Tableau Connector for FileMaker Read Me
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The Tableau Connector for FileMaker is a custom Tableau connector, a .taco file, built by Beezwax with the Tableau Connector SDK. It extracts data from a hosted FileMaker solution over JDBC so you can build and publish dashboards in Tableau.
The connector replaces the legacy Web Data Connector. It connects to Tables and Table Occurrences rather than to layouts, one connection reaches every table the account can see, and in our testing extracts ran up to ten times faster. Performance figures are at the end of this page.
Two pieces have to be installed on the machine that opens the connection:
- fmjdbc.jar, the FileMaker JDBC client driver. This ships with Claris FileMaker, not with the connector.
- filemaker_jdbc.taco, the Beezwax connector file.
Both files are local to whichever product opens the connection. Tableau Desktop, Tableau Server, and Tableau Bridge each need their own copy of both. Installing them on the FileMaker server does nothing.
Requirements
- FileMaker Server with ODBC/JDBC enabled under Connectors in the Admin Console. Server 19 or later is highly recommended, since that release fixed an xDBC memory leak that shows up on large extracts.
- A valid SSL certificate on the FileMaker server.
- Tableau Desktop or Tableau Server, 2020.3 or later. From 2020.3 Tableau supplies its own Java, so there is nothing extra to install. On earlier versions you have to install a JDK, 1.6 or later, yourself, following the instructions on Tableau's JDBC help page.
- An account with the fmxdbc extended privilege and view access to the tables and fields you want in Tableau.
- Tableau Cloud is not supported. See Tableau Cloud and Tableau Bridge below.
The connector is extract only. Live connections are not supported.
How it works
The Web Data Connector reached into FileMaker through layout context and moved data with the FileMaker Data API. This connector uses JDBC and addresses Tables and Table Occurrences directly.
That changes three things for a FileMaker developer. You grant access at the table and field level in a privilege set instead of building dedicated layouts. One established connection exposes every table that privilege set can view, so there is a single connection to manage rather than one per source. And the JDBC transfer itself is much faster than the Data API.
It also changes what you see in Tableau. Once connected, the dialog lists every Table Occurrence in the solution, not just base tables, so the same underlying data can appear several times under different names. More on that under Connecting from Tableau.
Installing the JDBC driver
The driver has to go where Tableau looks for drivers, which is not where Claris tells you to put it. Claris documentation points at the Java classpath or /Library/Java/Extensions. Tableau does not read either location, and a driver left there produces the error covered under Troubleshooting below.
Find fmjdbc.jar under Extras/xDBC/JDBC Client Driver in your Claris FileMaker electronic delivery. Use the copy that matches your FileMaker Server version. Copy it to:
- Tableau Desktop, Windows: C:\Program Files\Tableau\Drivers
- Tableau Desktop, Mac: ~/Library/Tableau/Drivers or /Library/Tableau/Drivers
- Tableau Server, Windows: C:\Program Files\Tableau\Drivers
- Tableau Server, Linux: /opt/tableau/tableau_driver/jdbc
Restart Tableau, or the server, after copying the driver.
Installing the connector file
Then install filemaker_jdbc.taco:
- Tableau Desktop, Windows and Mac: copy it into My Tableau Repository/Connectors, then restart Tableau Desktop. FileMaker JDBC by Beezwax should now appear in the Connect list.
- Tableau Server, Windows: copy it into <Tableau Server install directory>/data/tabsvc/vizqlserver/Connectors. On a default install that is C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\vizqlserver\Connectors.
- Tableau Server, Linux: copy it into /opt/tableau_connectors, or the tableau_connectors directory of your Tableau installation.
Restart the server after installing.
Configuring FileMaker Server
In the FileMaker Server Admin Console, go to Connectors, open the ODBC/JDBC section, and enable it. The file you want to reach also has to be hosted and open.
Port 2399 needs to be open between the Tableau machine and the FileMaker server.
The account and its privileges
Tableau connects as a FileMaker account, so what Tableau can see is decided by that account's privilege set. Two settings are required:
- Enable the fmxdbc extended privilege.
