Build Bing Search Visualizations in Tableau Cloud

Tableau Cloud is an analytics platform fully hosted in the cloud. When paired with CData Connect Server, you get instant, cloud-to-cloud access to Bing Search results for visualizations, dashboards, and more. This article shows how to create a virtual database for Bing Search and build visualizations from Bing Search results in Tableau Cloud.

CData Connect Server provides a pure SQL Server interface for Bing Search, allowing you to easily build visualizations from live Bing Search results 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 Server pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc) directly to Bing Search, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return Bing Search results.

Create a Virtual SQL Server Database for Bing Search Results

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

1. Login to Connect Server and click Connections.
2. Select "Bing Search" from Available Data Sources.
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Bing Search.

   To connect to Bing, set the ApiKey connection property. To obtain the API key, sign into Microsoft Cognitive Services and register for the Bing Search APIs.

   Two API keys are then generated; select either one.

   When querying tables, the SearchTerms parameter must be supplied in the WHERE clause.

4. Click Save Changes
5. Click Privileges -> Add and add the new user (or an existing user) with the appropriate permissions.

With the virtual database created, you are ready to build visualizations in Tableau Cloud.

Visualize Live Bing Search Results in Tableau Cloud

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

1. Log into Tableau Cloud, select a project, and create a new workbook.
2. In the new workbook, choose the Microsoft SQL Server Connector from the data wizard and fill in the values for your Connect Server instance.
   NOTE: Be sure to check the "Require SSL" checkbox.
3. Select your newly created database and the table(s) you wish to visualize (defining relationships for JOINed tables as needed).
4. Select Dimensions and Measures and configure your visualization.

SQL Access to Bing Search Results from Applications

At this point, you have a direct connection to live Bing Search results 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 SQL access to data from more than 100 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources from cloud applications like Tableau Cloud, refer to our Connect Server page.