How to integrate CSV using Microsoft Fabric

Learn how to quickly and efficiently connect CSV with Microsoft Fabric for smooth data access.

Read and write CSV data effortlessly. Extract, sync, and manage CSV from URLs, strings, and local files for analytics, reporting, and data pipelines — almost no coding required. You can do it all using the high-performance CSV ODBC Driver. We'll walk you through the entire setup.

Ready to dive in? Download the product to jump right in, or follow the step-by-step guide below to see how it works.

Create data source using CSV ODBC Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from CSV using Microsoft Fabric, we first need to create an ODBC data source. We will later read this data in Microsoft Fabric. Perform these steps:

1. Download and install ODBC PowerPack (if you haven't already).

2. Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):

   

3. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on the ZappySys CSV Driver driver:

   ZappySys CSV Driver

   
   • Create and use a User DSN if the client application runs under a User Account. This is the ideal option at design time (e.g., when developing in Visual Studio). Use it for both types of applications (64-bit and 32-bit).
   • Create and use a System DSN if the client application runs under a System Account (e.g., as a Windows Service). This is usually the required option in a production environment. If your Windows Service is a 32-bit application, you must use the 32-bit ODBC Data Source Administrator to configure this

4. Select Url or File.
   

   Read CSV API in Microsoft Fabric

   • Paste the following Url. In this example, We are using Zip format CSV File URL, but you need to refer your CSV File/URL.

     https://zappysys.com/downloads/files/test/cust-1.csv.zip
     Click on Test Connection button to view whether the Test Connection is SUCCESSFUL or Not.

   Read CSV File in Microsoft Fabric

   • You can use pass single file or multiple file path using wildcard pattern in path and you can use select single file by clicking [...] path button or multiple file using wildcard pattern in path.
     

     Note: If you want to operation with multiple files then use wild card pattern as below
     (when you use wild card pattern in source path then system will treat target path as folder regardless you end with slash)
     
     C:\SSIS\Test\reponse.csv (will read only single reponse.csv file)
     C:\SSIS\Test\j*.csv (all files starting with file name j)
     C:\SSIS\Test\*.csv (all files with .csv Extension and located under folder subfolder)
     

     Click on Test Connection button to view whether the Test Connection is SUCCESSFUL or Not.

5. Once you configured a data source, you can preview data. Hit Preview tab, and use similar settings to preview data:
   

6. Click OK to finish creating the data source

7. That's it; we are done. In a few clicks we configured the read the CSV data using ZappySys CSV Connector.

Install Microsoft On-premises data gateway (Standard mode)

To access and read CSV data in Microsoft Fabric, you must download and install the Microsoft On-premises data gateway (Standard mode). It acts as a secure bridge between Microsoft Fabric cloud services and your local CSV ODBC data source:

There are two types of On-premises data gateways:

You can download the On-premises data gateway directly from the Microsoft Fabric or Power BI portals:

Link ODBC data source via the gateway

Follow these steps to download, install, and configure the gateway in Standard mode:

1. Download On-premises data gateway (standard mode) and run the installer.

2. Once the configuration window opens, sign in:

   
   Sign in with the same email address you use for Microsoft Fabric.

3. Select Register a new gateway on this computer (or migrate an existing one):

   

4. Name your gateway, enter a Recovery key, and click the Configure button:

   
   Save your Recovery Key in a safe place (like a password manager). If you lose it, you cannot restore or migrate this gateway later.

5. Once Microsoft gateway is installed, check if it registered correctly:

   • Go back to Microsoft Fabric portal

   • Click Gear icon on top-right

   • And then hit Manage connections and gateways menu item

   

6. Continue by clicking the On-premises data gateway tab and selecting Standard mode gateways from the dropdown menu:

   

   If your gateway is not listed, the registration may have failed. To resolve this:

   • Wait a couple of minutes and refresh Microsoft Fabric portal page
   • Restart the machine where On-premises data gateway is installed
   • Check firewall settings

7. Success! The gateway is now Online and ready to handle requests.

8. Done!

You are now ready to load data into Microsoft Fabric.

