How to use External Authentication feature in BI Connector?

Modified on Tue, 07 Jun 2022 at 10:10 PM

BI Connector's SSO integration module enables users to login to OBIEE from Tableau/Power BI/Qlik using their SSO username/password.  The note below shows you how it works.  


SSO Modules Supported by BI Connector

BI Connector supports three modes of SSO authentication:


  1. Default  - Use this if you have any type of SSO (e.g., AD) other than OAM.  
  2. Oracle Access Manager (OAM) - Use this if you have OAM as OBIEE SSO module.
    If there are any customization done on the OAM , there is a possibility that the OAM/SSO may not work as expected from BI Connector. Please contact the BI Connector support team on the process for custom SSO integration. 
  3. Custom SSO Integration:  Our Professional Services team will develop a custom SSO integration to your SSO module if Default or OAM approach doesn't work.  This would involve a nominal fee for development, testing, and deployment.
    If you also have any multi-factor authentication as part of the SSO logon, then additional integration effort is needed to support that.


Note on Automatic Single Sign-on

Please note that Tableau currently does not support automatic login to ODBC data sources even if you have already logged into Tableau Server using SSO.   This is a limitation of Tableau Server and Desktop.  As a result, when users connect to an OBIEE data source, Tableau would prompt users to login again using their SSO username/password (typically once per session per datasource).  


Step-by-Step Guide


If you are using Single Sign-on (SSO) in your organization, please select the "Single Sign-on" checkbox.  


Note: From BI Connector v5.12 "Single Sign-on" checkbox is replaced as "External Authentication" checkbox.


If Single Sign On is enabled “Default” in combo box will be selected by default. Enter the OBIEE server credentials and click OK. BI Connector would then automatically use the correct mechanism to connect to your OBIEE environment.  



If you are using "OAM (Oracle Access Manager)" server as your SSO Provider in your organization, then select it from the combo box as shown in the below screenshot. BI Connector would then connect to your OBIEE environment via OAM server.