---
schema_version: "1"
id: 0cb0c547da31e1497639f26c8a166301b32c6cf1f80de40799a328b2ff7ae9fc
title: Connect to Your Data
collection: tableau
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/tableau/current/en-us/public/desktop/basicconnectoverview.md
canonical_url: https://help.tableau.com/current/public/desktop/en-us/basicconnectoverview.htm
source_site: help.tableau.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: acdce58e5d39547b7ea0809af816b380690304ed3b28cd5cd43206913819bd9e
description: Connect Tableau to data stored in files, databases, cubes, or cloud sources before building views.
---
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# Connect to Your Data

Before you can build a view and analyze your data, you must first connect Tableau Desktop Public to your data. :Tableau Desktop Public supports connecting to a wide variety of data, stored in a variety of places. For example, your data might be stored on your computer in a spreadsheet or a text file, or in a big data, relational, or cube (multidimensional) database on a server in your enterprise. Or, you might connect to public domain data available on the web such as U.S. Census Bureau information, or to a cloud database source, such as Google Analytics, Amazon Redshift, or Salesforce. For a visual walkthrough of this process, watch the [Connecting to Data with Tableau Desktop](https://www.tableau.com/learn/tutorials/on-demand/connecting-data-tableau-desktop?playlist=509089) training video (3 mins).

Starting in 2019.3, Tableau Catalog is available as part of the Data Management offering for Tableau Server and Tableau Cloud. When Tableau Catalog is enabled in your environment, in addition to connecting to published data sources, you can connect to databases and tables from Tableau Server on the Connect pane in Tableau Desktop. For more information about Tableau Catalog, see "About Tableau Catalog" in the [Tableau Server](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/dm_catalog_overview.htm) or [Tableau Cloud](https://help.tableau.com/current/online/en-us/dm_catalog_overview.htm) Help. Starting in 2021.4, Data Management includes virtual connections, a central access point to data. For more information, see "About Virtual Connections and Data Policies" in the [Tableau Server](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/dm_vconn_overview.htm) or [Tableau Cloud](https://help.tableau.com/current/online/en-us/dm_vconn_overview.htm) help.

For related resources and videos, see [Connecting to Data with Tableau Desktop](https://www.tableau.com/learn/tutorials/on-demand/connecting-data-tableau-desktop?playlist=509089).

When you launch Tableau Desktop, the data connectors that are available to you are listed on the **Connect** pane, which is the left pane on the **Start** page. Under Search for Data, select Tableau Server to find data using Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud. File types are listed next, then common server types, or servers that you've recently connected to. Click **More** to see the complete list of data connectors you can use.

For supported files and databases, Tableau provides native connectors that are built for and optimized for those types of data. If your file or database type is listed under Connect, use this native connector to connect to your data. If your file or database type isn't listed, you might have the option of creating your own connection using Other Databases (JDBC), Other Databases (ODBC), a Web Data Connector, or a Connector Plugin built using the Tableau Connector SDK. Tableau provides limited support for connections that you create using these options.

The data connectors supported by your copy of Tableau Desktop are determined by the version you purchased. For more information, see the list of [data connectors](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/exampleconnections_overview.htm) on the Tableau website. After you've connected to data, you can save the connections to have them show up under the **Saved data sources** section on the **Connect** pane.

You supply different information for each data connection that you want to make. For example, for most data connections, you'll need to supply a server name and your sign-in information. With some data connections, you can [Run Initial SQL](https://help.tableau.com/current/public/desktop/en-us/connect_basic_initialsql.htm) statements, and SSL-enabled servers require that you select the Require SSL check box when you connect. The following sections discuss the specific information you must provide for each type of data you want to connect to.

**Tip:** You can quickly create a data source in Tableau by copying and pasting data using the clipboard. For more information, see [Create a Data Source or Add a New Connection with Clipboard Data](https://help.tableau.com/current/public/desktop/en-us/clipboard_datasource.htm) .

## Request a new connector

If Tableau doesn't have a native (built-in) connector for your data, consider requesting one on Tableau Community. Use [Ideas](https://community.tableau.com/community/ideas) on Community to search for your connector to see if it's been requested, and if it has been, vote for it. If it's not listed, add it. Tableau regularly reviews Ideas on Community to help determine what features should be added to the product.

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