Outlook Mail (Office 365) Connector for Tableau Outlook Mail Connector (Office 365) can be used to integrate Office 365 Outlook Mail API in your App / BI Tools. You can download attachment, read / search Emails, Users, MailFolders, Send email and more. In this article you will learn how to quickly and efficiently integrate Outlook Mail (Office 365) data in Tableau without coding. We will use high-performance Outlook Mail (Office 365) Connector to easily connect to Outlook Mail (Office 365) and then access the data inside Tableau. Let's follow the steps below to see how we can accomplish that! Download Documentation Outlook Mail (Office 365) Connector for Tableau is based on ZappySys API Driver which is part of ODBC PowerPack. It is a collection of high-performance ODBC drivers that enable you to integrate data in SQL Server, SSIS, a programming language, or any other ODBC-compatible application. ODBC PowerPack supports various file formats, sources and destinations, including REST/SOAP API, SFTP/FTP, storage services, and plain files, to mention a few.

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Create Data Source in ZappySys Data Gateway based on API Driver

1. Download and install ODBC PowerPack.

2. Search for gateway in start menu and Open ZappySys Data Gateway:
   

3. Go to Users Tab to add our first Gateway user. Click Add; we will give it a name tdsuser and enter password you like to give. Check Admin option and click OK to save. We will use these details later when we create linked server:
   

4. Now we are ready to add a data source. Click Add, give data source a name (Copy this name somewhere, we will need it later) and then select Native - ZappySys API Driver. Finally, click OK. And it will create the Data Set for it and open the ZS driver UI.

   OutlookMailOffice365DSN

   
   

5. When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "Outlook Mail (Office 365)" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "Outlook Mail (Office 365)" is not present in the list, then click "Search Online" and download it. Then set the path to the location where you downloaded it. Finally, click Continue >> to proceed with configuring the DSN:

   OutlookMailOffice365DSN

   Outlook Mail (Office 365)

   

6. Now it's time to configure the Connection Manager. Select Authentication Type, e.g. Token Authentication. Then select API Base URL (in most cases, the default one is the right one). More info is available in the Authentication section.

    User Credentials [OAuth]

   Use delegated access (User Credentials) whenever you want to let a signed-in user work with their own resources or resources they can access. Whether it's an admin setting up policies for their entire organization or a user deleting an email in their inbox, all scenarios involving user actions should use delegated access. [API reference]

   Steps how to get and use Outlook Mail (Office 365) credentials
   

   Follow these simple steps below to create Microsoft Entra ID application with delegated access:

   WARNING: If you are planning to automate processes, we recommend that you use a Application Credentials authentication method. In case, you still need to use User Credentials, then make sure you use a system/generic account (e.g. automation@my-company.com). When you use a personal account which is tied to a specific employee profile and that employee leaves the company, the token may become invalid and any automated processes using that token will start to fail.

   1. Navigate to the Azure Portal and log in using your credentials.
   2. Access Microsoft Entra ID.
   3. Register a new application by going to App registrations and clicking on New registration button:
      INFO: Find more information on how to register an application in Graph API reference.
   4. When configuration window opens, configure these fields:
      • Supported account type
        • Use Accounts in this organizational directory only, if you need access to data in your organization only.
      • Redirect URI:
        • Set the type to Public client/native (mobile & desktop).
        • Use https://zappysys.com/oauth as the URL.
      
   5. After registering the app, copy the Application (client) ID for later:
   6. Then copy OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) & OAuth token endpoint (v2) URLs to use later in the configuration:
   7. Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use the copied values in User Credentials authentication configuration:
      • In the Authorization URL field paste the OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
      • In the Token URL field paste the OAuth token endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
      • In the Client ID field paste the Application (client) ID value you copied in the previous step.
      • In the Scope field use the default value or select individual scopes, e.g.:
        • email
        • offline_access
        • openid
        • profile
        • Mail.Read
        • Mail.Read.Shared
        • Mail.ReadBasic
        • Mail.ReadBasic.Shared
        • Mail.ReadWrite
        • Mail.ReadWrite.Shared
        • Mail.Send
        • Mail.Send.Shared
        • User.Read
        • User.ReadBasic.All
   8. Press Generate Token button to generate Access and Refresh Tokens.
   9. Optional step. Choose Default User Id from the drop down menu (if someone shared a mailbox with you).
   10. Click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.
   11. Done! Now you are ready to use the API Connector!

