Build Jira Visualizations in Tableau Cloud



Use CData Connect Cloud to connect to live Jira data and build visualizations in Tableau Cloud.

Tableau Cloud is an analytics platform fully hosted in the cloud. When paired with CData Connect Cloud, you get instant, cloud-to-cloud access to Jira data for visualizations, dashboards, and more. This article shows how to connect to Jira and build visualizations from Jira data in Tableau Cloud.

CData Connect Cloud provides a pure cloud-to-cloud interface for Jira, allowing you to easily build visualizations from live Jira data in Tableau Cloud without installing connectors or publishing worksheets and data sources from Tableau Desktop. As you build visualizations, Tableau Cloud generates SQL queries to gather data. Using optimized data processing out of the box, CData Connect Cloud pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc) directly to Jira, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return Jira data.

About Jira Data Integration

CData simplifies access and integration of live Jira data. Our customers leverage CData connectivity to:

  • Gain bi-directional access to their Jira objects like issues, projects, and workflows.
  • Use SQL stored procedures to perform functional actions like changing issues status, creating custom fields, download or uploading an attachment, modifying or retrieving time tracking settings, and more.
  • Authenticate securely using a variety of methods, including username and password, OAuth, personal access token, API token, Crowd or OKTA SSO, LDAP, and more.

Most users leverage CData solutions to integrate Jira data with their database or data warehouse, whether that's using CData Sync directly or relying on CData's compatibility with platforms like SSIS or Azure Data Factory. Others are looking to get analytics and reporting on live Jira data from preferred analytics tools like Tableau and Power BI.

Learn more about how customers are seamlessly connecting to their Jira data to solve business problems from our blog: Drivers in Focus: Collaboration Tools.


Getting Started


Configure Jira Connectivity for Tableau Cloud

To work with Jira data from Tableau Cloud, we need to connect to Jira from Connect Cloud, provide user access to the connection, and create a Workspace for the Jira data.

Connect to Jira from Connect Cloud

CData Connect Cloud uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.

  1. Log into Connect Cloud, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
  2. Select "Jira" from the Add Connection panel
  3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Jira.

    To connect to JIRA, provide the User and Password. Additionally, provide the Url; for example, https://yoursitename.atlassian.net.

  4. Click Create & Test
  5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Jira Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect Cloud through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect Cloud. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.

  1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect Cloud app to open the settings page.
  2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
  3. Give the PAT a name and click Create.
  4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

Configure Jira Endpoints for Tableau Cloud

After connecting to Jira, create a workspace for your desired table(s).

  1. Navigate to the Workspaces page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace).
  2. Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
  3. Select the Jira connection (e.g. JIRA1) and click Next.
  4. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm.
  5. Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}

With the connection, PAT, and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to Jira data from Tableau Cloud.

Visualize Live Jira Data in Tableau Cloud

The steps below outline creating a new data source in Tableau Cloud based on the virtual Jira database in Connect Cloud and building a simple visualization from the data.

  1. Log into Tableau Cloud, select a account, and create a new workbook.
  2. In the new workbook, choose the OData Connector from the data wizard and fill in the values for your Connect Cloud instance.
    • Set Server to the OData URL for your Workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}
    • Set Authentication to Username and Password
    • Set Username to your Connect Cloud username (e.g. [email protected])
    • Set Password to a PAT for the above user
  3. Select your newly created database and the table(s) you wish to visualize (defining relationships for JOINad tables as needed).
  4. Select Dimensions and Measures and configure your visualization.

Real-Time Access to Jira Data from Cloud Applications

At this point, you have a direct, cloud-to-cloud connection to live Jira data from your Tableau Cloud workbook. You can create new visualizations, build dashboards, and more, with no need to publish data sources and workbooks from Tableau Desktop. For more information on gaining live access to data from more than 100 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources from cloud applications like Tableau Cloud, refer to our Connect Cloud page.

Ready to get started?

Learn more about CData Connect Cloud or sign up for free trial access:

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