Build Zoom 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 Zoom data for visualizations, dashboards, and more. This article shows how to create a virtual database for Zoom and build visualizations from Zoom data in Tableau Cloud.

CData Connect Server provides a pure SQL Server interface for Zoom, allowing you to easily build visualizations from live Zoom data 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 Zoom, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return Zoom data.

Create a Virtual SQL Server Database for Zoom Data

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 "Zoom" from Available Data Sources.
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Zoom.

   Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the Zoom Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\Zoom.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for Zoom (see below).

   Zoom API Profile Settings

   To authenticate to Zoom, you can use the OAuth standard to connect to your own data or to allow other users to connect to their data.

   First you will need to create an OAuth app. To do so, navigate to https://marketplace.zoom.us/develop/create and click Create under the OAuth section. Select whether or not the app will be for individual users or for the entire account, and uncheck the box to publish the app. Give the app a name and click Create. You will then be given your Client Secret and Client ID

   After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth.
   • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to manage the process to obtain the OAuthAccessToken.
   • OAuthClientID: Set this to the OAuth Client ID that is specified in your app settings.
   • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the OAuth Client Secret that is specified in your app settings.
   • CallbackURL: Set this to the Redirect URI you specified in your app settings.
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 Zoom Data in Tableau Cloud

The steps below outline creating a new data source in Tableau Cloud based on the virtual Zoom 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 Zoom Data from Applications

At this point, you have a direct connection to live Zoom data 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.