Tableau Connector for PayPal

Build 25.0.9434

Configuring a Connection

After Installing the Connector you can connect and create a Data Source for data in PayPal.

Setting Up a Data Source

Complete the following steps to connect to the data:

  1. Under Connect | To a Server, click More....
  2. Select the data source called PayPal by CData.
  3. Enter the information required for the connection.
  4. Click Sign In.
  5. If necessary, select a Database and Schema to discover what tables and views are available.

Using the Connection Builder

The connector makes the most common connection properties available directly in Tableau. However, it can be difficult to use if you need to use more advanced settings or need to troubleshoot connection issues. The connector includes a separate connection builder that allows you to create and test connections outside of Tableau.

There are two ways to access the connection builder:

  • On Windows, use a shortcut called Connection Builder in the Start menu, under the CData Tableau Connector for PayPal folder.
  • You can also start the connection builder by going to the driver install directory and running the .jar file in the lib directory.

In the connection builder, you can set values for connection properties and click Test Connection to validate that they work. You can also use the Copy to Clipboard button to save the connection string. This connection string can be given to the Connection String option included in the connector connection window in Tableau.

Connecting to PayPal

The provider surfaces tables from two PayPal APIs. Each API uses a different authentication method.
  • The SOAP API requires Signature API credentials. To authenticate to the SOAP API, you must set the AuthScheme to Basic, and set the Username, Password, and Signature properties. These API credentials are generated when you enable the SOAP API.
  • The REST API uses the OAuth authentication standard. To authenticate to the REST API, you must set the AuthScheme to OAuth, and set the OAuthClientId, and OAuthClientSecret properties.

To specify your preferred API, set the Schema property to either REST or SOAP. If no Schema is set, PayPal uses the SOAP schema.

For testing purposes, set UseSandbox to true and use Sandbox credentials.

SOAP API

DEPRECATED: The SOAP API is DEPRECATED. Use the REST API instead for better access to resources.

You can use the SOAP API to retrieve all transactions for the current account. The SOAP API uses the Signature API-credentials type, which has three credential values:

  • API Username
  • API Password
  • API Signature

To generate the API credentials:

  1. Log in to your PayPal business account and select Profile > My Selling Tools.
  2. In the Selling Online section, click Update for the API Access item.
  3. To generate the API signature, click Request API Credentials on the API Access page.
  4. Select Request API Signature and click Agree and Submit to generate the API signature.

After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

REST API

After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

When you connect, the connector completes the OAuth process.

  1. Exchanges the OAuthClientId and OAuthClientSecret for the OAuthAccessToken.
  2. Uses the access token to request data.
PayPal currently supports only client credentials flow of OAuth authentication for use with the REST API. To enable this authentication, you must set AuthScheme to OAuth, and you must create a custom OAuth application.

The following subsections describe how to authenticate to PayPal from two common authentication flows. For information about how to create a custom OAuth application, see Creating a Custom OAuth Application. For a complete list of connection string properties available in PayPal, see Connection.

Desktop Applications

To authenticate with the credentials for a custom OAuth application, you must get and refresh the OAuth access token. After you do that, you are ready to connect.

Get and refresh the OAuth access token:

When you initiate connection using client credentials OAuth flow by providing your clientId and clientSecret, the connector obtains an access token from PayPal and uses it to request data.

Headless Machines

If you need to log in to a resource that resides on a headless machine, you must authenticate on another device that has an internet browser. You can do this by installing the connector on a machine with an internet browser and transfer the OAuth authentication values after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow. Set the connection properties as described above in "Desktop Applications".

After completing the instructions in "Desktop Applications", the connector obtains an access token from PayPal and uses it to request data.

To connect to data via the headless machine, set the following connection properties:

When you are finished, configure the driver to automatically refresh the access token on the headless machine.

Next Step

See Using the Connector to create data visualizations.

Copyright (c) 2025 CData Software, Inc. - All rights reserved.
Build 25.0.9434