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

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 BigCommerce 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 BigCommerce 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 BigCommerce

There are two ways to authenticate to BigCommerce:

• Using tokens generated from the BigCommerce user interface.
• Using OAuth credentials created by a custom BigCommerce application.

BigCommerce Token

You can obtain the credentials to connect to BigCommerce by generating a token. The token authorizes specific account information to be shared. In this flow, there is no web browser required during execution because you explicitly create and accept permissions for your application directly in the BigCommerce UI. This is the easiest way to connect and is recommended for users who are just accessing their personal or company data.

Generating a Token

In order to connect to your BigCommerce Store and obtain a token, you need to create a store-level API account as follows:

1. Log in to your BigCommerce account.
2. Go to Settings > Store-level API Tokens > +Create API Account.
3. Select Token type > V2/V3 API Token.
4. Enter the name of your account (minimum of four characters).
5. Make a note of the API path. It has the following structure: https://api.bigcommerce.com/stores/{StoreId}/v3/. You need this path to use the API account. Note: The Store Id is also known as the store hash.
6. Choose the OAuth Scopes for the API Account you are creating. The connector cannot access data marked as "None" and cannot modify data marked as "read-only".
7. Click Save. A successful save displays a pop-up window containing API credentials. Save your credentials, since you cannot return to this pop-up window.

You can now use the API credentials to connect to BigCommerce by setting the following connection properties:

• AuthScheme: Set this to PersonalAccessToken.
• StoreId: Set this to the StoreId (store hash) obtained from the API path.
• OAuthAccessToken: Set this to the Access Token obtained in the steps above.

BigCommerce Custom App

Creating a BigCommerce App describes how to create a custom app to connect to BigCommerce. This method details how to create an application for distribution and is required for each of the following sections:

• Desktop applications
• Web applications
• Headless machines

Note that in all these cases, you must set the AuthScheme to OAuth. The following sections assume that you have done so.

Creating an app is more complicated than generating a single OAuthAccess Token, but may be more desireable for client integrations where your design is to connect or allow access to multiple clients, or an administrative scenario where the admin creates an app to be authorized individually by multiple individual users.

Desktop Apps

Follow the steps below to authenticate with the credentials for a custom OAuth app. See "Generating an Access Token" above for more information.

Get an OAuth Access Token

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

• OAuthClientId: Set this to the Client Id in your app settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the Client secret in your app settings.
• CallbackURL: Set this to the Redirect URL in your app settings.
• StoreId: Set this to your StoreId.
• InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken. .

When you connect the connector opens the OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The connector then completes the OAuth process:

1. Extracts the access token from the callback URL and authenticates requests.
2. Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.
3. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation that persist across connections.

Headless Machines

To configure the driver to use OAuth with a user account on a headless machine, you need to authenticate on another device that has an internet browser.

1. Choose one of these two options:
   • Option 1: Obtain the OAuthVerifier value as described in "Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code" below.
   • Option 2: Install the connector on another machine and transfer the OAuth authentication values after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow, as described in "Transfer OAuth Settings" below.

2. Then configure the connector to automatically refresh the access token from the headless machine.

Option 1: Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code

To obtain a verifier code, you must authenticate at the OAuth authorization URL.

Follow the steps below to authenticate from the machine with an internet browser and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

1. Choose one of these options:
   • If you are using the Embedded OAuth Application click BigCommerce OAuth endpoint to open the endpoint in your browser.
   • If you are using a custom OAuth application, create the Authorization URL by setting the following properties:
     • InitiateOAuth: Set to OFF.
     • OAuthClientId: Set to the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
     • OAuthClientSecret: Set to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
     Then call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure with the appropriate CallbackURL. Open the URL returned by the stored procedure in a browser.

2. Log in and grant permissions to the connector. You are then redirected to the callback URL, which contains the verifier code.
3. Save the value of the verifier code. Later you will set this in the OAuthVerifier connection property.

Next, you need to exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens. Set the following properties:

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuth authentication values:

• InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
• OAuthVerifier: Set this to the verifier code.
• OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client Id in your custom OAuth application settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret in the custom OAuth application settings.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location of the file where the driver saves the OAuth token values that persist across connections.

After the OAuth settings file is generated, you need to re-set the following properties to connect:

• InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
• OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
• OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this location grants read and write permissions to the connector to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

Option 2: Transfer OAuth Settings

Prior to connecting on a headless machine, you need to create and install a connection with the driver on a device that supports an internet browser. Set the connection properties as described in "Desktop Applications" above.

After completing the instructions in "Desktop Applications", the resulting authentication values are encrypted and written to the location specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. The default filename is OAuthSettings.txt.

Once you have successfully tested the connection, copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine.

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

• InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
• OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
• OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location of your OAuth settings file. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the connector to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

Next Step

See Using the Connector to create data visualizations.