   Fill in all required parameters and set optional parameters if needed:

   OutlookMailOffice365DSN

   Outlook Mail (Office 365)

   User Credentials [OAuth]

   https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0

   Required Parameters
   Authorization URL	Fill-in the parameter...
   Token URL	Fill-in the parameter...
   Client ID	Fill-in the parameter...
   Scope	Fill-in the parameter...
   Return URL	Fill-in the parameter...
   Optional Parameters
   Client Secret
   Refresh Token File Path
   Login Prompt Option
   Default User Id (Select after clicking **Generate Token**)	me
   RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
   RetryStatusCodeList	429|503
   RetryCountMax	5
   RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

   

    Application Credentials [OAuth]

   Application-only access is broader and more powerful than delegated access (User Credentials), so you should only use app-only access where needed. Use it when: 1. The application needs to run in an automated way, without user input (for example, a daily script that checks emails from certain contacts and sends automated responses). 2. The application needs to access resources belonging to multiple different users (for example, a backup or data loss prevention app might need to retrieve messages from many different chat channels, each with different participants). 3. You find yourself tempted to store credentials locally and allow the app to sign in 'as' the user or admin. [API reference]

   Steps how to get and use Outlook Mail (Office 365) credentials
   

   Follow these simple steps below to create Microsoft Entra ID application with application access permissions.

   1. Navigate to the Azure Portal and log in using your credentials.
   2. Access Microsoft Entra ID.
   3. Register a new application by going to App registrations and clicking on New registration button:
      INFO: Find more information on how to register an application in Graph API reference.
   4. When configuration window opens, configure these fields:
      • Supported account type
        • e.g. select Accounts in this organizational directory only if you need access to data in your organization only.
      • Redirect URI:
        • Set the type to Public client/native (mobile & desktop).
        • Leave the URL field empty.
      
   5. After registering the app, copy the Application (client) ID for later:
   6. Then copy OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) & OAuth token endpoint (v2) URLs:
   7. Continue and create Client secret:
   8. Then copy the Client secret for later steps:
   9. Continue by adding permissions for the app by going to the API permissions section, and clicking on Add a permission:
   10. Select Microsoft Graph:
   11. Then choose Application permissions option:
   12. Continue by adding these Mail (Outlook) permissions:
   13. Finish by clicking Add permissions button:
   14. Now it's time to Grant admin consent for your application:
   15. Confirm all the permissions are granted:
   16. Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use the copied values in Application Credentials authentication configuration:
       • In the Token URL field paste the OAuth token endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
       • In the Client ID field paste the Application (client) ID value you copied in the previous step.
       • In the Client Secret field paste the Client secret value you copied in the previous step.
       • Choose Default User Id from the drop down menu.
   17. Click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.
   18. That's it! Now you can use the API Connector!

   Fill in all required parameters and set optional parameters if needed:

   OutlookMailOffice365DSN

   Outlook Mail (Office 365)

   Application Credentials [OAuth]

   https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0

   Required Parameters
   Token URL	Fill-in the parameter...
   Client ID	Fill-in the parameter...
   Client Secret	Fill-in the parameter...
   Scope	Fill-in the parameter...
   Default User Id	Fill-in the parameter...
   Optional Parameters
   RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
   RetryStatusCodeList	429|503
   RetryCountMax	5
   RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

   

7. Once the data source connection has been configured, it's time to configure the SQL query. Select the Preview tab and then click Query Builder button to configure the SQL query:

   

   ZappySys API Driver - Outlook Mail (Office 365)

   Outlook Mail Connector (Office 365) can be used to integrate Office 365 Outlook Mail API in your App / BI Tools. You can download attachment, read / search Emails, Users, MailFolders, Send email and more.

