Unable to Connect to SSL-Enabled PostgreSQL Database

Issue

When you try to connect to an SSL-enabled PostgreSQL data source from Tableau Desktop, the connection might fail, and one or more of the following errors might occur:

Invalid username or password.

Or:

FATAL: no pg_hba.conf entry for host "server address", user "username", database "database name", SSL off

Unable to connect to the server "server name". Check that the server is running and that you have access privileges to the requested database.

Unable to connect to the server. Check that the server is running and that you have access privileges to the requested database.

Environment

Tableau Desktop 8.2.4 and earlier
SSL-encrypted PostgreSQL

Resolution

Option 1

Use an ODBC Connection and configure SSL Mode for allow.

On the Connect to Data page, select Other Databases (ODBC).
For Connect Using, select the PostgreSQL Unicode driver. Click Connect.
Set SSL Mode to allow.

Option 2

Use a TDC File

Caution:

Placing the TDC files on your Tableau Server computer will stop the Tableau Server Administrative Views from working. (The TDC files require SSL for all Postrgres connections and the Administrative Views are based on Tableau Server's own Postgres database connection, which does not support SSL.)
Use a .tdc file only to explore or occasionally address issues with your data connection. Creating and maintaining .tdc files require careful manual editing, and troubleshooting .tdc files is beyond the scope of Tableau Support.

Download the attached postgres-ssl.tdc file, and place it in the following locations:

In Tableau Desktop:

\My Documents\My Tableau Repository\Datasources.

In Tableau Server:

C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\vizqlserver\Datasources
C:\Program Files\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\vizqlserver\Datasources
C:\Program Files (x86)\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\vizqlserver\Datasources

Note: If Tableau Server is not installed on drive C, replace C: in the file paths above with the appropriate drive letter.

Once the TDC is in place, connect using the native PostgreSQL connector.