Integrating programming languages
How does integration empower Tableau? It happens through calculated fields. Tableau dynamically interfaces with Rserve or TabPy to pass values and receive results. And Tableau Prep Builder also has R and Python integration as we saw in Chapter 3, Tableau Prep Builder! So let's not waste any time and jump right in.
Basic Tableau-to-R and Tableau-to-Python integration is quite simple: The view shows data based on a calculated field, with the help of which Tableau pushes data to Rserve or TabPy respectively and then retrieves the results via a table calculation:
Figure 15.1: Tableau external services
Naturally, whether you are viewing a workbook on Tableau Desktop or via Tableau Server, if you wish to run R and Python calculations, then Rserve or TabPy must be accessible.
For a proper understanding of the integration, let's also look at the Tableau/R workflow as an example. Terms used in the following diagram...