YouTube Connector for Tableau

Read / write YouTube data inside your app, perform many Youtube operations without coding using easy to use high performance API Connector for YouTube

In this article you will learn how to quickly and efficiently integrate YouTube data in Tableau without coding. We will use high-performance YouTube Connector to easily connect to YouTube and then access the data inside Tableau.

Let's follow the steps below to see how we can accomplish that!

Download Documentation

YouTube 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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Connect to YouTube in PowerShell

Connect to YouTube in ODBC

Create Data Source in ZappySys Data Gateway based on API Driver

Download and install ODBC PowerPack.
Search for gateway in start menu and Open ZappySys Data Gateway:
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:
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.

YoutubeDSN
When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "YouTube" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "YouTube" 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:

YoutubeDSN

YouTube

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.

API Key [Http]

Steps how to get and use YouTube credentials
This walkthrough will help you create an API Key which you will be able to use in all requests and authenticate accordingly.

Go to Google API Console
From the Project Dropdown (usually found at the top bar) click Select Project
On Project Popup click CREATE PROJECT
Once project is created you can click Select Project to switch the context (You can click on Notification link or Choose from Top Dropdown)
Click ENABLE APIs AND SERVICES
Now we need to Enable three APIs one by one (YouTube Data API, YouTube Analytics API, YouTube Reporting API).
Search YouTube Data API. Select and click ENABLE
Search YouTube Analytics API. Select and click ENABLE
Search YouTube Reporting API. Select and click ENABLE
Go to back to main screen of Google API Console
Click OAuth Consent Screen Tab. Enter necessary details and Save.
Click Credentials Tab
Click CREATE CREDENTIALS (some where in topbar) and select API key option.
In the popup, copy API Key from the field "Your API key", close this window, and use it in the UI configuration, "key" field

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

YoutubeDSN

YouTube

API Key [Http]

https://youtube.googleapis.com/youtube/v3

Required Parameters
key	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	403\|429
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

User Account [OAuth]

Steps how to get and use YouTube credentials
To register a custom app, perform the following steps (detailed steps found in the help link at the end)

Go to Google API Console
From the Project Dropdown (usually found at the top bar) click Select Project
On Project Popup click CREATE PROJECT
Once project is created you can click Select Project to switch the context (You can click on Notification link or Choose from Top Dropdown)
Click ENABLE APIs AND SERVICES
Now we need to Enable three APIs one by one (YouTube Data API, YouTube Analytics API, YouTube Reporting API).
Search YouTube Data API. Select and click ENABLE
Search YouTube Analytics API. Select and click ENABLE
Search YouTube Reporting API. Select and click ENABLE
Go to back to main screen of Google API Console
Click OAuth Consent Screen Tab. Enter necessary details and Save.
Click Credentials Tab
Click CREATE CREDENTIALS (some where in topbar) and select OAuth Client ID option.
When prompted Select Application Type as Desktop App and click Create to receive your ClientID and Secret. Later on you can use this information now to configure Connection.
Go to OAuth Consent Screen tab. Under Publishing Status click PUBLISH APP to ensure your refresh token doesnt expire often. If you planning to use App for Private use then do not have to worry about Verification Status after Publish.

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

YoutubeDSN

YouTube

User Account [OAuth]

https://youtube.googleapis.com/youtube/v3

Optional Parameters
ClientId
ClientSecret
Scope	https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.readonly https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtubepartner https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.force-ssl https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.upload https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtubepartner-channel-audit https://www.googleapis.com/auth/yt-analytics-monetary.readonly https://www.googleapis.com/auth/yt-analytics.readonly
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	403\|429
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True
Redirect URL (Only for Web App)

Service Account (Using Private Key File) [OAuth]

Steps how to get and use YouTube credentials
Use these steps to authenticate as service account rather than Google / GSuite User. Learn more about service account here

Basically to call Google API as Service account we need to perform following steps listed in 3 sections (Detailed steps found in the help link at the end)

Create Project

First thing is create a Project so we can call Google API. Skip this section if you already have Project (Go to next section)

Go to Google API Console
From the Project Dropdown (usually found at the top bar) click Select Project
On Project Popup click CREATE PROJECT
Once project is created you can click Select Project to switch the context (You can click on Notification link or Choose from Top Dropdown)
Click ENABLE APIs AND SERVICES
Now we need to Enable three APIs one by one (YouTube Data API, YouTube Analytics API, YouTube Reporting API)
Search YouTube Data API. Select and click ENABLE
Search YouTube Analytics API. Select and click ENABLE
Search YouTube Reporting API. Select and click ENABLE

Create Service Account

Once Project is created and APIs are enabled we can now create a service account under that project. Service account has its ID which looks like some email ID (not to confuse with Google /Gmail email ID)

Go to Create Service Account
From the Project Dropdown (usually found at the top bar) click Select Project
Enter Service account name and Service account description
For Role, do not select anything for now and Click Continue and then click Done. Next we will create Key.

Create Key

Once service account is created we need to create key file (i.e. credentials).