- Grant view access to the tables and the specific fields you want to expose.
Setting a table's view access to Yes exposes every record in it. A record-level access calculation works here too, if only some records should reach Tableau. Custom Field Privileges let you expose only the fields Tableau needs.
Scoping the privilege set tightly is worth the effort. It is Beezwax's own standard setup for this connector, it improves performance, and it cuts down the list of columns someone has to sort through in Tableau later. Set it up with a FileMaker developer who knows the solution.
Connecting from Tableau
Choose FileMaker JDBC by Beezwax from the Connect list and fill in the server, database, and account.
Three things in that dialog catch people out:
- The Server field takes a host name or address. It does not take http:// or https://.
- The database name is not case sensitive, but it must not contain a period. Underscores are fine, other non-alphanumeric characters are best avoided. A bad database name fails in a way that looks like a driver or authentication problem.
- Passwords are case sensitive.
Once connected, the dialog exposes every Table Occurrence in the solution rather than just base tables. Several occurrences can point at the same underlying table, so it is easy to pull the same data more than once through different names. Read the relationship graph before choosing occurrences, or ask the developer who built the solution.
Tableau Cloud and Tableau Bridge
Tableau Cloud cannot load a custom connector, and it cannot reach an on-premise FileMaker server. The connector does not work with Tableau Cloud directly.
The one route to Tableau Cloud is Tableau Bridge, running on a Windows machine inside the network. Bridge needs its own local copy of both files: the .taco in Documents\My Tableau Bridge Repository\Connectors and fmjdbc.jar in C:\Program Files\Tableau\Drivers. Restart Bridge afterward.
Beezwax has not certified this configuration. Treat it as unsupported and test it before relying on it.
Troubleshooting
No suitable driver installed or wrong url
This is a Java message from Tableau, not an error from FileMaker. It means Tableau could not find a JDBC driver that recognizes jdbc:filemaker:// URLs. Check three things, in order:
- fmjdbc.jar is in the correct folder for your operating system and your Tableau product. Desktop and Server use different paths on Linux. See Installing the JDBC driver.
- The driver came from the same FileMaker version as the server.
- Tableau was restarted after the driver was copied.
Connection refused, or the connection times out
Confirm ODBC/JDBC is enabled on FileMaker Server under Connectors, that port 2399 is open between the Tableau machine and the server, and that the file is hosted and open.
Authentication fails
Confirm the account has the fmxdbc extended privilege enabled and that the password is right. Passwords are case sensitive.
The connection succeeds but the data looks wrong
Usually this is Table Occurrences. The dialog lists all of them, so the same table can be pulled several times under different names. See Connecting from Tableau.
FileMaker Server 2026 notes
FileMaker Server 26.0.1 had a known issue where an SSL certificate with a passcode blocked both OData and xDBC access. It was fixed in 26.0.2, released August 2026. Confirm the server is on 26.0.2 or later before troubleshooting anything else.
On Linux, enabling JDBC before restarting the server could damage the installed certificate. Restart first.
Claris ships a new xDBC driver with each release, and it replaces the previous one. Use the driver that matches the server you are connecting to.
Performance
Two comparisons against the legacy Web Data Connector, from our own testing.
A small solution, 33,859 records, all local fields and no unstored calculations:
| Method | Connect | Extract |
|---|---|---|
| Web Data Connector | 9 seconds | about 25 seconds |
| Tableau Connector | 5 seconds | about 10 seconds |
A larger solution, 1,100,000 records, three runs per method:
| Method | Average extract |
|---|---|
| Web Data Connector | 20.5 minutes |
| Tableau Connector | 1.9 minutes |
Roughly ten times faster at a million records.
Getting help
Beezwax is a Tableau Services Partner and a Claris Platinum Partner. For a question about the connector, or help with a Tableau and FileMaker integration, use the Tableau Connector support form.
Background on how the connector was built, and the full comparison against the Web Data Connector, is on the blog: A fast, flexible Tableau Connector for FileMaker. The product page is at Tableau Connector for FileMaker.