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Tableau | Data visualisation

Background maps improvements

Adding custom Mapbox maps in Tableau 2020.3 is now a quick paste-the-URL job straight from the Background Maps menu.

Tim Ngwena •12 August 2020 •1 min read •2 min watch •1.6K

In Tableau 2020.2 you added custom maps via Map > Background Maps > Map Services > Manage Maps > Add, then chose Mapbox and pasted the integration URL
In 2020.3 the option moved so you can add a Mapbox map directly from the Background Maps menu
To add a Mapbox map you paste the style URL and enter a style name, and the other fields prefill automatically
The 2020.3 update is a quality-of-life change with a more modern interface that makes adding custom maps simpler

0:00In Tableau 2020.3, Tableau have added some

0:02improvements

0:03to where you can find background maps in

0:05the menu options.

0:07Right now I'm in 2020.2.

0:08You can see that here in this information

0:11box

0:11just on the screen.

0:13I'm gonna close this and I'm gonna head

0:15over to Map.

0:15And previously, what you had to do with

0:17background maps

0:18is head over to this option and head down

0:21to Manage Apps.

0:22Once you'd open that, you'd get this Map

0:24Services box.

0:25And in here, you'd have to hit the Add

0:27button

0:28to get to the mapping servers that you

0:29wanted to add.

0:30In this case, I want to add a Mapbox map.

0:33I'd then get my star name.

0:35So I'd say, call this custom for now.

0:38I then need to switch over to Mapbox.

0:41And if I just do that very quickly,

0:43I'm gonna have to bring this in from

0:45another screen.

0:47I'm gonna just grab the URL, the

0:49integration URL here.

0:50I've got a third party selector selected

0:53here.

0:53And I'm gonna grab this URL.

0:55Then I'm gonna go back to Tableau,

0:57make sure I go back to the right version of

0:59Tableau

1:00for starters.

1:01I think this is the right version.

1:03Let me just double check.

1:04This is 2020.3.

1:06Let's go back to 2020.2.

1:10And then here, when I paste the URL,

1:12it actually prefills all the other fields.

1:15I hit OK.

1:16And now you see my map has changed

1:19instantly.

1:20If I hit Close and I switch over to 2020.3,

1:24which I can now see has got the old map,

1:27this is slightly different.

1:29The map options has actually moved.

1:30So previously, when I went to Background

1:33Maps,

1:34I didn't have a direct option to add Mapbox

1:37maps from here.

1:38So I can just go ahead, click that button.

1:41And when I add the style URL this time, you

1:44'll notice,

1:45actually that's the style name.

1:46I should just cut that.

1:48Just enter the URL here, add the style name

1:51here,

1:51custom, click OK.

1:55And that's all you need to do.

1:56It's a really, really simple process.

1:58So it's really, again, another quality of

2:00life improvement,

2:01updating that interface to be slightly more

2:04modern

2:04and making it easier to add custom maps to

2:08Tableau.

2:09OK, thanks for watching.

2:10If you've enjoyed this video, you know what

2:12to do.

2:12If you haven't enjoyed this video,

2:14let us know in the comments what you'd like

2:16to see more of.

2:16And be sure to check out some of the other

2:18videos on 2020.3

2:21and also some of the older videos

2:22on previous releases of Tableau.

Tableau release notes:The ability to add third-party map services, such as WMS Maps or Mapbox Maps, is now available directly in the background maps menu. Enjoy an updated UI to more easily add and manage your external map connections.This video is part of a larger playlist on Tableau 2020.3. Be sure to check out other videos in the playlist and subscribe for more content.https://tableautim.com -------Join my Discord Server. https://discord.gg/shBuxXr it’s a little sparse at the moment but hang in there.