This article outlines the most direct way of getting started with Autom8. It’s a good idea to go through these steps to get acquainted with how Autom8 works, and how it enables connecting Tableau to n8n.

This “Getting Started” guide is based on one of the simplest example use cases Autom8 enables:

We have a Tableau dashboard with profit per state. We want the Sales manager to be able to select states with e.g. a profit deficit, and then automatically share that data to request a review from their team in Slack.

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Apologies; we know Nova Scotia is a province, not a state.

You can follow this guide with any dashboard in your Tableau environment.

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High-level architecture of Autom8

Simply put, Autom8 enables Tableau to send data to any n8n workflow with two components built natively for each platform:

• The Tableau (Dashboard) Extension which gathers and sends the data.

• The (custom) n8n nodes for Autom8, which receive and pass on the data to the n8n workflow(s).

In other words, Autom8 bridges the gap between the two platforms. With this simple flow in mind, let’s walk through the prerequisites as well as how the Extension and the node can be used.

Tableau Server and Cloud are both compatible. The Autom8 Extension can be used in Tableau Desktop, as well as in Web Authoring in the browser.

There are two options to obtain and use the Dashboard Extension.

• TABLEAU EXCHANGE Add the Extension to your dashboard directly from the Tableau Exchange.
  
  

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  Using the Exchange is the easiest way to add Autom8.

   

• LOCAL Download the trex file to access this as a “Local Extension” in Tableau Desktop or Web Authoring. Direct link: https://biztory-tableau-extensions.web.app/extensions/autom8/autom8.trex

On the Tableau (Server or Cloud) environment where Autom8 is to be used, make sure the Extension URL is on the safelist. Refer to the documentation (Cloud/Server) for detailed information if needed.

The URL to safelist for Autom8 is the same regardless of whether it was installed from the Exchange, or with a local file:
https://biztory-tableau-extensions.web.app/extensions/autom8/autom8.html

The n8n node for Autom8 Actions is compatible with both deployment methods: that is, with n8n Cloud as well as the self-hosted variants. It is available regardless of the plan/license type used, including for the free and Community editions.

The installation method varies depending on the deployment method:

• CLOUD + SELF-HOSTED As a verified community node, directly from the nodes panel.

• SELF-HOSTED ONLY Through the community node menu in settings. The npm package is the following:

  • Name: @biztory/n8n-nodes-autom8-tableau-action-trigger

  • Link: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@biztory/n8n-nodes-autom8-tableau-action-trigger

Autom8 functions with a license. For more information, see: Licensing & Legal. A free license is available as well.

This is the fun part. Time to Autom8 our demo use case! Let’s set up the n8n node as well as the Tableau Extension so we can send our dashboard’s data to Slack.

We start in n8n, with a new workflow to which we want to send our Tableau data. The first thing we’ll do is add the Autom8 Action trigger node to the workflow:

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Next, we’ll click the newly added Autom8 Tableau - Data Action Trigger node, and configure it. The configuration takes place in this (typical n8n) screen:

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The settings for Authentication and Respond, as well as the additional Options, are optional. They will not be discussed in this “Getting Started” guide, but you can consult the specific documentation for the n8n Action Node to learn more.

The only setting that does need to be configured each time, is the Webhook Path. The webhook path will determine where your workflow can be reached, which is information needed when we’ll configure the Tableau Extension.

The Webhook Path should be unique in your n8n environment, and we recommend using a descriptive but succinct name. In our case, we might opt for e.g. autom8-tableau-profit-slack-review, because we want to send our profit data to Slack for review.

Then, we’ll click on “Webhook URLs” to expand the section with the two relevant URLs for wiring up our workflow to our Tableau dashboard:

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Our Webhook Path value became part of the URLs!

At this point, we’ll copy the Test URL (simply by clicking it) and move to Tableau for the next steps…

At this point, in Tableau, we have performed our analysis, designed our dashboard, … and we’re ready to connect the dashboard to our n8n workflow. We’ll start by… adding the Extension by dragging “🧩 Extension“ onto the dashboard:

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You may or may not have used Dashboard Extensions before…

During the prerequisites' steps, we will have downloaded the Extension’s trex file (see Getting the Dashboard Extension). We can now use it via “Access Local Extensions”:

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We’ll locate the trex file that we downloaded earlier, and select it. The Extension is added to the dashboard. Let’s go ahead and configure it:

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Like with the n8n node, there are a ton of customization options and settings. We’ll focus on the bare minimum in this guide, but a reference for the other options is available here: Tableau Extension.

In this case, there are two values we need to provide to get the connection between Tableau and n8n to work at all:

• The license key, obtained during prerequisites, under Getting Started. We’ll enter the license key and click “Validate”. In case of issues, see Licensing & Legal.

• The n8n Webhook URL, obtained during the n8n node configuration. In our case here, we’ll use the test URL at this point. For our environment, this was https://n8n.biztory.com/webhook-test/autom8-tableau-profit-slack-review.

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Almost ready…

And at this point, we can perform our first test for sending data from Tableau to n8n. We’ll click “💾 Save Configuration”.

Exciting! We are going to test whether our data can go from Tableau to n8n. First, let’s clarify one important concept that is specific to how n8n works here.

With this in mind, as we are in test mode, let’s activate the webhook test mode by clicking the “Execute step” button in n8n:

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We’ll note that the Autom8 trigger/webhook node goes into listening/active testing mode:

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Which is our cue to go into Tableau, select some marks, and click the Autom8 button:

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Both platforms should confirm that this worked:

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And in n8n, we should see this most valuable thing of all:

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Success!

Meaning, we have what we need to build the rest of our n8n workflow! Consider pinning the Autom8 Action Trigger Node data to continue developing:

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And thus, here is our use case workflow where we send the data to Slack:

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This concludes the “Getting Started” guide for Autom8. From here, the sky is the limit! Consider all the possibilities thanks to n8n’s vast amount of nodes and integrations. No idea is too crazy… you literally could have an agent open your house’s garage door if it considers a department’s sales number to be too low.

It’s quite simple:

• Start experimenting with what we’ve built in this guide.

• Explore the possibilities for customizing the Autom8 Extension in Tableau: Tableau Extension.

• Find out what settings the Autom8 n8n node has to offer: n8n Action Node.

• Consider using authentication between the two components, for added security: Authentication.

• Try the Autom8 Alert approach when you’re done exploring Autom8 Action.

• Go completely wild and Autom8 any use case you can think of, straight from your existing Tableau dashboards!