Collect Tableau logs

Supported in:

This document explains how to ingest Tableau logs to Google Security Operations using Bindplane.

Tableau is a business intelligence and data visualization platform that generates user activity, authentication, and audit logs. Tableau Server stores log files on the server file system, making file-based collection ideal for ingestion.

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following prerequisites:

  • A Google SecOps instance
  • Windows Server 2016 or later, or Linux host with systemd
  • Network connectivity between the Bindplane agent and the Tableau Server host
  • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
  • Privileged access to Tableau Server with administrator permissions
  • Access to Tableau Server log files on the server file system

Get Google SecOps ingestion authentication file

  1. Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
  2. Go to SIEM Settings > Collection Agents.

  3. Download the Ingestion Authentication File. Save the file securely on the system where Bindplane will be installed.

Get Google SecOps customer ID

  1. Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
  2. Go to SIEM Settings > Profile.

  3. Copy and save the Customer ID from the Organization Details section.

Install the Bindplane agent

Install the Bindplane agent on your Windows or Linux operating system according to the following instructions.

Windows installation

  1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as an administrator.

  2. Run the following command:

    msiexec /i "https://github.com/observIQ/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/observiq-otel-collector.msi" /quiet

  3. Wait for the installation to complete.

  4. Verify the installation by running:

    sc query observiq-otel-collector

The service should show as RUNNING.

Linux installation

  1. Open a terminal with root or sudo privileges.

  2. Run the following command:

    sudo sh -c "$(curl -fsSlL https://github.com/observiq/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/install_unix.sh)" install_unix.sh

  3. Wait for the installation to complete.

  4. Verify the installation by running:

    sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector

The service should show as active (running).

Additional installation resources

For additional installation options and troubleshooting, see Bindplane agent installation guide.

Configure Bindplane agent to ingest syslog and send to Google SecOps

Locate the configuration file

  • Linux:

    sudo nano /etc/bindplane-agent/config.yaml

  • Windows:

    notepad "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\config.yaml"

Edit the configuration file

  • Replace the entire contents of config.yaml with the following configuration:

    receivers:
    filelog:
        include:
            - /var/opt/tableau/tableau_server/data/tabsvc/logs/httpd/access.*.log
            - /var/opt/tableau/tableau_server/data/tabsvc/logs/vizqlserver/*.log
            - /var/opt/tableau/tableau_server/data/tabsvc/logs/backgrounder/*.log
        start_at: beginning

exporters:
    chronicle/tableau:
        compression: gzip
        creds_file_path: '/etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json'
        customer_id: '<customer_id>'
        endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
        log_type: TABLEAU
        raw_log_field: body
        ingestion_labels:
            env: production

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/tableau_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - filelog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/tableau

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

  • Receiver configuration:

    • filelog: The receiver type for collecting log files from disk
    • include: List of file paths or glob patterns to monitor:
      • Linux: /var/opt/tableau/tableau_server/data/tabsvc/logs/
      • Windows: C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\logs\
      • Key log files include httpd/access.*.log (Apache access logs), vizqlserver/*.log (VizQL server logs), and backgrounder/*.log (background task logs)
      • Adjust the paths to match your Tableau Server installation
    • start_at: Set to beginning to read existing log files from the start, or end to only read new entries

  • Exporter configuration:

    • tableau: Descriptive name for the exporter
    • creds_file_path: Full path to ingestion authentication file:
      • Linux: /etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json
      • Windows: C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json
    • <customer_id>: Customer ID from the previous step
    • endpoint: Regional endpoint URL:
      • US: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      • Europe: europe-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      • Asia: asia-southeast1-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      • See Regional Endpoints for complete list
    • TABLEAU: Log type exactly as it appears in Chronicle
    • ingestion_labels: Optional labels in YAML format (for example, env: production)

Pipeline configuration: * tableau_to_chronicle: Descriptive name for the pipeline

Save the configuration file

  • After editing, save the file:
    • Linux: Press Ctrl+O, then Enter, then Ctrl+X
    • Windows: Click File > Save

Restart the Bindplane agent to apply the changes

To restart the Bindplane agent in Linux:

  1. Run the following command:

    sudo systemctl restart observiq-otel-collector

  2. Verify the service is running:

    sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector

  3. Check logs for errors:

    sudo journalctl -u observiq-otel-collector -f

To restart the Bindplane agent in Windows:

  1. Choose one of the following options:

    • Command Prompt or PowerShell as administrator:
    net stop observiq-otel-collector && net start observiq-otel-collector
    • Services console:
      1. Press Win+R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
      2. Locate observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector.
      3. Right-click and select Restart.

  2. Verify the service is running:

    sc query observiq-otel-collector

  3. Check logs for errors:

    type "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\log\collector.log"

Verify Tableau Server log file locations

  1. Sign in to the Tableau Server host with administrator privileges.
  2. Verify the log file directories:
    • Linux: /var/opt/tableau/tableau_server/data/tabsvc/logs/
    • Windows: C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\logs\
  3. Key log subdirectories and files:
    • httpd/access.*.log: Apache access logs with HTTP request details
    • vizqlserver/*.log: VizQL server logs with visualization query activity
    • backgrounder/*.log: Background task logs with scheduled job activity

  4. (Optional) Generate a log archive using the TSM command-line tool for verification:

    tsm maintenance ziplogs -a -t -o -f tableau-logs.zip

  5. Update the include paths in the Bindplane agent config.yaml if the log directory differs from the defaults.

UDM mapping table

Log Field UDM Mapping Logic
dataserver_permissions, local_dataserver, saved_credentials_viewerid, locale, server_oauth, :id, server_viewerid, dataserver_version, tablename, ElapsedTime, LastStatus, Timeszone additional.fields Merged key-value pairs from specified fields
Content metadata.description Value copied directly after removing "_"
ID, RemoteHost metadata.event_type Set to USER_UNCATEGORIZED if ID not empty, STATUS_UPDATE if RemoteHost present, GENERIC_EVENT otherwise
protocol network.application_protocol Value copied directly
http_version network.application_protocol_version Value copied directly
method network.http.method Value copied directly after removing ""
SizeBytes network.received_bytes Converted to uinteger
session_id network.session_id Value copied directly
Workername principal.asset.hostname Value copied directly
RemoteHost principal.asset.ip Value copied directly
Workername principal.hostname Value copied directly
RemoteHost principal.ip Value copied directly
Port principal.nat_port Converted to integer
ID principal.user.product_object_id Value copied directly
RemoteUser principal.user.userid Value copied directly if not empty or "_"
logging_ctx security_result.detection_fields Merged key-value pair from logging_ctx
path target.file.full_path Value copied directly
dbname target.resource.name Value copied directly
metadata.product_name Set to "Tableau"
metadata.vendor_name Set to "TABLEAU"

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