Geotab Data Connector Access

The Geotab Data Connector uses the OData protocol to connect your fleet data to supported BI tools. Access requires your MyGeotab credentials in a specific format.

The Geotab Data Connector uses the OData protocol to authenticate with your MyGeotab credentials. Your username must be in the format <MyGeotab Database Name>/<MyGeotab Username> and your password is your MyGeotab password.

Data obtained from the connector is stored and cached locally within your BI tool file. Refresh your data daily to access the latest information.

Finding your Data Connector access URL

The access URL for the Geotab Data Connector differs depending on your BI tool. Power BI and Excel use a unified URL, while Tableau requires a server-specific URL.

To find your access URL, open the Geotab Data Connector Add-In page in MyGeotab. The Add-In displays the correct URL for your database.

Geotab Data Connector Add-In page in MyGeotab showing the access URL

Important:

Power BI and Excel support server redirection and use a single unified access URL. Tableau does not support server redirection and requires a server-specific URL containing your database's server number. Use the URL shown in the Geotab Data Connector Add-In for your tool.

Use the following login details when prompted by your BI tool:

Username: <MyGeotab Database Name>/<MyGeotab Username>
Password: your MyGeotab password

The following examples show how MyGeotab credentials map to Data Connector login details.

Power BI and Excel


MyGeotab login details	Data Connector login details
Database name: `other_dbname` Username: `email@domain.com` Password: `SecurePassword1234` Access URL: `https://data-connector.geotab.com/odata/v4/svc/`	Username: `other_dbname/email@domain.com` Password: `SecurePassword1234`

Tableau


MyGeotab login details	Data Connector login details
Data Connector server: `1` Database name: `geotab_dbname` Username: `email@domain.com` Password: `SecurePassword1234` Access URL: `https://odata-connector-1.geotab.com/odata/v4/svc/`	Username: `geotab_dbname/email@domain.com` Password: `SecurePassword1234`

Filtering Data Connector data by date range

Apply date range filters to your access URL to improve performance and limit the data returned to your BI tool.

For operational reporting, apply date range filters to specific tables in your access URL. Filters pre-filter data on the server before returning results to your BI tool, which results in faster data returns. The date range filter applies to the local date or datetime based on the timezone setting of each telematics device in MyGeotab.

The Geotab Data Connector supports two types of date range filters:

Absolute date range: recommended for ad-hoc or static analyses with a fixed start and end date.
Relative date range: recommended for regularly-refreshed dashboards that always display the most recent data.

When using date range filters, you must explicitly name the table in the access URL:

Power BI and Excel: https://data-connector.geotab.com/odata/v4/svc/[tableName]?$search=<dateRange>
Tableau (server <serverNumber>): https://odata-connector-<serverNumber>.geotab.com/odata/v4/svc/[tableName]?$search=<dateRange>

Only historical or date-based tables support date range filters. The following tables are supported:

VehicleKpi_Daily
VehicleKpi_Monthly
LatestVehicleMetadata
DriverKpi_Daily
DriverKpi_Monthly
FleetSafety_Daily
VehicleSafety_Daily
DriverSafety_Daily
FaultMonitoring_Daily

Absolute date range filters

Use an absolute date range filter to pre-filter data for a fixed date range before it is returned to your BI tool.

Absolute date ranges filter data for a specific fixed period. Use this for ad-hoc or static analyses. There are two methods:


Method 1: Specify a from and to date	Method 2: Specify only a from date
Filters for records with a local date between the specified from and to dates. Syntax:`from_yyyy-MM-dd_to_yyyy-MM-dd`	Filters for records with a local date between the specified from date and the newest available date. Syntax:`from_yyyy-MM-dd`

Examples

Power BI and Excel users should use the simplified subdomain https://data-connector.geotab.com in their access URL.


Scenario	Access URL	Date range filter
Data Connector Server: `1` Desired table: `VehicleKpi_Daily` From date: `2022-01-05` To date: `2022-01-19`	`https://odata-connector-1.geotab.com/odata/v4/svc/VehicleKpi_Daily?$search=from_2022-01-05_to_2022-01-19`	`?$search=from_2022-01-05_to_2022-01-19`
Data Connector Server: `2` Desired table: `VehicleKpi_Hourly` From date: `2022-01-23` To date: `most recent`	`https://odata-connector-2.geotab.com/odata/v4/svc/VehicleKpi_Hourly?$search=from_2022-01-23`	`?$search=from_2022-01-23`

Relative date range filters

Use a relative date range filter to display a rolling window of the most recent data in your regularly-refreshed dashboards.

Relative date ranges filter data for a rolling window of time, so your dashboards always display the most recent information. Use this for regularly-refreshed dashboards.

Syntax: <positionKeyword>_<number>_<datePart>

When the number is 1, it can be omitted: <positionKeyword>_<datePart>

Supported position keywords

this (or these): includes the current partial period
last: excludes the current partial period, returning only complete periods

Supported date parts

day
week
month
year

Syntax for dateRange

<positionKeyword>_<number>_<datePart>

Note that when the <number> argument is 1, it can be completely omitted and changed to <positionKeyword>_<datePart> for convenience

Examples

Power BI and Excel users should use the simplified subdomain https://data-connector.geotab.com in their access URL.


Scenario	Access URL	Date range filter
Data Connector Server: `1` Desired table: `VehicleKpi_Monthly` Today's date: `2022-01-23` Desired date range: `year-to-date`	`https://odata-connector-1.geotab.com/odata/v4/svc/VehicleKpi_Daily?$search=this_1_year`	`?$search=this_1_year`
Data Connector Server: `1` Desired table: `VehicleKpi_Monthly` Today's date: `2022-01-23` Desired date range: `last complete year` (calendar year 2021)	`https://odata-connector-1.geotab.com/odata/v4/svc/VehicleKpi_Daily?$search=last_1_year`	`?$search=last_1_year`
Data Connector Server: `1` Desired table: `VehicleKpi_Daily` Today's date: `2022-01-23` Desired date range: `month-to-date`	`https://odata-connector-1.geotab.com/odata/v4/svc/VehicleKpi_Daily?$search=this_1_month`	`?$search=this_1_month`
Data Connector Server: `1` Desired table: `VehicleKpi_Daily` Today's date: `2022-01-23` Desired date range: `most-recent 3 months` (Nov 2021, Dec 2021, Jan 2022)	`https://odata-connector-1.geotab.com/odata/v4/svc/VehicleKpi_Hourly?$search=these_3_month` Note: `this_3_month` will also work	`?$search=these_3_month`
Data Connector Server: `2` Desired table: `VehicleKpi_Daily` Today's date: `2022-01-23` Desired date range: `most-recent 3 complete months` (Oct 2021, Nov 2021, Dec 2021)	`https://odata-connector-2.geotab.com/odata/v4/svc/VehicleKpi_Hourly?$search=last_3_month`	`?$search=last_3_month`
Data Connector Server: `2` Desired table: `VehicleKpi_Hourly` Today's date: `2022-01-23` Desired date range: `last 14 days`	`https://odata-connector-2.geotab.com/odata/v4/svc/VehicleKpi_Hourly?$search=last_14_day`	`?$search=last_14_day`

Note:

OData pagination is handled automatically by Power BI, Excel, and Tableau. If you are using a custom script, you must handle pagination manually. For details, see the GDC ETL User Guide.