Error "Internal Error - An unexpected error occurred and the operation could not be completed" Connecting to Data Source

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Error "Internal Error - An unexpected error occurred and the operation could not be completed" Connecting to Data Source

Published: 25 Nov 2015
Last Modified Date: 25 Jul 2018

Issue

When connecting to a data source from Tableau Desktop, the following error might occur:

Internal Error - An unexpected error occurred and the operation could not be completed

Additonally, Windows will deny accessing to the TableauTemp folder in the AppData directory (C:\Users\xxxxxx\AppData\Local\Temp\TableauTemp) even though you appear to have administrator rights.

Environment

Tableau Desktop
Any data source

Resolution

Reinstall Tableau Desktop using an account with administrative privileges. For more information, see Download and Install Tableau Desktop.
Work with your IT team to ensure that your user account has administrator rights to the necessary folders:
- On Windows, the C: drive, specifically the AppData folder.
- On a Mac, ~/Library/Preferences and ~/Library/Application Support