Connect Tableau to FieldOps¶

The FieldOps BI API allows external analytics and reporting tools to securely access organization-scoped operational data.

Tableau can connect to FieldOps BI data to create dashboards, reports, and analytical workflows using the FieldOps BI API.

The connection flow is:

FieldOps operational data
        ↓
FieldOps BI API
        ↓
Tableau connection
        ↓
Tableau data preparation
        ↓
Reports and dashboards

FieldOps does not require Tableau to connect directly to the application database.

Instead, Tableau retrieves analytics-ready data through the secure FieldOps BI API.

Important

The FieldOps BI API is the supported method for connecting Tableau and other external reporting tools. External tools should not connect directly to the FieldOps application database.

Before you begin¶

You need:

A FieldOps organization with BI access enabled
A valid FieldOps BI Access Token
Access to Tableau with API or web data connection capabilities
The FieldOps BI dataset you want to analyze

If you have not created a BI Access Token, complete this first:

Create a BI Access Token

FieldOps BI API endpoint¶

Tableau connects to FieldOps through BI API endpoints.

The general table endpoint format is:

https://app.fieldopsafrica.com/api/bi/tables/{table}

Replace {table} with the BI table you want to retrieve.

Example:

https://app.fieldopsafrica.com/api/bi/tables/bi_visits

Available BI tables include:

BI table	Purpose
`bi_visits`	Visit-level operational and monitoring data
`bi_visit_responses`	Responses captured during visits
`bi_daily_visit_metrics`	Daily aggregated visit metrics
`bi_program_performance_snapshots`	Programme-level performance snapshots
`bi_question_response_aggregates`	Aggregated monitoring question responses

For dataset discovery and schemas:

Discover BI Datasets and Schemas

Authentication¶

FieldOps BI API requests require a BI Access Token.

The token must be sent as a Bearer token in the HTTP Authorization header.

Format:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_BI_ACCESS_TOKEN

Example:

Authorization: Bearer fldops_bi_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Warning

Never include a real BI Access Token in screenshots, documentation, source code repositories, or public messages.

Connecting Tableau to FieldOps¶

The exact connection process depends on your Tableau version and available connectors.

The general workflow is:

Open Tableau.
Select a connection method that can consume HTTPS API data.
Provide the FieldOps BI API endpoint.
Configure authentication.
Load the returned dataset.
Prepare the data for reporting.

Step 1: Select a Tableau connection method¶

Use a Tableau connection option that supports retrieving data from an authenticated HTTPS API.

Depending on your Tableau edition, this may include:

Web Data Connector
JSON/API connector
Custom connector
An intermediate data source generated from the FieldOps BI API

Note

Tableau connection options differ between Tableau Desktop, Tableau Cloud, Tableau Server, and installed extensions.

Step 2: Provide the FieldOps BI endpoint¶

Use the endpoint for the BI table you want to analyze.

Example:

https://app.fieldopsafrica.com/api/bi/tables/bi_visits

Another example:

https://app.fieldopsafrica.com/api/bi/tables/bi_visit_responses

Step 3: Configure authentication¶

Configure Tableau to send the FieldOps BI Access Token as a Bearer token.

The required header is:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_BI_ACCESS_TOKEN

Replace:

YOUR_BI_ACCESS_TOKEN

with the token generated in FieldOps.

Important

The BI Access Token automatically identifies the FieldOps organization whose data can be accessed.

You do not need to provide an Organization ID separately.

Step 4: Load FieldOps data¶

The FieldOps BI API returns structured JSON data.

The response contains:

meta
data
query_guard
pagination

The reporting records are contained in:

data

Example response structure:

{
  "data": [
    {
      "program_name": "Community Health Programme",
      "project_name": "Primary Healthcare Project",
      "site_name": "Community Health Centre",
      "visit_date": "2026-05-23",
      "status": "approved"
    }
  ]
}

Tableau can use these fields to create:

Charts
Dashboards
Monitoring reports
Performance summaries

Preparing FieldOps data in Tableau¶

Before building visualizations, review the fields returned by the BI API.

Common preparation tasks include:

Confirming field data types
Renaming fields
Removing unnecessary columns
Creating calculated fields
Filtering records

Useful FieldOps reporting dimensions include:

organization_name
program_name
project_name
site_name
visit_date
status

Filtering data before loading¶

For large datasets, apply filters through the FieldOps BI API instead of loading unnecessary data into Tableau.

Example:

https://app.fieldopsafrica.com/api/bi/tables/bi_visits?status=eq:approved

Example date range:

https://app.fieldopsafrica.com/api/bi/tables/bi_visits?visit_date=between:2026-01-01,2026-06-30

This reduces data transfer and improves refresh performance.

See:

Query BI Data

Refreshing Tableau data¶

Tableau dashboards can be refreshed by requesting updated data from the FieldOps BI API.

During refresh:

Tableau sends an authenticated request.
FieldOps validates the BI Access Token.
FieldOps returns updated organization-scoped data.
Tableau refreshes the dashboard.

Tip

Create separate BI Access Tokens for development, testing, and production Tableau environments.

Security recommendations¶

When using Tableau with FieldOps:

Keep BI Access Tokens secure
Use separate tokens for separate integrations
Do not expose tokens in public dashboards
Remove unused tokens
Replace exposed tokens immediately

A BI Access Token provides access only to the BI data available for its associated FieldOps organization.

Troubleshooting¶

Tableau cannot connect¶

Check that:

The BI Access Token is valid
The token has not been revoked
The endpoint URL is correct
HTTPS is being used
The Authorization header includes Bearer

Correct format:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_BI_ACCESS_TOKEN

Authentication fails¶

Confirm that:

The complete token was copied
There are no spaces before or after the token
The token starts with:

fldops_bi_

No data is returned¶

Check:

The BI table contains data
Your filters match existing records
The dataset is available to your organization

Discover available datasets:

GET /api/bi/datasets

Tableau loads fewer records than expected¶

FieldOps may apply BI query safeguards.

Review:

meta
query_guard
pagination

These fields explain:

Applied limits
Aggregated responses
Additional pages of data

Recommended Tableau workflow¶

For a new Tableau dashboard:

Create a BI Access Token.
Identify the required BI dataset.
Review the schema.
Connect Tableau to the BI endpoint.
Apply filters.
Prepare the data.
Build dashboards.

What to do next¶

You can now connect Tableau to FieldOps BI data.

Query BI Data

Review BI API

Manage BI Access Tokens