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What this is

Tableau AWS S3 is a destination — data leaves Zeotap CDP. Zeotap CDP writes your audiences (segments) as CSV files into an Amazon S3 bucket you own, and Tableau then reads those files straight from the bucket using its Amazon S3 connector, so analysts can prep, discover and visualise the audience alongside the rest of their reporting. To bring data the other way — from Amazon S3 into Zeotap CDP — see the Amazon S3 source instead. Delivery runs in two hops, and this page covers both:
  1. Zeotap CDP → your S3 bucket. Configured as an Amazon S3 destination. The destination form is documented in full on Amazon S3 destination; this page gives the outline and adds what a Tableau reader needs on top.
  2. Your S3 bucket → Tableau. Configured in Tableau with the Amazon S3 connector. This page owns that half.
Note:Amazon S3 is not the only route into Tableau. You can use another storage destination to push the data, as long as that service is available to your Tableau instance as a data source. Configure it the same way you would any other destination.

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Prerequisites

Note:Gather the following before you begin.On the AWS side
  • An account with Amazon S3, and the bucket you want Zeotap CDP to write to.
  • The Bucket, S3 Bucket Region, Folder and credentials for that bucket — see Gather your Amazon S3 details.
On the Tableau side
  • Tableau Desktop or Server (2023.2 or later recommended).
  • AWS IAM credentials with read access to the S3 bucket.
  • The Amazon S3 connector installed via Tableau Exchange, if it is not already present.
In Zeotap CDP
  • Access to the Destinations application, and an audience (segment) to activate.

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Supported identifiers and actions

This integration supports MAIDs, hashed email addresses, hashed mobile numbers and CRM IDs. You can send any number of identifiers and attributes to Amazon S3 using this integration. Two actions are available when you configure the destination:
  • Send identifiers to Amazon S3 — sends MAIDs, IDP Base, raw mobile numbers and raw email addresses.
  • Send attributes and identifiers to Amazon S3 — sends any attributes and identifiers you add with the + Add Mapping Field option.

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Gather your Amazon S3 details

You need these bucket details in two places: in the Zeotap CDP destination, and again when Tableau connects to the same bucket.

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Bucket

This is the name of your S3 bucket. You can obtain this information on your Amazon S3 account by navigating to Buckets. In the example shown below, test-adobe-s3-bucket is the bucket name.
Bucket name listed under Buckets in the Amazon S3 console

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S3 Bucket Region

This is the geographical location where the Amazon S3 storage is available. You can obtain this information by navigating to the Properties tab under the Amazon S3 bucket as shown in the image below.
AWS Region shown on the Properties tab of an Amazon S3 bucket

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Folder

In Amazon S3, a folder serves as a logical container for organising stored objects within a bucket. In reality, there are no actual folders in Amazon S3. Instead, the folder concept is emulated by employing object key names containing slashes (”/”) to replicate a hierarchical arrangement. You can obtain this information from your Amazon S3 account by navigating to the Objects tab under the Amazon S3 bucket as shown in the image below.
Folders listed on the Objects tab of an Amazon S3 bucket
Ensure that you follow the folder structure shown below. folder_name/sub_folder_name/

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Access Token and Secret Access Token

These are the security tokens that provide secure access to your Amazon S3 resources. You can obtain the Access Token and Secret Access Token by navigating to the AWS IAM Credentials tab under Security credentials in your Amazon S3 account. These are the values you enter in the Zeotap CDP destination. Tableau signs in to the bucket separately, with an AWS Access Key ID and Secret Access Key you enter in Tableau — see Connect the bucket to Tableau.

