# Tableau

[Tableau](https://www.tableau.com) is a popular visual analytics platform.

## Connect from Cube Cloud

It is recommended to use [Semantic Layer Sync][ref-sls] to connect Cube Cloud to
Tableau. It automatically synchronizes the [data model][ref-data-model] with Tableau.

Navigate to the [Integrations](/product/workspace/integrations#connect-specific-tools)
page, click <Btn>Connect to Cube</Btn>, and choose <Btn>Tableau</Btn> to get
detailed instructions.

## Connect from Cube Core

You can connect a Cube deployment to Tableau using the [SQL API][ref-sql-api].

In Cube Core, the SQL API is disabled by default. Enable it and [configure
the credentials](/product/apis-integrations/sql-api#configuration) to
connect to Tableau.

## Connecting from Tableau

Tableau connects to Cube as to a Postgres database.

### Creating a connection

In Tableau, select PostgreSQL connector and enter credentials from the above
step.

<Screenshot
  alt="Adding Cube to Tableau as a SQL data source"
  src="https://cubedev-blog-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dc025b24-674f-4f32-ac44-421d546ee676.GIF"
/>

<InfoBox>

It's not recommended to use [Tableau extracts][link-tableau-extracts] when
connecting to Cube. Use [pre-aggregations][ref-pre-aggs] to improve querying
performance and manage data freshness upstream of Tableau.

</InfoBox>

### Querying data

Your cubes will be exposed as tables, where both your measures and dimensions
are columns.

<Screenshot
  alt="Cube data in Tableau"
  src="https://cubedev-blog-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/ea73a998-e2ce-4814-863e-425b4d35860c.gif"
/>

[ref-sql-api]: /product/apis-integrations/sql-api
[ref-pre-aggs]: /product/caching/using-pre-aggregations
[ref-sls]: /product/apis-integrations/semantic-layer-sync
[ref-data-model]: /product/data-modeling/overview
[link-tableau-extracts]: https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/extracting_data.htm