   OutlookMailOffice365DSN

   

8. Start by selecting the Table or Endpoint you are interested in and then configure the parameters. This will generate a query that we will use in Tableau to retrieve data from Outlook Mail (Office 365). Hit OK button to use this query in the next step.

   SELECT * FROM MyMessages

   
   Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the Outlook Mail (Office 365) API, e.g. filtering parameters. It means that filtering will be done on the server side (instead of the client side), enabling you to get only the meaningful data much faster.

9. Now hit Preview Data button to preview the data using the generated SQL query. If you are satisfied with the result, use this query in Tableau:

   

   ZappySys API Driver - Outlook Mail (Office 365)

   Outlook Mail Connector (Office 365) can be used to integrate Office 365 Outlook Mail API in your App / BI Tools. You can download attachment, read / search Emails, Users, MailFolders, Send email and more.

   OutlookMailOffice365DSN

   SELECT * FROM MyMessages

   
   You can also access data quickly from the tables dropdown by selecting <Select table>.
   A WHERE clause, LIMIT keyword will be performed on the client side, meaning that the whole result set will be retrieved from the Outlook Mail (Office 365) API first, and only then the filtering will be applied to the data. If possible, it is recommended to use parameters in Query Builder to filter the data on the server side (in Outlook Mail (Office 365) servers).

10. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Read data in SQL Server using ZappySys Data Gateway

To read the data in SQL Server, the first thing you have to do is create a Linked Server:

1. First, let's open SQL Server Management Studio, create a new Linked Server, and start configuring it:

   LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY

   Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server

   localhost,5000

   OutlookMailOffice365DSN

   OutlookMailOffice365DSN

   
   Choose SQL Server Native Client 11.0 as Provider if you don't see the option shown above.

2. Then click on Security option and configure username we created in ZappySys Data Gateway in one of the previous steps:

   

3. Optional step. Under the Server Options, Enable RPC and RPC Out and Disable Promotion of Distributed Transactions(MSDTC).

   

   You need to enable RPC Out if you plan to use EXEC(...) AT [LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY] rather than OPENQUERY.
   If don't enabled it, you will encounter the Server 'LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY' is not configured for RPC error.

   Query Example:

   EXEC('SELECT * FROM MyMessages') AT [LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY]

   ---

   If you plan to use 'INSERT INTO <TABLE> EXEC(...) AT [LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY]' in that case you need to Disable Promotion of Distributed Transactions(MSDTC).
   If don't disabled it, you will encounter the The operation could not be performed because OLE DB provider "SQLNCLI11" for linked server "MY_LINKED_SERVER_NAME" was unable to begin a distributed transaction. error.

   Query Example:

   INSERT INTO dbo.Products
   EXEC('SELECT * FROM MyMessages') AT [LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY]
   

4. Finally, open a new query and execute a query we saved in one of the previous steps:
   

   SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY], 'SELECT * FROM MyMessages')

   

   SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY], 'SELECT * FROM MyMessages')

Create Linked Server using Code

In previous section you saw how to create a Linked Server from UI. You can do similar action by code too (see below). Run below script after changing necessary parameters. Assuming your Data Source name on ZappySys Data Gateway UI is 'OutlookMailOffice365DSN'

USE [master]
GO
--///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
--Run below code in SSMS to create Linked Server and use ZappySys Drivers in SQL Server
--///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

-- Replace YOUR_GATEWAY_USER, YOUR_GATEWAY_PASSWORD
-- Replace localhost with IP/Machine name if ZappySys Gateway Running on different machine other than SQL Server
-- Replace Port 5000 if you configured gateway on a different port


--1. Configure your gateway service as per this article https://zappysys.com/links?id=10036

--2. Make sure you have SQL Server Installed. You can download FREE SQL Server Express Edition from here if you dont want to buy Paid version https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-editions-express

