to the Tableau Cloud site. You can download the installer here.

  3. Install the driver and taco files as outlined here.

    • [Windows Server] The driver also needs to be installed here: C:\Program Files\Tableau\Tableau Bridge\Drivers
    • [Windows Server] The connector also needs to be installed here: C:\Program Files\Tableau\Connectors

Note: Tableau Bridge can be deployed on both Windows or Linux.

Running Bridge on Linux using Docker (advanced)​

If you want to run Bridge centrally on a Linux host, the official guidance recommends running it inside a Docker container, as described in Tableau’s documentation on installing Bridge for Linux in containers.

Below is an example Dockerfile you can use as a starting point—this includes where to add JDBC drivers and the DuckDB/MotherDuck .taco file. It’s provided for inspiration and may require updates to match your environment or newer versions of the software.

Example Dockerfile
FROM registry.access.redhat.com/ubi8/ubi:latest

RUN yum update -y
RUN yum install -y glibc-langpack-en
# This is the latest version of Tableau Bridge that is known working with the MotherDuck connector
RUN curl -o /tmp/TableauBridge.rpm -L \
    https://downloads.tableau.com/tssoftware/TableauBridge-20243.25.0114.1153.x86_64.rpm && \
    ACCEPT_EULA=y yum install -y /tmp/TableauBridge.rpm && \
    rm /tmp/TableauBridge.rpm

# Drivers
RUN mkdir -p /opt/tableau/tableau_driver/jdbc

# Connectors (tacos)
RUN mkdir -p /root/Documents/My_Tableau_Bridge_Repository/Connectors

# Download DuckDB JDBC driver and signed taco
RUN curl -o /opt/tableau/tableau_driver/jdbc/duckdb_jdbc-1.3.0.0.jar \
         -L https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/duckdb/duckdb_jdbc/1.3.0.0/duckdb_jdbc-1.3.0.0.jar && \
     curl -o /root/Documents/My_Tableau_Bridge_Repository/Connectors/duckdb_jdbc-v1.1.1-signed.taco \
          -L https://github.com/motherduckdb/duckdb-tableau-connector/releases/download/v1.1.1/duckdb_jdbc-v1.1.1-signed.taco

ENV TZ=Europe/Berlin
ENV LC_ALL=en_US.UTF-8

# -----  user specific settings -----
ENV USER_EMAIL=""
ENV PAT_ID=BridgeToken
ENV CLIENT_NAME=""
ENV SITE_NAME=""
ENV POOL_ID=""
# -----------------------------------

CMD /opt/tableau/tableau_bridge/bin/run-bridge.sh -e \
  --patTokenId=$PAT_ID \
  --userEmail=$USER_EMAIL \
  --client=$CLIENT_NAME \
  --site=$SITE_NAME \
  --patTokenFile="/home/documents/token.txt" \
  --poolId=$POOL_ID

Key points:

  • Build an image that installs the Bridge RPM and then copies the DuckDB JDBC driver to /opt/tableau/tableau_bridge/Drivers and the connector to /root/Documents/My_Tableau_Bridge_Repository/Connectors.
  • Start the bridge by calling run-bridge.sh and pass the following flags:
    • --patTokenFile /run/secrets/pat.json
    • --patTokenId <PAT_NAME>
    • --site <YOUR_SITE_NAME>
    • --poolId <POOL_ID> (optional – see note on pools below)
  • PAT naming rule – the name you give the Personal-Access-Token in Tableau must be a valid JSON key and must be used verbatim
    1. as the key in pat.json → {"<PAT_NAME>": "<PAT_VALUE>"}
    2. in the --patTokenId flag. A mismatch will result in a silent authentication failure.
  • The latest Bridge 2025.1 builds contain a regression that prevents the MotherDuck connector (and several others) from loading. Until Tableau fixes this, pin the image to the 20243.25.0114.1153 release (see discussion here).
  • Bridge listens only on outbound 443/tcp, so you do not need to publish any container ports. If you run a host firewall (e.g. ufw) remember that Docker bypasses it [Docker docs]. Restrict egress traffic to Tableau Cloud CIDR blocks if your security policy requires it.
  • Logs written to stdout are useful, but the detailed logs live in /root/Documents/My_Tableau_Bridge_Repository/Log. Mount this path as a volume or use a side-car to ship the logs to your observability stack.

Tableau Cloud Bridge Pool setup​

  1. In Settings → Bridge page, make sure the Bridge client is connected in the connection Status.
  2. Add a new Pool and assign the Bridge Client to a Pool.
  3. Click on the edit button of the Bridge client and select the pool created.
  4. In the "Private Network Allowlist" add the domain of the database and select the pool.
Tableau Bridge Pooling

Pool gotchas – Some users report that a Linux containerised Bridge never shows up under a custom site pool. If that happens simply leave POOL_ID blank when starting the client – it will join the legacy Default pool and still work with live connections.

Create Embedded Data Source (Live) and Workbook​

  1. Open Tableau desktop and login to a Tableau Cloud site.

  2. Create new Workbook and select the database connector.

  3. Connect to the database.

  4. Setup Datasource to use live connectivity.

  5. Create a worksheet with the data.

Publish the Workbook to Tableau Cloud​

  1. Click on "Server > Publish Workbook".
  1. Select "Publish Separately" under Publish Type and "Embedded password" under Authentication. Select "Maintain connection to a live data source".
  1. Click "Publish Workbook & 1 Data Source".

(Important step!) Update Tableau Bridge client in data source​

  1. Navigate to the newly published data source in Tableau Cloud (in your browser) and click on the "i" icon to open Data Source Details.
  1. Click on "Change Bridge Client..."
  1. Change the bridge client from "Site client pool" to your bridge client (the one you set up in the previous section). Click "Save" and close the dialog.

  1. Check that the data source now shows up in your Tableau Bridge status dialog. This dialog is located in the Windows Start bar (in the Icon panel).

  2. You can now access your Published Workbook on your Tableau Cloud Site, or you can create a new Tableau Workbook using the Published Data Source.