How to create a custom REST API connector for Microsoft Fabric

Integrate Microsoft Fabric and Custom API
Integrate Microsoft Fabric and Custom API

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

Read / write Custom API data without coding. You can do it all using the high-performance Custom API ODBC Driver for Microsoft Fabric (often referred to as the Custom API Connector). 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 Custom API Connector

First of all, you will have to create your own API connector. For demonstration purposes, in this section we will create a simple Hello-World API connector that calls ZappySys Sandbox World API endpoint https://sandbox.zappysys.com/api/world/hello. When developing your Custom API Connector, just replace it with your real API method/endpoint. Let's dive in and follow these steps:

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

    Open ODBC Data Source

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

    ZappySys JSON Driver
    Create new User DSN for ZappySys JSON Driver

  3. Once the data source configuration window opens, enter this URL into the text box:

    https://sandbox.zappysys.com/api/world/hello

  4. Then go to the Preview tab and try to say "Hello!" to the World!

  5. Since the test is successful, you are ready to create the Hello-World Connector:

  6. The API Connector File Wizard opens, click Next:

  7. Leave the default option, and click Next again:

  8. Just click Next in the next window:

  9. Let's give our new custom connector a name it deserves:

  10. Then just click Next in the Connection Types window:

  11. Let's name the hello endpoint (it deserves a name too!):

  12. When the next window opens, delete the default table (we won't need it for now):

  13. Finally, specify a path, where you want to save the newly created API Connector:

Create data source using Custom API ODBC Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Custom API 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):

    Open ODBC Data Source

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

    ZappySys API Driver
    Create new User DSN for ZappySys API Driver

  4. When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already. Then set the path to your created Custom API Connector (in the example below, we use Hello-World Connector). Finally, click Continue >> to proceed:

    Create ODBC data source based on API Driver

  5. Now it's time to configure the Connection Manager. Select Authentication Type, e.g. Token Authentication. Then select API Base URL (in most cases, the default one is the right one). Check your Custom API reference for more information on how to authenticate.

    Authenticating to your Custom API in ODBC application

  6. Once the data source connection has been configured, it's time to configure the SQL query. Select the Preview tab and then click Query Builder button to configure the SQL query:

    ZappySys API Driver - Custom API
    Read / write Custom API data without coding.
    CustomApiDSN
    Open Query Builder in API ODBC Driver to read and write data to REST API

  7. Start by selecting the Table or Endpoint you are interested in and then configure the parameters. This will generate a query that we will use in Microsoft Fabric to retrieve data from Custom API. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step. 

    SELECT * FROM Orders
    Configure table/endpoint parameters in ODBC data source based on API Driver
    Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the Custom API, e.g. filtering parameters. It means that filtering will be done on the server side (instead of the client side), enabling you to get only the meaningful data much faster.

  8. Now hit Preview Data button to preview the data using the generated SQL query. If you are satisfied with the result, use this query in Microsoft Fabric:

    ZappySys API Driver - Custom API
    Read / write Custom API data without coding.
    CustomApiDSN
    SELECT * FROM Orders
    API ODBC Driver-based data source data preview
    You can also access data quickly from the tables dropdown by selecting <Select table>.
    A WHERE clause, LIMIT keyword will be performed on the client side, meaning that the whole result set will be retrieved from the Custom API first, and only then the filtering will be applied to the data. If possible, it is recommended to use parameters in Query Builder to filter the data on the server side (in Custom API servers).

  9. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Install Microsoft On-premises data gateway (Standard mode)

To access and read Custom API 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 Custom API ODBC data source:

On-premises data gateway securely bridging ODBC data source and Microsoft Fabric

There are two types of On-premises data gateways:

Standard mode
  • Supports Power BI and other Microsoft Cloud services
  • Installs as a Windows service
  • Starts automatically
  • Supports centralized user access control
  • Supports the Direct Query feature
  • Ideal for enterprise solutions
Personal mode
  • Supports Power BI services only
  • Cannot run as a Windows service
  • Stops when you sign out of Windows
  • Does not support access control
  • Does not support the Direct Query feature
  • Best for individual use and POC solutions

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

Download Power BI On-premises data gateway
You must use the Standard mode of the gateway. Personal mode is not supported by Microsoft Fabric.

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:

    Signing in to on-premises data gateway standard
    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):

    Registering or migrating on-premises data gateway standard

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

    Naming on-premises data gateway standard
    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

    Manage On-premise data gateways in Microsoft Fabric or Power BI

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

    Access On-premises data gateway list (Standard mode) in Microsoft Fabric

    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!
Make sure to download and install Standard mode. The Personal mode gateway is not supported by Microsoft Fabric cloud services and will not work.

