Before we dive into the tutorial, let's understand the importance of Microsoft SQL Server and Power BI, along with the advantages of connecting them.
Advantages of Connecting SQL Server to Power BI
Now that we understand what Microsoft SQL Server and Power BI are, let's explore why you might want to connect them:
Attractive Data Visualizations: Power BI offers a variety of data visualization options, from simple charts to interactive dashboards, making data more understandable and engaging.
Real-time Analysis: By connecting SQL Server to Power BI, you can perform real-time analysis of your data, allowing for more agile and informed decision-making.
Data Consolidation: Power BI allows you to consolidate data from multiple sources, including SQL Server, into one place, simplifying the analysis of data from different departments or systems.
Now that we have a clear understanding of what each platform offers, let's get to the step-by-step!
Centralizing data in Microsoft SQL Server with Kondado
3. Creating Your First Integration: Now that your data destination and your connectors are registered, you can create your first integration. To learn how to create your first integration,follow the onboarding step-by-step guide in the platform.
Connecting Microsoft SQL Server to Power BI
- Open Power BI Desktop on your computer and on the Power BI startup screen, click on “Get Data”.
- In the window that opens, you can either go to the search section on the upper left side and look for “Microsoft SQL Server” or select “Database” and then “Microsoft SQL Server”. The first option is demonstrated in the image.
- Fill in the details of the server where your SQL Server is hosted, and the name of the database. Then click “OK” to connect to the SQL Server.
Select the “DirectQuery” option so that the data is updated in Power BI as it is updated in your database.
- Provide your database user credentials and password.
- Select the tables or queries that you want to import into Power BI and click “Load” to import the data.
- Done! Your Microsoft SQL Server database has been successfully integrated with Power BI, which allows you to explore, analyze, and visualize your data in a more efficient and intuitive way.
Connect Microsoft SQL Server to Power BI
Set up a Power BI report on top of a SQL Server database, optionally centralizing other sources into SQL Server with Kondado.
Centralize your sources into SQL Server (optional)
Use Kondado to register Microsoft SQL Server as a destination and replicate data from your CRMs, ads, e-commerce, or ERPs into it, so Power BI queries a single unified database.
Open Power BI Desktop and Get Data
Launch Power BI Desktop, click Get Data on the home ribbon, search for Microsoft SQL Server, and select it from the list of data sources.
Enter server and database details
Fill in your SQL Server address and database name. Choose Import for a fast snapshot or DirectQuery if you want Power BI to query SQL Server each time the report loads.
Authenticate and pick tables
Provide the SQL Server credentials, then in the navigator select the tables or views you want to load and click Load.
Build and publish your report
Drag fields onto the Power BI canvas to create charts, KPIs, and filters. When ready, publish the report to the Power BI service so your team can access it. See more data-to-dashboard options.
