How to integrate Outlook Mail (Office 365) with Power BI

Integrate Power BI and Outlook Mail (Office 365)

Learn how to quickly and efficiently connect Outlook Mail (Office 365) with Power BI for smooth data access.

Read and write Microsoft Outlook Mail (Office 365) data effortlessly. Send, manage, and sync messages, attachments, and folders — almost no coding required. You can do it all using the high-performance Outlook Mail (Office 365) ODBC Driver for Power BI (often referred to as the Outlook Mail (Office 365) 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.

Outlook Mail (Office 365) ODBC Driver Powering this integration

High performance
Bidirectional
Low-code / No-code
Easy to use

Built on the ZappySys API Driver, the Outlook Mail (Office 365) ODBC Driver is a high-performance, low-code / no-code solution. It enables you to connect to Outlook Mail (Office 365) data without any coding right in your SQL Server, or any ODBC/JDBC application. Part of the ODBC PowerPack.

Documentation

Video Tutorial

This video covers the following topics and more, so please watch carefully. After watching the video, follow the steps outlined in this article:

How to download and install the required PowerPack for Outlook Mail (Office 365) integration in Power BI
How to configure the connection for Outlook Mail (Office 365)
Features of the ZappySys API Driver (Authentication / Query Language / Examples / Driver UI)
How to use the Outlook Mail (Office 365) in Power BI

Create data source using Outlook Mail (Office 365) ODBC Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Outlook Mail (Office 365) using Power BI, we first need to create an ODBC data source. We will later read this data in Power BI. Perform these steps:

Download and install ODBC PowerPack (if you haven't already).
Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):
Create a User data source (User DSN) based on the ZappySys API Driver driver:

ZappySys API 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
When deployed to production, Power BI runs under a Service Account. Therefore, for the production environment, you must create and use a System DSN.
When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "Outlook Mail (Office 365)" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "Outlook Mail (Office 365)" is not present in the list, then click "Search Online" and download it. Then set the path to the location where you downloaded it. Finally, click Continue >> to proceed with configuring the DSN:

OutlookMailOffice365DSN

Outlook Mail (Office 365)

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). More info is available in the Authentication section.

User Credentials

Outlook Mail (Office 365) authentication

Use delegated access (User Credentials) whenever you want to let a signed-in user work with their own resources or resources they can access. Whether it's an admin setting up policies for their entire organization or a user deleting an email in their inbox, all scenarios involving user actions should use delegated access. [API reference]

Follow these simple steps below to create Microsoft Entra ID application with delegated access:

WARNING: If you are planning to automate processes, we recommend that you use a Application Credentials authentication method. In case, you still need to use User Credentials, then make sure you use a system/generic account (e.g. automation@my-company.com). When you use a personal account which is tied to a specific employee profile and that employee leaves the company, the token may become invalid and any automated processes using that token will start to fail.

Navigate to the Azure Portal and log in using your credentials.
Access Microsoft Entra ID.
Register a new application by going to App registrations and clicking on New registration button:
INFO: Find more information on how to register an application in Graph API reference.
When configuration window opens, configure these fields:
- Supported account type
  - Use Accounts in this organizational directory only, if you need access to data in your organization only.
- Redirect URI:
  - Set the type to Public client/native (mobile & desktop).
  - Use https://zappysys.com/oauth as the URL.
After registering the app, copy the Application (client) ID for later:
Then copy OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) & OAuth token endpoint (v2) URLs to use later in the configuration:
Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use the copied values in User Credentials authentication configuration:
- In the Authorization URL field paste the OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Token URL field paste the OAuth token endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Client ID field paste the Application (client) ID value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Scope field use the default value or select individual scopes, e.g.:
  - email
  - offline_access
  - openid
  - profile
  - Mail.Read
  - Mail.Read.Shared
  - Mail.ReadBasic
  - Mail.ReadBasic.Shared
  - Mail.ReadWrite
  - Mail.ReadWrite.Shared
  - Mail.Send
  - Mail.Send.Shared
  - User.Read
  - User.ReadBasic.All
  - Group.Read.All
Press Generate Token button to generate Access and Refresh Tokens.
Optional step. Choose Default User Id from the drop down menu (if someone shared a mailbox with you).
Click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.
Done! Now you are ready to use the API Connector!

