Tableau Extract

domi_wiese

Dear Community

when I'm trying to write an Tableau Extract as a "tde"-file with the "Write Tableau Extract" Operator, I'm always receiving the same error "Could not load Tableau Extract API Library". I have Tableau version 2019.4

FYI, I have installed and configured the following:

1. From this site - https://help.tableau.com/current/api/sdk/en-us/SDK/tableau_sdk_installing.htm - I have installed the "Visual C++ Redistributable Packages for Visual Studio 2013", also known as the "Visual C++ runtime library"
2. From the same site I have downloaded this ZIP-file "Tableau SDK for C/C++/Java (64-bit)", in order to have the SDK folder (not the new API) and therefore eventually the possibility to create the extract with the "tde"-format.
3. Afterwards, I have extracted the ZIP-file from point 2 and placed it under the the same folder and same name, as in the description from RM documentation. "C:\Program Files\Tableau Data Extract API"
4. In the next step, I have searched for the Environment Variables. There I have found under system variables the name "path". Under this "path" I have added the following - ;C:\Program Files\Tableau Data Extract API\bin - as the second entry. 
5. The last step, was to create under each system variables and user variables two complete new entries, so four new entries. All of them received the same location - C:\Users\Dominic\Documents -. While two of the new entries received the following name - TAB_SDK_TMPDIR - and the other two received - TAB_SDK_LOGDIR -.

Could someone please explain me the mistake I've made? Also in RM Studio, within the Tableau Operator, I do not receive the possibility to select the "tde"-format, but just the "hyper"-format. 

Thank you very much in advance.
Dominic

sgenzer

maybe @M_Martin is able to help here?

domi_wiese

Hi @sgenzer thank you for reaching out to Martin.

M_Martin

Hi Dominic: You may be getting this error message for a variety of reasons.  As the RM Studio Help for the Write Tableau Extract operator indicates, the type of extract you can write (tde or hyper) depends on what library (i.e. Tableau SDK) you installed.  If you want to use extracts with Tableau 2019.4 - which as of 12/12/2019 is the most current version of Tableau, you will want to use .hyper extracts, not .tde extracts - your version of Tableau supports writing .hyper extracts, not .tde ectracts.  Hyper extracts are a big improvment over tde extracts, so all things equal, you will want to write .hyper extracts in RapidMiner Studio processes and connect to hyper extracts in Tableau,.  Tableau switched to writing hyper extracts starting with version 10.5, which came out in 2018.  If you want to write .tde extracts (perhaps for people using versions of Tableau prior to version 10.5) you need to use Tableau 10.4 or lower and install an earlier version of the Tableau SDK to write .tde extracts within a RapidMiner Studio (or Server) process.  Make sure that you modified the PATH statement within the "System variables" area (in Control Panel / System / Advanced system settings / Environment Variables) not just in the User variables area.  Your note above seems to indicate that your installation of RM Studio recognizes the Write Tableau Extract operator - i.e. you can pleace it on the canvas and hook it up to other RM operators within a process - this means that as far as RapidMiner Studio is concerned, it looks like you've done the basic setup of the SDK correctly.  Your issue may simply be that your PATH statement needs to be modified as explained above.  Since it's Windows, I'd suggest re-booting after setting the PATH. Personally, I have used the Python version as opposed to the C++ / Java version of the Tableau SDK. I've had fewer problems with that version.  You might also want to open up a support ticket with Tableau to confirm that the web page with install instructions is the right one - there are multiple URLS with varying setup instructions.  Let me know how things go - if I can be of further help, I will.  Best wishes, Michael Martin

domi_wiese

Hi @M_Martin thank you very much for taking that much effort in your response. 
There was nothing written, that under system variables and user variables a new entry under "path" should be appended. Now I've added it, but it's still not working. 
Now I've found the following site from Tableau - https://help.tableau.com/current/api/hyper_api/en-us/docs/hyper_api_installing.html#install-the-hyper-api-for-python-36-and-37 - which is explaining how to somehow create this Hyper API connection. Are you suggesting that I should be following these instructions for one of the possibilites, like python/c++/java..., or am I wrong with installing the things from this site?

Best wishes, Dominic

M_Martin

No actually - things have changed.  You should try installing the Java / C++ libraries.  I stpped through the installation steps myself (with RapidMiner Studio 9.5) myself and also got an error - something has changed since earlier versions of RapidMiner Studio.  I will do some more checking and get back to you.  Best wishes, Michael Martin

domi_wiese

@M_Martin alright, thank you. No wonder I wasn't able to do it.

domi_wiese

@M_Martin Do you have any news about this problem?
Best wishes
Dominic

LunaAuer

You may be getting this error message for a variety of reasons. Telldunkin As the RM Studio Help for the Write Tableau Extract operator indicates, the type of extract you can write (tde or hyper) depends on what library (i.e. Tableau SDK) you installed. 

domi_wiese

@LunaAuer thanks for the hint, but I'm already aware of this topic...
I just hope that @M_Martin will be able to somehow figure this problem out internally, since he was facing the same issue.

M_Martin

I'm also going to take this up with Tableau - will get back to you with what I learn.  Best wishes, Michael

M_Martin

Following up on this topic - and others related.  I still do not have a definite fix for the problem raised above, and am also now having issues with the Tableau Extract API on the Mac OSX.  Despite following the very detailed setup instructions for Mac OSX on the RapidMiner site, I keep getting an error that the folder I want the Tableau Extract API to use as a temp folder (which can be set as an environment variable) does not allow me to write to it, despite setting write permissions for the directory I want the Extract API to use as writeable using either Terminal or the "Get Info" options from the file menu after highlighting a given Folder.  No matter what I do, I get an error message stating that the folder I specified (as an environment variable) as the TAB_SDK_TMP folder is not writeable when running my RapidMiner process that uses the Tableau Table Writer operator.  As I have OSX High Sierra (10.13.6) I created a plist file as shown on the RapidMiner help pages re: setting up the Extract API on a Mac and confirmed that the environment variable exists after restarting my machine using the env command.  Any and all suggestions welcome as I have a requirement to use the Tableau Extract API within RapidMiner processes on a MacBook.  The attached file shows the error message I always get.  Thanks for considering this and best wishes, Michael 

M_Martin

I was able to resolve the permissions problem referred to above once I discovered that the read / write permission I gave to a Folder reverted back to read only after re-booting.  I reset the permissions to read / write using a Terminal window, that did the trick.  I hope to have some answers re: the issues people have encountered in Windows as soon as possible.