Hello all,
I have (Recently upgraded the servers to version 2026.2.1) Linux server and using tnsnames.ors files for Oracle DB connections. Also has the 'ojdbc11.jar' driver file placed at /opt/tableau/tableau_driver/jdbc location.
(Note: Other data extracts or refreshes works normally. only issue with this recently created flow which outputs multiple files)
I see one of the prep flows on the server is failing with ERROR: "
Output step error message: [FailedToConnectExternalResourceError] - Unable to connect to DataSource_Name on DataSource_Name. Check that the data source is available, or edit the connection and enter your credentials again
"
When I check connection from the panel 'Test Connection' works and shows successful, but at the runtime this flow fails.
I have tnsfiles.ora with proper DB connection names and have placed the 'oracle.properties' file with the string 'oracle.net.tns_admin=/etc' within at locations:
1. /var/opt/tableau/tableau_server/data/tabsvc/flowminerva/Datasources/oracle.properties
2./var/opt/tableau/tableau_server/data/tabsvc/minerva/Datasources/oracle.properties
3./var/opt/tableau/tableau_server/data/tabsvc/vizqlserver/Datasources/oracle.properties
also, just now added the file at -
4. /var/opt/tableau/tableau_server/data/tabsvc/flowprocessor/Datasources/oracle.properties
Any idea what can I check for?
Thank you!
Hi Vikas,
Test Connection and the flow run are not the same session. Test Connection uses you. A Prep flow on Tableau Server runs with the credentials embedded on the flow, under the server account that executes flows. Other extracts can keep working while this flow doesn't, if this one is the only place those credentials aren't embedded.
The message you pasted is on the output step: unable to connect to that data source. That's the output connection, not automatically the Oracle input. A flow that writes several files has an output connection of its own, and that's the one I'd open first.
On the Oracle side, the process that actually runs the flow has to see the JDBC driver and oracle.properties. Dropping the file under flowprocessor while that process is already up doesn't always get picked up. Restart the flow services after the file is in place, then run this one flow again.
I wouldn't call this a tnsnames problem until the output step still can't connect when you run it as the same account the server uses. I also don't have a published defect for 2026.2.1 that matches this, so I won't invent one.
