Alex had used localhost as the server, but PostgreSQL was on a remote host. Worse, the firewall blocked port 5432. After opening the port and using the correct IP, the connection test succeeded.
Here’s a short, useful story that walks through the practical reality of downloading and setting up the PostgreSQL ODBC driver—something many people assume is trivial, but often isn’t. The Case of the Missing Driver postgres odbc download
In Tableau, the "PostgreSQL Unicode" driver appeared. Connection worked. Dashboards loaded. Alex had used localhost as the server, but
After 30 minutes of frustration, Alex found the official PostgreSQL ODBC page: https://www.postgresql.org/ftp/odbc/versions/msi/ Here’s a short, useful story that walks through
Even after correct install, the DSN didn’t work. The error: "Could not connect to server: Permission denied."
Alex searched "PostgreSQL ODBC download" and clicked the first result: a generic postgresql-odbc-16.00.exe . Downloaded, installed, but Tableau kept saying "Driver not found."