--Uncomment below if you like to drop linked server if it already exists
--EXEC master.dbo.sp_dropserver @server=N'LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY', @droplogins='droplogins'

--3. Create new linked server

EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedserver
    @server = N'LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY'  --Linked server name (this will be used in OPENQUERY sql
, @srvproduct=N''
---- For MSSQL 2012,2014,2016 and 2019 use below (SQL Server Native Client 11.0)---
, @provider=N'SQLNCLI11'
---- For MSSQL 2022 or higher use below (Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server)---
--, @provider=N'MSOLEDBSQL'
, @datasrc=N'localhost,5000' --//Machine / Port where Gateway service is running
, @provstr=N'Network Library=DBMSSOCN;'
, @catalog=N'OutlookMailOffice365DSN' --Data source name you gave on Gateway service settings

--4. Attach gateway login with linked server

EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedsrvlogin
@rmtsrvname=N'LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY'  --linked server name
, @useself=N'False'
, @locallogin=NULL
, @rmtuser=N'YOUR_GATEWAY_USER' --enter your Gateway user name
, @rmtpassword='YOUR_GATEWAY_PASSWORD'  --enter your Gateway user's password
GO

--5. Enable RPC OUT (This is Optional - Only needed if you plan to use EXEC(...) AT YourLinkedServerName rather than OPENQUERY
EXEC sp_serveroption 'LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY', 'rpc', true;
EXEC sp_serveroption 'LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY', 'rpc out', true;

--Disable MSDTC - Below needed to support INSERT INTO from EXEC AT statement
EXEC sp_serveroption 'LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY', 'remote proc transaction promotion', false;

--Increase query timeout if query is going to take longer than 10 mins (Default timeout is 600 seconds)
--EXEC sp_serveroption 'LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY', 'query timeout', 1200;
GO

Create View in SQL Server

Finally, use this or similar query in a view or stored procedure, which you will be able to use in Tableau. We will create a view to return invoices:

1. CREATE VIEW vwApiInvoices AS
    SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY], 'SELECT * FROM Invoices')

Read data in Tableau from SQL Server

Actually, we will be getting data from SQL Server which in turn will be getting data from ZappySys Data Gateway data source. Let's begin and see how to accomplish that:

1. Open Tableau Desktop and click File > New
2. To create new Connection click More > Microsoft SQL Server > Enter your credentials to connect to SQL Server (in our example before we used tdsuser):
3. Once connection is created for SQL Server we can read Outlook Mail (Office 365) data 3 different ways:
   1. Query View which contains OPENQUERY to Linked Server for Outlook Mail (Office 365) data
   2. Use direct SQL Query using OPENQUERY
   3. Use Stored Procedure (Mostly useful to parameterize calls
4. See below example to pull data from Outlook Mail (Office 365) in Tableau using SQL View approach:
5. Once your data sources are created you can click on Sheet1 and drag fields to create visualizations for Tableau Dashboard:

Passing Parameters to Outlook Mail (Office 365) calls in Tableau (Dynamic SQL)

Now let's look at scenario where you have to pass parameters to build Dynamic Dashboard. You can try to insert Parameters in your Direct SQL when you build Dynamic SQL but we found some issues with that so we are going to suggest Stored Procedure approach. For more information on Known issue on Dynamic Metadata Check this post.

1. First lets create a stored procedure in SQL Server for Parameter Example. Notice how we added WITH RESULT SETS in the code to describe metadata.