API Connection Manager configuration

Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

Set Authentication Type to User Credentials [OAuth]
Optional step. Modify API Base URL if needed (in most cases default will work).
Fill in all the required parameters and set optional parameters if needed.
Press Generate Token button to generate the tokens.
Finally, hit OK button:

OutlookMailOffice365DSN

Outlook Mail (Office 365)

User Credentials [OAuth]

https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0

Required Parameters
Authorization URL	Fill-in the parameter...
Token URL	Fill-in the parameter...
Client ID	Fill-in the parameter...
Scope	Fill-in the parameter...
Return URL	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
Client Secret
Refresh Token File Path
Login Prompt Option
Default User Id (Select after clicking Generate Token)	me
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	429\|503
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

Application Credentials

Outlook Mail (Office 365) authentication

Application-only access is broader and more powerful than delegated access (User Credentials), so you should only use app-only access where needed. Use it when: 1. The application needs to run in an automated way, without user input (for example, a daily script that checks emails from certain contacts and sends automated responses). 2. The application needs to access resources belonging to multiple different users (for example, a backup or data loss prevention app might need to retrieve messages from many different chat channels, each with different participants). 3. You find yourself tempted to store credentials locally and allow the app to sign in 'as' the user or admin. [API reference]

Follow these simple steps below to create Microsoft Entra ID application with application access permissions.

Navigate to the Azure Portal and log in using your credentials.
Access Microsoft Entra ID.
Register a new application by going to App registrations and clicking on New registration button:
INFO: Find more information on how to register an application in Graph API reference.
When configuration window opens, configure these fields:
- Supported account type
  - e.g. select Accounts in this organizational directory only if you need access to data in your organization only.
- Redirect URI:
  - Set the type to Public client/native (mobile & desktop).
  - Leave the URL field empty.
After registering the app, copy the Application (client) ID for later:
Then copy OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) & OAuth token endpoint (v2) URLs:
Continue and create Client secret:
Then copy the Client secret for later steps:
Continue by adding permissions for the app by going to the API permissions section, and clicking on Add a permission:
Select Microsoft Graph:
Then choose Application permissions option:
Continue by adding these Mail (Outlook) permissions:
Finish by clicking Add permissions button:
Now it's time to Grant admin consent for your application:
Confirm all the permissions are granted:
Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use the copied values in Application Credentials authentication configuration:
- In the Token URL field paste the OAuth token endpoint (v2) URL value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Client ID field paste the Application (client) ID value you copied in the previous step.
- In the Client Secret field paste the Client secret value you copied in the previous step.
- Choose Default User Id from the drop down menu.
Click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.
That's it! Now you can use the connector.

API Connection Manager configuration

Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

Set Authentication Type to Application Credentials [OAuth]
Optional step. Modify API Base URL if needed (in most cases default will work).
Fill in all the required parameters and set optional parameters if needed.
Finally, hit OK button:

OutlookMailOffice365DSN

Outlook Mail (Office 365)

Application Credentials [OAuth]

https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0

Required Parameters
Token URL	Fill-in the parameter...
Client ID	Fill-in the parameter...
Client Secret	Fill-in the parameter...
Scope	Fill-in the parameter...
Default User Id	Fill-in the parameter...
Optional Parameters
RetryMode	RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
RetryStatusCodeList	429\|503
RetryCountMax	5
RetryMultiplyWaitTime	True

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 - Outlook Mail (Office 365)

Read and write Microsoft Outlook Mail (Office 365) data effortlessly. Send, manage, and sync messages, attachments, and folders — almost no coding required.

OutlookMailOffice365DSN
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 Power BI to retrieve data from Outlook Mail (Office 365). Hit OK button to use this query in the next step.
```
SELECT * FROM MyMessages
```
Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the Outlook Mail (Office 365) 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.
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 Power BI:
ZappySys API Driver - Outlook Mail (Office 365)

Read and write Microsoft Outlook Mail (Office 365) data effortlessly. Send, manage, and sync messages, attachments, and folders — almost no coding required.