In the Cloud Console, click the email address for the service account that you created.
Click Keys.
Click Add key, then click Create new key.
Click Create and select P12 format. A P12 key file is downloaded to your computer. We will use this file in our API connection.
Click Close.
Now you may use downloaded *.p12 key file as secret file and Service Account Email as Client ID (e.g. some-service-account-name@your-project-id.iam.gserviceaccount.com ).

Add Permission

Now last thing is give read/write permission to Service Account. Basically you can create or open Google Sheet and add the Service Account as an editor to it as below.

Copy the email address of your service account we created in previous step (its usually like this some-service-account-name@your-project-id.iam.gserviceaccount.com).
Create or select an existing Google Sheet.
Navigate to Sheet for which you like to give read/write access to Service Account.
Click on the Share button in the top right, and add the email address of the service account as an editor. Here is how to share file(s) with specific people. Juse share with Service Account (use Service Account Email found on previous section)

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

YoutubeDSN

YouTube

Service Account (Using Private Key File) [OAuth]

https://youtube.googleapis.com/youtube/v3

Required Parameters
Service Account Email	Fill-in the parameter...
Service Account Private Key Path (i.e. *.p12)	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
Scope	https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.readonly https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtubepartner https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.force-ssl https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.upload https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtubepartner-channel-audit https://www.googleapis.com/auth/yt-analytics-monetary.readonly https://www.googleapis.com/auth/yt-analytics.readonly
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	403\|429
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

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 - YouTube

Read / write YouTube data inside your app, perform many Youtube operations without coding using easy to use high performance API Connector for YouTube

YoutubeDSN
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 YouTube. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step.
```
SELECT * FROM MyVideos
```
Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the YouTube 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.
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 - YouTube

Read / write YouTube data inside your app, perform many Youtube operations without coding using easy to use high performance API Connector for YouTube

YoutubeDSN
```
SELECT * FROM MyVideos
```
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 YouTube 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 YouTube servers).
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:

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

LS_TO_YOUTUBE_IN_GATEWAY

Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server

localhost,5000

YoutubeDSN

YoutubeDSN

Choose SQL Server Native Client 11.0 as Provider if you don't see the option shown above.
Then click on Security option and configure username we created in ZappySys Data Gateway in one of the previous steps:
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_YOUTUBE_IN_GATEWAY] rather than OPENQUERY.
If don't enabled it, you will encounter the Server 'LS_TO_YOUTUBE_IN_GATEWAY' is not configured for RPC error.

Query Example:
```
EXEC('SELECT * FROM MyVideos') AT [LS_TO_YOUTUBE_IN_GATEWAY]
```
If you plan to use 'INSERT INTO <TABLE> EXEC(...) AT [LS_TO_YOUTUBE_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 MyVideos') AT [LS_TO_YOUTUBE_IN_GATEWAY]
```

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

SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([LS_TO_YOUTUBE_IN_GATEWAY], 'SELECT * FROM MyVideos')

Execute query at Linked Server to ZappySys Data Gateway in SSMS

SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([LS_TO_YOUTUBE_IN_GATEWAY], 'SELECT * FROM MyVideos')

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 'YoutubeDSN'

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_YOUTUBE_IN_GATEWAY', @droplogins='droplogins'

--3. Create new linked server

EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedserver
    @server = N'LS_TO_YOUTUBE_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'YoutubeDSN' --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_YOUTUBE_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_YOUTUBE_IN_GATEWAY', 'rpc', true;
EXEC sp_serveroption 'LS_TO_YOUTUBE_IN_GATEWAY', 'rpc out', true;

--Disable MSDTC - Below needed to support INSERT INTO from EXEC AT statement
EXEC sp_serveroption 'LS_TO_YOUTUBE_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_YOUTUBE_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:

CREATE VIEW vwApiInvoices AS
 SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([LS_TO_YOUTUBE_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:

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

Passing Parameters to YouTube 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.

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 YouTube 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_YOUTUBE_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'

Once you create a stored procedure go to Tableau datasource and select Database which contains the stored procedure we just created.
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.
Thats it now you can reuse your parameterized datasource anywhere in Dashboard.
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.
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.

Search for gateway in start menu and open ZappySys Data Gateway.
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).

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

SQL Server Firewall Allow Inbound Data Gateway

Actions supported by YouTube Connector

Learn how to perform common YouTube actions directly in Tableau with these how-to guides:

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to YouTube 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 YouTube, but to any Java application that supports JDBC (just use a different JDBC driver and configure it appropriately).

We encourage you to download YouTube 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 YouTube Connector for Tableau Documentation

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Download YouTube Connector for Tableau Documentation

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YouTube Connector for Tableau

Create Data Source in ZappySys Data Gateway based on API Driver

API Key [Http]

User Account [OAuth]

Service Account (Using Private Key File) [OAuth]

Create Project

Create Service Account

Create Key

Add Permission

Read data in SQL Server using ZappySys Data Gateway

Create Linked Server using Code

Create View in SQL Server

Read data in Tableau from SQL Server

Passing Parameters to YouTube calls in Tableau (Dynamic SQL)

Firewall settings

Actions supported by YouTube Connector

Conclusion

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