Introduction
This article describes how to use Tableau to connect to ServiceNow data via two means: our existing datasources on Tableau Server and the ServiceNow ITSM Connector.
| If you are a ServiceNow administrator and you are looking for information on how to allow a user account to connect through the API with Tableau Desktop, see ServiceNow - Authorizing Accounts for Use by Tableau Desktop and ODBC. |
Instructions
Prerequisites
Get Tableau Desktop
- Download Tableau Desktop 10.3 or higher from their releases website and install it.
It's best practice to download the version that is displayed at Tableau Server > Help > About Tableau. If you use a version higher than the one running on Tableau Server, you may not be able to publish some or all of your work to Tableau Server. - Register Tableau Desktop with a license. If you don't have a license, see KB0011713 for options and further instruction.
Connecting to Existing Datasources on Tableau Server
Gain Access to Tableau Server
If you already have access, skip to the next step. If you don't, or don't know whether or not you do, please open an Incident with Service Analysis & Improvement. Let them know what kind of ServiceNow data you want to access via Tableau so that they can ensure you have proper permissions. Here are examples of the existing ServiceNow data sources we have on Tableau Server...
| ServiceNow Data Sources on Tableau Server |
| ServiceNow Chat Queue Entry (Prod) |
| ServiceNow Demand Tasks w/ Demands (Prod) |
| ServiceNow Demands and Projects (Prod) |
| ServiceNow Incidents (Prod) |
| ServiceNow Knowledge Articles (Prod) |
| ServiceNow Knowledge Use (Prod) |
| ServiceNow Label Entry (Prod) |
| ServiceNow Requested Items w/ Catalog Items (Prod) |
| ServiceNow Requested Item Approvals (Prod) |
| ServiceNow Service Portal Usage Incremental (Prod) |
| ServiceNow Tasks (Prod) |
| ServiceNow Virtual Agent Interactions w/ Incidents (Prod) |
| ServiceNow Vulnerable Item Detections (Prod) |
Connect Tableau Desktop to Tableau Server
| Step # |
Instructions |
|
| 1 |
Launch Tableau Desktop. |
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| 2 | In the Connect panel, click Tableau Server under To a Server. If you don't see it, click More... and select Tableau Server from the resulting list. | |
| 3 |
When prompted for the Server, enter https://tab.med.umich.edu, then click Connect. Authenticate with your Level 2 credentials. |
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| 4 |
When prompted to Select a Site, choose Michigan Medicine. |
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| 5 |
In the Search field, type ServiceNow and hit Enter. You will see all the available data sources related to ServiceNow. Choose whichever one you are interested in. You may now switch to a sheet and begin your analysis.
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Connecting Directly to ServiceNow's API Through the Tableau Connector
| Only members of the Service Management unit inside the HITS Business IT division are currently authorized to directly connect Tableau to ServiceNow in this manner. |
Configure a ServiceNow User Account for Tableau Access
In order to directly connect to ServiceNow's API through the Tableau connector, you need a user account with the itil and data_reader roles. They are required for Tableau Desktop to connect to ServiceNow and explore ITSM data. If you need to report on more than ITSM data, you'll need additional roles.
To get your account setup, or to get a new account just for Tableau access, please open an Incident with Service Operations Support. Let them know what kind of data you want to access via Tableau so that they can give you the right account role(s).
Connect Tableau Desktop to ServiceNow
| Step # |
Instructions |
| 1 |
Launch Tableau Desktop 10.3 or above. |
| 2 | In the Connect panel, click More... under To a Server and then click ServiceNow ITSM. |
| 3 |
In the ServiceNow ITSM Connection window, click Continue and fill in the following:
Click Sign In. |
| 4 |
Choose your Filter Type, then click Connect. Relative date range will give let you pull data for up to two years into the past. Fixed date range allows you to specify exact start and end dates. |
| 5 | Choose the tables you are interested in, create their relationships, and begin your analysis. |