Load CSV data into Microsoft Fabric

Now that we have configured the ODBC data source and installed the On-premises data gateway, we can proceed with loading data. You can accomplish this in two ways:

• Copy job
  Best for simple, high-speed data copying without modification.
• Dataflow Gen2
  Best if you need to transform, clean, or reshape data before loading.

Let's dive into the steps for both methods.

Use Copy job for high-speed loading

1. Go to the Microsoft Fabric Portal.

2. Select an existing Workspace or create a new one by clicking New workspace (ensure you are in the Home section):

   

3. Inside your workspace, click the New item button in the toolbar to start creating your data pipeline:

   

4. In the item selection window, choose Copy job to open the data ingestion wizard:

   

5. In the Choose data source screen, search for odbc and select the Odbc source:

   

6. Then enter your ODBC connection string (DSN=CsvDSN) and select MyGateway from the Data gateway dropdown we configured in the previous step:

   DSN=CsvDSN

   DSN=CsvDSN

   

7. Select the table(s) and preview the data you wish to copy from CSV. Once done, click Next:

   DSN=CsvDSN

   

8. Choose your Data Destination. You can create a New Fabric item (like a Lakehouse or Warehouse) or select an existing one:

   
   In this example, we will use a Lakehouse as the destination.

9. Choose Full copy to load all data, or Incremental copy to load only changed data in subsequent runs:

   

10. Review the Column and Table mappings section:

    

11. On the summary screen, review your settings. You can optionally enable Run on schedule. Click Save + Run to execute the job:

    DSN=CsvDSN

    DSN=CsvDSN

    

12. The job will enter the queue. Monitor the Status column to see the progress:

    DSN=CsvDSN

    

13. Wait for the status to change to Succeeded. Your CSV data is now successfully integrated into Microsoft Fabric!

    

14. Let's go to our Lakehouse (MyLakehouse) and verify the data:

    

15. Success! The data has been loaded.

Use Dataflow for advanced transformation

Another way to load data is by creating a Dataflow Gen2. This approach allows you to perform complex data transformations (ETL) before loading the data into its destination.

Configure Dataflow activity

1. Go to the Microsoft Fabric Portal.

2. Inside your workspace, click New item and select Dataflow Gen2:

   

3. In the Power Query editor, click Get data from another source:

   

4. Search for ODBC in the search bar and select the ODBC connector:

   

5. Then in the next step follow these instructions:

   • Enter your ODBC connection string (e.g., DSN=CsvDSN)
   • Expand Advanced options
   • Enter your SQL statement
   • Select your On-premises data gateway
   • Finally, click Next:
   DSN=CsvDSN

   DSN=CsvDSN

   SELECT * FROM Orders

   

6. You will see a preview of your CSV data. You can now transform the data if needed (filter rows, rename columns, change types, etc.):

   Odbc.Query("DSN=CsvDSN", "SELECT * FROM Orders")

   

7. Now, let's send this data to the Lakehouse. Click the + button (Add data destination) at the bottom right and select Lakehouse:

   Odbc.Query("DSN=CsvDSN", "SELECT * FROM Orders")

   

8. Configure the destination connection settings and click Next:

   

9. Select your specific Lakehouse, enter the Table name you want to create, and click Next:

   

10. Uncheck Use automatic settings to set data update or schema options manually. Map the columns with proper data types and click Save settings when done:

    

11. The destination is now set. Click the Publish button to save the Dataflow:

    Odbc.Query("DSN=CsvDSN", "SELECT * FROM Orders")

    

12. Done! You can now start building reports using your new semantic model.

Configure and run Pipeline

Once you have created and published your Dataflow, you can use a Pipeline to orchestrate and run it.

1. Go to the Microsoft Fabric Portal.

2. Inside your workspace, click New item and select Data Pipeline to create a new pipeline.

   

3. In the pipeline editor, select the Dataflow activity from the toolbar to add it to your canvas:

   

4. Select the Dataflow activity on the canvas and click the Settings tab. Choose your Workspace and the Dataflow you created in the previous steps:

   

5. You are now ready to link the Dataflow with other Pipeline activities.

6. Once the Pipeline flow is configured, click the Run button at the top, then click Save and run to execute the pipeline:

   

7. Monitor the Output tab below. The Pipeline status will initially show as In progress:

   

8. Wait for the process to complete. The status will update to Succeeded, indicating your data has been successfully loaded via the Dataflow:

   

9. Done! You can now start building reports on your new semantic model.

Optional: Centralized data access via ZappySys Data Gateway

In some situations, you may need to provide CSV data access to multiple users or services. Configuring the data source on a Data Gateway creates a single, centralized connection point for this purpose.

