Connecting MySQL to Power BI

Before we detail the step-by-step process, let's take a brief journey into the world of MySQL and Power BI. These two tools have revolutionized the way we derive meaning from data. Let's understand the reasons why you might want to connect them.

Introduction to Power BI and MySQL

Power BI is a suite of business analytics tools developed by Microsoft that allows you to visualize data and share insights across the organization. It transforms large volumes of data into interactive reports and dashboards, providing a clearer and more detailed view of business operations.

MySQL , on the other hand, is one of the world's most popular database management systems (DBMS). It is an open-source relational database widely used for web applications and other applications that require a persistent database. Its popularity is due to its reliability, performance, and ease of use.

Want to know the advantages of connecting Power BI to MySQL? We've brought some reasons for you, come check it out!

In-depth Analysis: By connecting Power BI to MySQL, you can turn your raw data into valuable insights by visualizing them in ways that are more understandable and actionable.

Real-Time Updates: Once connected, you can set up Power BI to automatically update your reports and dashboards, ensuring you always have the latest information at your disposal.

Seamless Integration: Both tools are widely used and well-documented, making integration between them relatively simple and straightforward.

Flexibility: With Power BI, you can customize your reports and dashboards to meet your specific needs, while MySQL offers the flexibility to store and manage your data as you wish.

Security: Both Power BI and MySQL have robust security features. By connecting them, you can ensure that your data is transmitted and accessed securely.

Collaboration: With Power BI, it's easy to share reports and insights with colleagues, allowing for more collaborative and informed decision-making.

Now that we have a clear understanding of what each platform offers, let's go to the step-by-step!

Centralizing Data in MySQL with Kondado

1. Registering Your MySQL as a Destination in Kondado: First, you need to login to Kondado and register your database as a destination to receive data from your tools. To register your MySQL as a destination, follow the step-by-step shown in our documentation.

2. Creating Your Data Sources: Data sources are the sources or tools from which you want to extract data to centralize in your data repository. To register your data sources in Kondado, visit our wiki and follow the respective step-by-step instructions.

3. Creating your first integration: Now that your data destination and data sources are registered, you can create your first integration by following the platform onboarding steps.

Connecting MySQL to Power BI

Before accessing Power BI, you must download the Oracle MySQL Connector/NET My SQL, this component will enable the Power BI connector with MySQL to function correctly. For this, visit https://downloads.mysql.com/archives/c-net/ and select version 8.027 and click on “Download”.

Open Power BI Desktop on your computer and on the Power BI home screen, click on “Get Data”.

In the window that opens, you can choose to go to the search section, on the upper left side, and look for “MySQL” or select “Database” and then “MySQL”. The first option is shown in the image.

Click on “Connect”.

Enter the connection details and then click on “OK”.

In the “Server” field, enter the MySQL server address. If you are using a specific port, enter it after the server address, separated by a comma (for example: 189.168.222.188,3306).

In the “Database” field, enter the name of the database you want to connect to.

In the authentication window, to establish the connection, you can choose between clicking on “Windows” and then on “Use alternative credentials” or clicking on “Database”, located below the “Windows” option.

Enter your MySQL username and password. After this, click on “Connect”.

The image above shows the first option.

Navigate and select the data. Once connected, you will see a list of all the tables available in the selected database.

Select the tables or views you want to import and click on “Load”.

Transform and model your data (if necessary).

Done! Your MySQL database is now integrated with Power BI, allowing you to explore, analyze, and visualize your data in a more efficient and intuitive way.