After upgrading Tableau Server to May 2023 Release, Connections to Web Data Connectors are Failing with Error: "Unable to load URL" Found in Logs

Issue

After upgrading Tableau Server, Web Data Connector ("WDC") data sources using a blank/empty --secondary URL are failing to connect, with error message: "Unable to load URL" showing in the logs.

Environment

Tableau Server
May 2023 or later releases: 2021.3.23+, 2021.4.18+, 2022.1.14+, 2022.3.6+, 2023.1.2+
Web Data Connector ("WDC") 2.0 with a blank/empty --secondary URL value

Resolution

Add a --secondary value to the WDC using tsm data-access web-data-connectors add .

If it is unclear what value should be used here, work with the creator of the affected WDC to establish what secondary URL/s will need to be added.

In some scenarios, one or more of the following details will be needed:

Adding https://.* and http://.* to the secondary allow list for a WDC has resolved the behavior for some customers, and may be an acceptable mitigation if the WDC creator specifies that there is no secondary URL needed.
Removal of a previous version of the WDC that did not contain a value for --secondary may be necessary. Use tsm data-access web-data-connectors list to determine whether there are multiple WDC configurations with the same name/primary URL, and tsm data-access web-data-connectors delete to remove any WDCs with no secondary allow list value.

Cause

As of the May 2023 release of Tableau Server, the Web Data Connectors can no longer have a blank value for --secondary used to designate a secondary safe list.

Additional Information

Identifying this behavior using Tableau Server logs:

In tabprotosrv logs (tabprotosrv_<process-name>_<date>.txt), look for these two error message patterns in the same log line:

"Secondary whitelisting: does not find a corresponding entry for URL '<WDC Primary URL>', hence it is not allowed"

{"excp-error-code":"0x2CEE0515","excp-source":"NeedsClassification","excp-status-code":"UNKNOWN"},"v":"Web data connector secondaryWhitelist failed request for url '<WDC Primary URL>'; ask your Tableau server admin to enable this url in the secondary whitelist."

Above this error, there will also be a line in the logs that contains both of the below details alongside other details for the WDC connection, which can be used to confirm that the --secondary value is blank:

"k":"construct-protocol-group"

"secondary_whitelist":""