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Periscope

Connect Periscope Data to Catalog to sync dashboards, charts, and related BI metadata. Where this page says Periscope, it means Periscope Data. You can use Catalog-managed credentials or prepare uploads yourself using the BI Importer format. Catalog-managed Periscope sync is still maturing, so this page describes current credential shapes, client-managed options, and how Periscope objects map into Catalog.

Requirements​

You need a Periscope account that can sign in with the username and password Catalog will use for API or UI-backed extraction. Confirm with your Periscope administrator that programmatic or automated access is allowed for that account and that single sign-on policies do not block password-based login if Catalog relies on it.

If your organization routes Periscope through single sign-on only, work with Periscope support or your admin on a service-style account before onboarding Catalog.

Catalog Managed​

Use this section when Catalog stores your Periscope credentials and runs scheduled sync for your Workspace.

Integration in progress

Catalog-managed Periscope onboarding is still maturing. Use this section when Catalog operations enable credential-based sync for your tenant. For a self-contained path you fully control today, use Client Managed with BI Importer.

To connect Periscope with Catalog-managed credentials, supply:

  • Username
  • Password

Enter credentials in Catalog using this JSON shape:

{
    "username": "xxxx",
    "password": "xxxx"
}

Some deployments require a host or organization URL in addition to username and password. If Catalog prompts for extra fields or your sync fails with connection errors, share your Periscope base URL with your Catalog contact so they can confirm the expected JSON shape for your environment.

For your first sync, allow up to 48 hours. Catalog notifies you when the initial sync completes.

If you prefer not to share credentials with Catalog operations, continue to Client Managed.

Client Managed​

Use this section when you prepare Periscope metadata or uploads yourself, or when you use BI Importer instead of Catalog-managed sync.

Doing a One-Time Extract​

For a trial or one-time snapshot, assemble Periscope metadata into BI Importer expected format, then upload using the channel your Catalog contact provides.

The Catalog extractor package published on PyPI includes dedicated command-line entry points for several BI platforms. There is not yet a published castor-extract-periscope command in that package. Until a Periscope-specific command ships, rely on BI Importer formatting and upload flows. You can use the shared Google Colab notebook to explore extraction patterns for other tools while you build Periscope files manually or with custom scripts.

Periscope to Catalog Translation​

Periscope dashboards and charts align with Catalog as follows:

  • Periscope dashboard - Dashboard in Catalog
  • Periscope chart or widget - Tile in Catalog
  • SQL snippets, views, and upstream dependencies - May appear as visualization models in Catalog when that metadata is included in your payload or sync

Use Periscope-specific names for dashboards, charts, and SQL assets in your exports so Catalog labels match what analysts see in Periscope. If your organization merged Periscope with another BI platform, confirm naming with your Catalog contact before you expand the mapping list.

Common Issues​

If onboarding stalls or the metadata looks incomplete in Catalog, start with these checks:

  • Authentication failures - Verify the account is allowed to access every Periscope site or space you expect Catalog to read.
  • Unexpected empty folders - Confirm you exported or described every dashboard and dependency you need in the BI Importer files.

What's Next?​

  • Browse related setup patterns on BI Tools.
  • Review file layout and columns for uploads in BI Importer.