Error: "Error communicating with the repository (999)..." When Publishing Workbook with a File-Based Data Source

Issue

When publishing a workbook whose data source is a Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, or text (.csv) file that is located on a shared drive, an error message similar to the following may occur:

Error communicating with the repository (999): Vizql::Error: Unable to load workbook SampleWorkbook
Code: 999

Errors occurred while trying to load the workbook "SampleWorkbook". The load was not able to complete successfully. Microsoft JET database error 0x80004005: 'S:\Reporting\CompanyData\Q1-2011.xlsx' is not a valid path. Make sure that the path name is spelled correctly and that you are connected to the server on which the file resides.

The table "TableauData" does not exist.

Unable to connect to the Microsoft Access database "C:\Program Files\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\temp\DB12.tmp\Data\zzAutomated_Reporting\DO_NOT_OPEN.mdb". Check that the path is correct and that you have access privileges for the requested file.

Environment

Tableau Desktop
Tableau Server

Resolution

Edit the data connection in the workbook to use the full universal naming convention (UNC) path, and then republish the workbook.

Note: A correctly configured Tableau Server “Run As User” account has permissions to the UNC path location.

For more information about how to edit their your UNC path, see Updating Underlying Data in a Tableau Server Workbook That Uses a Live Connection to Excel in the Tableau Knowledge Base.

Cause

The path to connect to the data source is using a mapped path.

Tableau Server uses the “Run As User” account to authenticate a data source. Because the “Run As User” account cannot access resources that have been authenticated in the security context of another user, it cannot use the mapped path.

Additional Information

A UNC path is the full path of a resource or file that is stored on the computer, which includes the full computer name, drive, path to the file, and file name. For example, a text file with a mapped path to D:\datasource.txt has a UNC path that looks like the following: \workstation1\d$\datasource.txt, where “workstation1” is the full computer name.