This configuration provides two primary advantages:

• Centralized data access
  The data source is configured once on the gateway, eliminating the need to set it up individually on each user's machine or application. This significantly simplifies the management process.
• Centralized access control
  Since all connections route through the gateway, access can be governed or revoked from a single location for all users.

To achieve this, you must first create a data source in the Data Gateway (server-side) and then create an ODBC data source in Microsoft Fabric (client-side) to connect to it.

Let's not wait and get going!

Create CSV data source in the gateway

In this section we will create a data source for CSV in the Data Gateway. Let's follow these steps to accomplish that:

1. Search for gateway in the Windows Start Menu and open ZappySys Data Gateway Configuration:

   

2. Go to the Users tab and follow these steps to add a Data Gateway user:

   • Click the Add button
   • In the Login field enter a username, e.g., john
   • Then enter a Password
   • Check the Is Administrator checkbox
   • Click OK to save
   

3. Now we are ready to add a data source:

   • Click the Add button
   • Give the Data source a name (have it handy for later)
   • Then select Native - ZappySys CSV Driver
   • Finally, click OK
   CsvDSN

   ZappySys CSV Driver

   

4. When the ZappySys CSV Driver configuration window opens, go back to ODBC Data Source Administrator where you already have the CSV ODBC data source created and configured, and follow these steps on how to Import data source configuration into the Gateway:

   • Open ODBC data source configuration and click Copy settings:
     

     ZappySys CSV Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]

     ZappySys CSV Driver - CSV

     Read and write CSV data effortlessly. Extract, sync, and manage CSV from URLs, strings, and local files for analytics, reporting, and data pipelines — almost no coding required.

     CsvDSN

     
   • The window opens, telling us the connection string was successfully copied to the clipboard:

   • Then go to Data Gateway configuration and in data source configuration window click Load settings:

     CsvDSN

     

     ZappySys CSV Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]

     ZappySys CSV Driver - CSV

     Read and write CSV data effortlessly. Extract, sync, and manage CSV from URLs, strings, and local files for analytics, reporting, and data pipelines — almost no coding required.

     CsvDSN

     
   • Once a window opens, just paste the settings by pressing CTRL+V or by clicking right mouse button and then Paste option.

5. Once done, go to the Network Settings tab and Add a firewall rule for inbound traffic:

   
   • This will initially allow all inbound traffic.
   • Click Edit IP filters to restrict access to specific IP addresses or ranges.

6. Crucial Step: After creating or modifying the data source, you must:

   • Click the Save button to persist your changes.
   • Hit Yes when prompted to restart the Data Gateway service.

   This ensures all changes are properly applied:

   
   Skipping this step may cause the new settings to fail, preventing you from connecting to the data source.

Create ODBC data source to connect to the gateway

In this part we will create an ODBC data source to connect to the ZappySys Data Gateway from Microsoft Fabric. To achieve that, let's perform these steps:

1. Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):

   

2. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on the ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver:

   ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server

   
   If you don't see the ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver in the list, choose a similar version.

3. Then set a Name for the data source (e.g. Gateway) and the address of the Data Gateway:

   ZappySysGatewayDSN

   localhost,5000

   
   Make sure you separate the hostname and port with a comma, e.g. localhost,5000.

4. Proceed with the authentication part:

   • Select SQL Server authentication
   • In the Login ID field enter the user name you created in the Data Gateway, e.g., john
   • Set Password to the one you configured in the Data Gateway
   

5. Then set the default database property to CsvDSN (the one we used in the Data Gateway):

   CsvDSN

   CsvDSN

   
   Make sure to type the data source name manually or copy/paste it directly into the field. Using the dropdown might fail because the Trust server certificate option is not enabled yet (next step).

