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

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 Avalara 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 Avalara 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 Avalara

By default, the connector connects to a production environment. Set UseSandbox to true to configure the connector to connect to a Avalara sandbox environment.

Authenticating to Avalara

There are two authentication methods available for connecting to the Avalara data source: Basic and LicenseKey.

Login Credentials

To use login credentials for authentication, set the following:

• AuthScheme: Set this to Basic.
• User: Set this to your Avalara username.
• Password: Set this to your Avalara password.

Account Number and License Key

Alternatively, you can authenticate using your account number and license key. Connect to the data source using the following:

• AuthScheme: Set this to LicenseKey.
• AccountId: Set this to your Avalara Account Id. The Account Id is listed in the upper right-hand corner of the Avalara admin console.
• LicenseKey: Set this to your Avalara license key. You can generate a license key by logging into Avalara as an account adminstrator and navigating to Settings > Reset License Key.

Next Step

See Using the Connector to create data visualizations.