TABLEAU REST API: TABLEAU-API-LIB TUTORIALS

Triggering extract refreshes for Tableau Server workbooks and data sources using the REST API

A step-by-step guide to refreshing extracts with Python

Keeping that data fresh as the sunrise (Photo by Alice Donovan Rouse on Unsplash)

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A standard Tableau Server environment runs all extracts on a timed schedule. That’s great if your data infrastructure is based on jobs kicking off at set times. It’s not so great if your data pipelines are more fluid, and you’d like data to be refreshed dynamically — such as upon completion of your ETL workflows.

Traditional time-triggered extract refreshes are very common. However, if your modern environments have you itching for a more modern approach to dynamically updating your Tableau Server extracts, then this article is for you.

The steps that follow demonstrate how you can use Python and Tableau Server’s REST API endpoints to trigger workbook extracts at any time.

This tutorial walks through using the Python tableau-api-lib package and is part of a series on how to tap Tableau Server like a keg, giving you control over Tableau Server’s REST API.