6. Continue by checking the Trust server certificate option:

   

7. Once you do that, test the connection:

   

8. If the connection is successful, everything is good:

   

9. Done!

We are ready to move to the final step. Let's do it!

Access data in Microsoft Fabric via the gateway

Finally, we are ready to read data from CSV in Microsoft Fabric via the Data Gateway. Follow these final steps:

1. Go back to Microsoft Fabric.

2. Then, go to your Copy job or Dataflow and start configuring your ODBC data source (like you did in the previous step).

3. In the ODBC configuration window, configure these fields:

   • Enter your ODBC connection string (DSN format), for example: DSN=ZappySysGatewayDSN
   • Expand Advanced options and set the SQL statement
   • Select MyGateway from the Data gateway dropdown that you configured in the previous step
   • Select Basic from the Authentication kind dropdown
   • Enter the Username (e.g., john) and Password that you configured in ZappySys Data Gateway
   DSN=ZappySysGatewayDSN

   SELECT * FROM Orders

   DSN=ZappySysGatewayDSN

   

4. Read the data the same way we discussed at the beginning of this article.

5. That's it!

Now you can connect to CSV data in Microsoft Fabric via the Data Gateway.

Configuring pagination in the CSV Driver

ZappySys CSV Driver equips users with powerful tools for seamless data extraction and management from REST APIs, leveraging advanced pagination methods for enhanced efficiency. These options are designed to handle various types of pagination structures commonly used in APIs. Below are the detailed descriptions of these options:

1. Page-based Pagination: This method works by retrieving data in fixed-size pages from the Rest API. It allows you to specify the page size and navigate through the results by requesting different page numbers, ensuring that you can access all the data in a structured manner.

2. Offset-based Pagination: With this approach, you can extract data by specifying the starting point or offset from which to begin retrieving data. It allows you to define the number of records to skip and fetch subsequent data accordingly, providing precise control over the data extraction process.

3. Cursor-based Pagination: This technique involves using a cursor or a marker that points to a specific position in the dataset. It enables you to retrieve data starting from the position indicated by the cursor and proceed to subsequent segments, ensuring that you capture all the relevant information without missing any records.

4. Token-based Pagination: In this method, a token serves as a unique identifier for a specific data segment. It allows you to access the next set of data by using the token provided in the response from the previous request. This ensures that you can systematically retrieve all the data segments without duplication or omission.

Utilizing these comprehensive pagination features in the ZappySys CSV Driver facilitates efficient data management and extraction from REST APIs, optimizing the integration and analysis of extensive datasets.

For more detailed steps, please refer to this link: How to do REST API Pagination in SSIS / ODBC Drivers

Authentication

ZappySys offers various authentication methods to securely access data from various sources. These authentication methods include OAuth, Basic Authentication, Token-based Authentication, and more, allowing users to connect to a wide range of data sources securely.

ZappySys Authentication is a robust system that facilitates secure access to data from a diverse range of sources. It includes a variety of authentication methods tailored to meet the specific requirements of different data platforms and services. These authentication methods may involve:

1. OAuth: ZappySys supports OAuth for authentication, which allows users to grant limited access to their data without revealing their credentials. It's commonly used for applications that require access to user account information.

2. Basic Authentication: This method involves sending a username and password with every request. ZappySys allows users to securely access data using this traditional authentication approach.

3. Token-based Authentication: ZappySys enables users to utilize tokens for authentication. This method involves exchanging a unique token with each request to authenticate the user's identity without revealing sensitive information.

By implementing these authentication methods, ZappySys ensures the secure and reliable retrieval of data from various sources, providing users with the necessary tools to access and integrate data securely and efficiently. For more comprehensive details on the authentication process, please refer to the official ZappySys documentation or reach out to their support team for further assistance.

For more details, please refer to this link: ZappySys Connections

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to CSV in Microsoft Fabric and integrate data without writing complex code — all of this was powered by CSV ODBC Driver.

Download ODBC PowerPack now or ping us via chat if you have any questions or are looking for a specific feature (you can also reach out to us by submitting a ticket):

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