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Create the Amazon S3 destination in Zeotap CDP

Zeotap CDP delivers to the bucket through its Amazon S3 destination, and the same configuration applies to the Tableau AWS S3 destination. The full walkthrough — every field, with screenshots — lives on Amazon S3 destination. Follow it with the values you gathered above. In outline:
1
Log into the Zeotap CDP App and go to the DESTINATIONS application, then click + Create Destination.
2
Under the All Destinations section, search for Amazon S3 and click it.
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Provide the destination details: a name for the destination, the Destination Instance Name, the Bucket, the S3 Bucket Region, the Folder, a Filename Prefix, and the Access Token and Secret Access Token you obtained from your Amazon S3 account. Review the values and click Next.
4
Choose the action — Send identifiers to Amazon S3 or Send attributes and identifiers to Amazon S3 — and complete the mapping.
5
Click Create Destination. The created Destination gets listed in the Audiences application, which can be linked to an audience.

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How the exported files are named

The Filename Prefix takes a text value without special characters, such as underscores (_), spaces, or symbols (#, @, $, %, &, *). Zeotap CDP writes files into the folder you configured, following this format: ${filenamePrefix}part-${sequence}_${destinationAudienceId}_${timestamp}.csv The timestamp is in yyyy-MM-dd format, and destinationAudienceId is the ID associated with your audience (segment) in Zeotap CDP, generated after the audience is linked to a Destination. For example: exportpart-01_894548842_2024-08-06.csv The variable-by-variable breakdown is on Amazon S3 destination. Knowing the pattern matters here, because it is how you recognise the right files when you browse the bucket from Tableau. For information about how to link an Audience or segment to the created Destination in the Audiences application, refer to Link an Audience to the Destination.
Note:The terms Audiences and Segments are used interchangeably to refer to customer cohorts belonging to a specific category. For example, an Audience or a segment could be a specific group of customers who are over 18 years of age and who have performed an addToCart event within the last 30 days.

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Connect the bucket to Tableau

The Tableau Amazon S3 connector lets you connect Tableau directly to data files stored in Amazon S3 buckets. Supported file formats include CSV, Excel and Parquet, both compressed and uncompressed — Zeotap CDP exports CSV. The connection lets Tableau analysts prep, discover and visualise insights from cloud data, leveraging Tableau’s Hyper engine for high performance.
1

Install the connector

If necessary, download the connector (.taco file) and place it in Tableau’s Connectors folder for your operating system. Restart Tableau.
2

Create a connection

  • Launch Tableau and go to Connect > To a Server > Amazon S3.
  • Enter the AWS region, S3 bucket name, your IAM Access Key ID and Secret Access Key.
  • Click Sign In.
3

Browse and select files

  • Upon successful authentication, you’ll see the contents of your bucket.
  • Navigate to the folder you configured on the destination and select the relevant file(s). You can drag multiple files into Tableau’s canvas to create unions or joins if desired.
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Configure the data source

  • Optionally rename your data source for clarity.
  • Drag files into the canvas as needed.
  • Use Tableau’s data prep tools (join, union, filter) to organise your data quickly.
  • Click into Sheet 1 or further tabs to begin your analysis.

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Verify the delivery

After linking an audience and letting an activation run, confirm the hand-off at all three points:
  1. In Zeotap CDP — open the destination and review its activity. A successful delivery records a completed run with a non-zero qualified count; a failed run records an error message you can use to diagnose the cause.
  2. In Amazon S3 — open the bucket and the folder you configured, and confirm a CSV file is present whose name starts with your Filename Prefix and carries the expected date.
  3. In Tableau — reconnect or refresh the Amazon S3 connection, browse to the same folder, and confirm the file is listed and its fields load when you drag it into the canvas.
If the run completed in Zeotap CDP but no file reaches the bucket, re-check the Bucket, S3 Bucket Region, Folder and credentials on the destination. For the delivery errors that surface on an audience–destination pair and what each one means, see Destinations.

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FAQ

The Amazon S3 connector supports CSV, Excel and Parquet files, both compressed and uncompressed. Zeotap CDP exports audiences as CSV, so no conversion step is needed.
Yes. You can use other services to push the data, provided the service is available to your Tableau instance as a data source. Configure it as a normal destination in Zeotap CDP.
Tableau needs the Amazon S3 connector. If it is not already present, install it via Tableau Exchange, or download the .taco file, place it in Tableau’s Connectors folder for your operating system, and restart Tableau.

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Next steps

Last modified on September 24, 2026