Database connections (SQL Server, PostgreSQL) in Tableau - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a business intelligence analyst at a retail company.

📋 Request: Your manager wants you to create a sales dashboard by connecting Tableau to the company databases. The sales data is stored in SQL Server and the customer data is stored in PostgreSQL.

📊 Data: You have access to two databases: SQL Server contains the Sales table with columns OrderID, CustomerID, OrderDate, Product, Quantity, and SalesAmount. PostgreSQL contains the Customers table with columns CustomerID, CustomerName, Region, and CustomerType.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a Tableau dashboard that connects to both databases, combines sales and customer data, and shows total sales by region and customer type.

Sample Data

OrderID	CustomerID	OrderDate	Product	Quantity	SalesAmount
1001	2001	2024-01-05	Widget A	10	500
1002	2002	2024-01-10	Widget B	5	300
1003	2003	2024-01-15	Widget A	7	350
1004	2004	2024-01-20	Widget C	3	150
1005	2005	2024-01-25	Widget B	8	480

CustomerID	CustomerName	Region	CustomerType
2001	Alpha Corp	North	Retail
2002	Beta LLC	South	Wholesale
2003	Gamma Inc	East	Retail
2004	Delta Co	West	Wholesale
2005	Epsilon Ltd	North	Retail

1

Step 1: Open Tableau and create a new data source connection to the SQL Server database.

In Tableau, select 'Microsoft SQL Server' as the connector. Enter the server name, database name, and your credentials. Connect to the Sales table.

Expected Result

Tableau connects to SQL Server and loads the Sales table with columns OrderID, CustomerID, OrderDate, Product, Quantity, SalesAmount.

2

Step 2: Create a second data source connection in Tableau to the PostgreSQL database.

In Tableau, select 'PostgreSQL' as the connector. Enter the server name, database name, and your credentials. Connect to the Customers table.

Expected Result

Tableau connects to PostgreSQL and loads the Customers table with columns CustomerID, CustomerName, Region, CustomerType.

3

Step 3: Join the Sales and Customers tables in Tableau using a common key.

Use Tableau's Data menu to create a relationship between Sales.CustomerID and Customers.CustomerID.

Expected Result

Sales and Customers data are linked in Tableau, enabling combined analysis.

4

Step 4: Create a calculated field in Tableau to sum SalesAmount.

Create a calculated field named 'Total Sales' with formula: SUM([SalesAmount])

Expected Result

A measure 'Total Sales' is available to use in visualizations.

5

Step 5: Build a dashboard showing total sales by Region and CustomerType.

Create a worksheet with Rows = Region, Columns = CustomerType, and Values = Total Sales. Use a bar chart or heat map for visualization.

Expected Result

Dashboard displays total sales grouped by region and customer type.

6

Step 6: Add filters for Product and OrderDate to the dashboard for interactivity.

Add filter controls for Product and OrderDate fields to the dashboard.

Expected Result

Users can filter sales data by product and date range on the dashboard.

Final Result

Sales Dashboard

Region    | Retail Sales | Wholesale Sales
------------------------------------------
North     | $980         | $0
South     | $0           | $300
East      | $850         | $0
West      | $0           | $150

Filters: Product [All], OrderDate [All]

✓North region has the highest retail sales totaling $980.

✓Wholesale sales are mainly in South and West regions.

✓Product filters allow detailed sales analysis by product type.

✓Date filters enable viewing sales trends over time.

Bonus Challenge

Create a live data connection that refreshes sales data daily and alerts when sales drop below a threshold.

Show Hint

Use Tableau's data extract refresh scheduling and set up conditional alerts on the dashboard.