Using Power BI with BigQuery and Kondado

Most Data Analytics stacks comprise three stages: an ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) tool, a Data Warehouse for data centralization, and a visualization or BI (Business Intelligence) tool. This article demonstrates how to use Microsoft Power BI as a BI tool, along with BigQuery as the Data Warehouse and Kondado as the ETL tool.

Click here to access the tutorial showing the ways to share reports in Power BI.

1. Registering Your BigQuery 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 BigQuery 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.

4. Getting Started with Power BI: If you don't already have it, download the free version of Power BI Desktop and follow the tool's steps to sign up.

5.Connecting BigQuery to Power BI:

On the Power BI home page, click on “Get Data” in the top bar:

Select the “Database” option in the side menu:

Then choose the “Google BigQuery” option from the list and click on “Connect”:

In the screen that opens, a message will appear that you are not connected to BigQuery. Then click on “Sign in”:

A Google login screen will open, where you must enter your email, and on the next screen the password, which has access to Google BigQuery:

After entering the password, click on “Allow” or “Permit” so that Power BI gains access to your BigQuery:

You will return to the previous screen, which will inform you that you are connected to BigQuery. Then click on “Connect”:

Now you need to choose from a list which BigQuery tables you want to bring into Power BI (remember to search for the names of the tables you defined when creating your integration in Kondado, according to step 4). Just check the selection box next to the name of the tables and click on “Load” once all are selected:

In this step, Power BI asks you to choose a connection setting. We recommend using “DirectQuery” so that the data is updated in real-time, as it is updated in BigQuery:

Done! Now your BigQuery is connected to Power BI and your data will be available for viewing or transforming whenever you need it:

Use Power BI with BigQuery and Kondado

Stand up a full analytics stack: Kondado as the ETL, BigQuery as the warehouse, Power BI as the BI tool.

Register BigQuery as a destination in Kondado

Create your data sources in Kondado

Configure the sources you want to replicate — ads, CRM, e-commerce, ERPs — so Kondado can load them into BigQuery.

Build your first pipeline into BigQuery

Create a pipeline from each source to BigQuery, choosing incremental or full replication based on what the source supports.

Install Power BI Desktop

Download and install Power BI Desktop (free). Sign in with your Microsoft account if you plan to publish later.

Connect Power BI to BigQuery

In Power BI, click Get Data > Database > Google BigQuery, sign in with the Google account that has access to the project, then pick DirectQuery or Import.

Pick the Kondado tables and build your report

Select the tables Kondado is loading into BigQuery, model the data, and build your dashboards. Publish to Power BI Service when you're ready to share.

Frequently asked questions

What are the three main stages of a typical analytics stack?▼

An ETL tool to extract and load data, a data warehouse to centralize it, and a BI tool to visualize it. In the article's setup, Kondado is the ETL, BigQuery is the warehouse, and Power BI is the BI tool.

How do I register BigQuery as a destination in Kondado?▼

Log in to Kondado and add your BigQuery project and dataset as a destination. Authorize the service account so Kondado can write data into the dataset.

Should I use DirectQuery or Import when connecting BigQuery to Power BI?▼

Use DirectQuery when you want Power BI to query BigQuery on each interaction, so reports always reflect the latest data Kondado has loaded. Use Import for snapshot analyses or to reduce BigQuery query costs.

Do I need to pay for Power BI to connect it with BigQuery?▼

You can start with the free Power BI Desktop. Sharing in Power BI Service or scheduled refreshes typically require a Pro license, depending on your organization's setup.

How do I find the right BigQuery tables to load into Power BI?▼

Use the table names you defined when creating pipelines in Kondado. They live in the dataset you registered as the destination, and they're populated by your Kondado integrations.

How often will my Power BI dashboards reflect new data?▼

With DirectQuery, reports reflect whatever is currently in BigQuery. With Import, they reflect the last refresh. In both cases, the data freshness depends on how often Kondado loads BigQuery — set the pipeline schedule that fits your needs.

Written by

Thassyo Pereira·Published 2023-11-16·Updated 2026-04-26