The How, Why and Where of Using Server-Based Spatial Data in Tableau
The How, Why and Where of Using Server-Based
Spatial Data in Tableau
Using the ESRI Connector with Public-facing ArcGIS Servers
Have you ever wanted to create a custom map in Tableau
but weren't quite certain where to find the map data?
Searching for and loading map data in Tableau is now much easier using the updated ESRI Connector. This connector now opens up access to numerous ESRI ArcGIS servers offering up free spatial data.
The HOW:
There are two methods to import spatial data into Tableau:
- Spatial File - static spatial file formats such as "shp", kml and GeoJSON.
- ESRI Connector
- ESRI REST API - Publicly accessible, thus the main focus of this post.
- ArcGIS Online - 21 day free access after signing up, requires a license after that.
Installing the ESRI Connector driver:
To access data using the ESRI Connector, Tableau Desktop must first be configured with the latest version of the driver. Once downloaded from the Tableau Driver page, the driver must be placed into the correct folder so Tableau can load it after restarting.
Here's the link to the driver:
https://www.tableau.com/support/drivers?_ga=2.53796200.1138059873.1672936900-2049006823.1610391976
Now scroll down to the Esri Connector section, select the Esri Connector driver and follow the directions provided.
Note: Do not choose the Esri ArcGIS Server driver as it is the older version of this driver (for Desktop versions prior to 2022.1).
In the dialog that appears, the Esri Connector provides two options:
For this post, we are only going to focus on the public-facing ArcGIS Server option (look for how to use the ArcGIS Online option in a future post). Next, enter the desired service endpoint in the ArcGIS Server Url field similar to the one shown below:
The WHY:
Rather than loading a static file (.shp, .geojson, .kml, etc.), using the ESRI Connector dynamically streams data from a ArcGIS Server to Tableau Desktop. While Tableau does not allow this to be a "live connection", one can publish the data source to Tableau Server and schedule the extract to get the latest updates, providing of course that it's maintained by the host.
The WHERE:
The are a number of freely available spatial data sources which provide either downloadable .shp files or ESRI ArcGIS servers with REST API endpoints. For example, where I work, Johnson County, Kansas provides county related data sets free in both formats. Here are the links to this data:
ESRI Server REST API Endpoints:
Static File Formats (like .shp):
When choosing a layer from a ESRI Server REST API Endpoints Layers (Service) list, the link opens a page that displays the metadata for this data. To open this data in Tableau Desktop, copy the URL for this page and paste it into the ArcGIS Server URL in the ESRI Connector dialog.
Another site that is great source for spatial data is the Living Atlas by ESRI:
To use this site, search for data using the Search bar, then select on the result you are looking for. This opens a page detailing the specifics of this data. Looking on the right, scroll down until you see the Credits (Attribution) section. Directly beneath the credits is the ArcGIS Server URL for this data (see below). Select the Copy button to paste into the ESRI Connector dialog.
Note: Some of these data sources can be quite large. Unfortunately I've not found a way to filter the data until it has been initially loaded into Tableau.
In addition to these, here are a few of my favorite sites:
Open Data Government
Mid-America Regional Council
Kansas City, Missouri Open Data
Manscaping.com
With the latest version of the ESRI Connector, creating maps in Tableau has never been easier. Now take your dashboard to the next level by creating a custom map!
Enjoy!
AIMS Mapper
Comments
Post a Comment