   --DROP PROC dbo.usp_GetInvoicesByCountry
   --GO
   /*
   Purpose: Parameterize Outlook Mail (Office 365) call via SQL. Call ZappySys Drivers inside SQL Server.
   */
   CREATE PROC dbo.usp_GetInvoicesByCountry
   	@country varchar(100) 
   AS 
   
   DECLARE @sql varchar(max)
   --//Escape single ticks carefully
   SET @sql =  'SELECT OrderID,CustomerID,Country,Quantity FROM $
   WITH (Src=''https://services.odata.org/V3/Northwind/Northwind.svc/Invoices?$format=json@filter=Country eq '+ @country +'''
   	 ,Filter=''$.value[*]''
   	 ,DataFormat=''OData''
   )'
   
   DECLARE @sqlFull varchar(max)
   SET @sqlFull='SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY], ''' + REPLACE( @sql, '''', '''''' ) + ''' )'
   PRINT @sqlFull --//For DEBUG purpose
   
   EXECUTE (@sqlFull) 
   WITH RESULT SETS ( 
    (OrderID int,CustomerID varchar(100),Country varchar(100),Quantity int) --//describe first result. If you don't do this then wont work in Tableau 
   )
   GO
   -- Example call
   EXEC dbo.usp_GetInvoicesByCountry @country='Germany'

2. Once you create a stored procedure go to Tableau datasource and select Database which contains the stored procedure we just created.
3. Now find your stored proc and drag it on the datasource pane. You will see parameters UI as below. You can create new parameter - Select New Parameter under Value Column.
4. Thats it now you can reuse your parameterized datasource anywhere in Dashboard.
5. If you have need to select Parameters from predefined values rather than free text then edit your parameter and select List option. Define values you like to select from as below.
6. When you create Tableau Dashboard you will see Parameter dropdown (If you selected List) elase you may see Textbox to enter custom value.

Firewall settings

So far we have assumed that Gateway is running on the same machine as SQL Server. However there will be a case when ZappySys ODBC PowerPack is installed on a different machine than SQL Server. In such case you may have to perform additional Firewall configurations. On most computers firewall settings wont allow outside traffic to ZappySys Data Gateway. In such case perform following steps to allow other machines to connect to Gateway.

Method-1 (Preferred)

If you are using newer version of ZappySys Data Gateway then adding firewall rule is just a single click.

1. Search for gateway in start menu and open ZappySys Data Gateway.
2. Go to Firewall Tab and click Add Firewall Rule button like below. This will create Firewall rule to all Inbound Traffic on Port 5000 (Unless you changed it).

Method-2 Here is another way to add / edit Inbound Traffic rule in windows firewall. Use below method if you choose to customize your rule (for advanced users).

1. Search for Windows Firewall Advanced Security in start menu.
2. Under Inbound Rules > Right click and click [New Rule] >> Click Next
3. Select Port on Rule Type >> Click Next
4. Click on TCP and enter port number under specified local port as 5000 (use different one if you changed Default port) >> Click Next
5. Select Profile (i.e. Private, Public) >> Click Next
6. Enter Rule name [i.e. ZappySys Data Gateway – Allow Inbound ] >> Click Next
7. Click OK to save the rule

Actions supported by Outlook Mail (Office 365) Connector

Learn how to perform common Outlook Mail (Office 365) actions directly in Tableau with these how-to guides:

• Download Message Attachment (Single File)
• Download Message Attachments (Multiple Files) - Using Search Condition
• Get Mail Folder by Id [only works with User Credentials]
• Get Mail Folders
• Get Message Attachment
• Get Message Attachments
• Get Messages
• Get My Information
• Get My Mail Folders [only works with User Credentials]
• Get My Message by Id [only works with User Credentials]
• Get My Messages [only works with User Credentials]
• Get Table Columns
• Get Tables
• Get User by Id
• Get Users
• Send Mail
• Generic Request
• Generic Request (Bulk Write)

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to Outlook Mail (Office 365) in Tableau and integrate data without any coding, saving you time and effort. It's worth noting that ZappySys API Driver allows you to connect not only to Outlook Mail (Office 365), but to any Java application that supports JDBC (just use a different JDBC driver and configure it appropriately).

We encourage you to download Outlook Mail (Office 365) Connector for Tableau and see how easy it is to use it for yourself or your team.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact ZappySys support team. You can also open a live chat immediately by clicking on the chat icon below.

Download Outlook Mail (Office 365) Connector for Tableau Documentation

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