You are now ready to load data into Microsoft Fabric.

Load Custom API 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):

    Create a new workspace in Microsoft Fabric for a Copy job

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

    Create new item in Microsoft Fabric workspace

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

    Add Copy job to Microsoft Fabric workspace

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

    Choose ODBC as the data source in Microsoft Fabric Copy job

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

    DSN=CustomApiDSN
    DSN=CustomApiDSN
    Configure ODBC connection string in Microsoft Fabric Copy job

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

    DSN=CustomApiDSN
    Selecting tables to copy in Microsoft Fabric Copy Job

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

    Choose data destination in Microsoft Fabric Copy job
    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:

    Select copy mode in Microsoft Fabric Copy job (Full vs Incremental)

  10. Review the Column and Table mappings section:

    Map source tables and columns to destination in Microsoft Fabric Copy job

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

    DSN=CustomApiDSN
    DSN=CustomApiDSN
    Save and run the Copy job in Microsoft Fabric

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

    DSN=CustomApiDSN
    Monitor the status of the Microsoft Fabric Copy job

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

    Verify Microsoft Fabric Copy job success status

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

    View loaded data in Microsoft Fabric Lakehouse

  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:

    Create Dataflow Gen2 in Microsoft Fabric

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

    Get data from ODBC source in Dataflow

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

    Choose ODBC data source in Dataflow

  5. Then in the next step follow these instructions:

    • Enter your ODBC connection string (e.g., DSN=CustomApiDSN)
    • Expand Advanced options
    • Enter your SQL statement
    • Select your On-premises data gateway
    • Finally, click Next:
    DSN=CustomApiDSN
    DSN=CustomApiDSN
    SELECT * FROM Orders
    Configure ODBC data source in Dataflow

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

    Odbc.Query("DSN=CustomApiDSN", "SELECT * FROM Orders")
    Source data preview in Dataflow

  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=CustomApiDSN", "SELECT * FROM Orders")
    Add destination in Dataflow

  8. Configure the destination connection settings and click Next:

    Configure destination in Dataflow

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

    Configure destination target in Dataflow

  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:

    Set column mappings in destination in Dataflow

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

    Odbc.Query("DSN=CustomApiDSN", "SELECT * FROM Orders")
    Ready to publish Dataflow

  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.

    Create Pipeline in Microsoft Fabric

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

    Add Dataflow activity to pipeline

  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:

    Configure Dataflow activity settings in pipeline

  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:

    Save and run pipeline

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

    Pipeline run in progress status

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

    Pipeline run succeeded status

  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 Custom API 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.
Data Gateway
Local ODBC
data source
Simple configuration
Installation Single machine Per machine
Connectivity Local and remote Local only
Connections limit Limited by License Unlimited
Central data access
Central access control
More flexible cost

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 Custom API data source in the gateway

In this section we will create a data source for Custom API 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:

    Open ZappySys Data Gateway Service Manager

  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
    Data Gateway - Add User

  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 API Driver
    • Finally, click OK
    CustomApiDSN
    ZappySys API Driver
    Data Gateway - Add data source

  4. When the ZappySys API Driver configuration window opens, go back to ODBC Data Source Administrator where you already have the Custom API 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 API Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
      ZappySys API Driver - Custom API
      Read / write Custom API data without coding.
      CustomApiDSN
      Copy connection string for ODBC application
    • The window opens, telling us the connection string was successfully copied to the clipboard: Successful connection string copying for ODBC application

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

      CustomApiDSN
      ZappySys API Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
      ZappySys API Driver - Custom API
      Read / write Custom API data without coding.
      CustomApiDSN
      Load configuration in ZappySys Data Gateway data source
    • 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:

    Data Gateway - Add firewall rule for inbound connections
    • 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:

    ZappySys Data Gateway - Save Changes
    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):

    Open ODBC Data Source

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

    ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server
    Create new User DSN for 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
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Setting hostname and port
    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
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Selecting SQL Authentication

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

    CustomApiDSN
    CustomApiDSN
    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Selecting database
    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:

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Trusting certificate

  7. Once you do that, test the connection:

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Testing connection

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

    ODBC driver for SQL Server - Testing connection succeeded

  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 Custom API 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
    Configure access to ZappySys Data Gateway data source in Microsoft Fabric

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

  5. That's it!

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

Conclusion

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