OutlookMailOffice365DSN
```
SELECT * FROM MyMessages
```
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 Outlook Mail (Office 365) 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 Outlook Mail (Office 365) servers).
Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Connect to Outlook Mail (Office 365) data in Power BI

Import data from a table or view

Once you open Power BI Desktop click Get Data to get data from ODBC:
A window opens, and then search for "odbc" to get data from ODBC data source:
Another window opens and asks to select a Data Source we already created. Choose OutlookMailOffice365DSN and continue:

OutlookMailOffice365DSN
Most likely, you will be asked to authenticate to a newly created DSN. Just select Windows authentication option together with Use my current credentials option:

OutlookMailOffice365DSN
Finally, you will be asked to select a table or view to get data from. Select one and load the data!
Finally, finally, read extracted data from Outlook Mail (Office 365) in a Power BI report:

Import data using a SQL query

If you wish to import Outlook Mail (Office 365) data from SQL query rather than a table then you can use advanced options during import steps (as below). After selecting DSN you can click on advanced options to see SQL Query editor.

OutlookMailOffice365DSN

SELECT * FROM MyMessages

Get REST API data in Power BI Desktop using SQL query and ODBC

Consider using Custom Objects feature in ODBC data source to encapsulate SQL query in a Virtual Table. This way, you can see a virtual table in Power BI table list where you can import multiple objects using the same connection rather than creating a new connection for each custom SQL query.

Publish Power BI report to Power BI service

Here are the instructions on how to publish a Power BI report to Power BI service from Power BI Desktop application:

First of all, go to Power BI Desktop, open a Power BI report, and click Publish button:
Then select the Workspace you want to publish report to and hit Select button:
Finally, if everything went right, you will see a window indicating success:

What's next? If you need to periodically refresh Power BI semantic model (dataset) to ensure data accuracy and up-to-dateness, you can accomplish that by using Microsoft On-premises data gateway. Proceed to the next section - Refresh the Power BI semantic model via the gateway - and learn how to do that.

Refresh the Power BI semantic model (dataset) via the gateway

Power BI allows you to refresh semantic models (previously known as "datasets") that are based on data sources residing on-premises. This is achieved using the Microsoft On-premises data gateway. It acts as a secure bridge between Power BI cloud services and your local Outlook Mail (Office 365) ODBC data source:

Power BI and On-premises data gateway diagram

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

We recommend using Personal mode for quick POCs or personal use, and Standard mode for production scenarios.

Below are instructions on how to refresh the semantic model using both gateway types.

Use the Standard mode gateway (recommended)

Best for enterprise production environments where multiple users need to share the same gateway connection.

Follow these steps to refresh a Power BI semantic model using the On-premises data gateway (Standard mode):

Go to Power BI My workspace, hover your mouse cursor over your semantic model, and click Settings:
If you see this view, it means you must install the On-premises data gateway (Standard mode):
Download On-premises data gateway (standard mode) and run the installer.
Once the configuration window opens, sign in:

Sign in with the same email address you use for Microsoft Fabric.
Select Register a new gateway on this computer (or migrate an existing one):
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.
Once Microsoft gateway is installed, check if it registered correctly:
- Go back to Power BI portal
- Click Gear icon on top-right
- And then hit Manage connections and gateways menu item
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 Power BI portal page
- Restart the machine where On-premises data gateway is installed
- Check firewall settings
Success! The gateway is now Online and ready to handle requests.
Now, return to your semantic model settings in the Power BI portal. Refresh the page, and you should see your newly created gateway. Click the arrow icon to expand the options, and then click the Add to gateway link:

ODBC{"connectionstring":"dsn=OutlookMailOffice365DSN"}
Once you do that, you will create a new gateway connection. Give it a name, set the Authentication method, Privacy level, and click the Create button:

dsn=OutlookMailOffice365DSN

In this example, we use the least restrictive Privacy level.

If your connection uses a full connection string, you may hit a length limitation when entering it into the field. To create the connection, you will need to shorten it manually. Check the section about the limitation of a full connection string on how to accomplish this.

On-premises data gateway (Personal mode) does not have this limitation.
Select the newly created connection to map it to your dataset:

ODBC{"connectionstring":"dsn=OutlookMailOffice365DSN"}
Finally, you can refresh the semantic model:

Use the Personal mode gateway (POC)

Best for single-user scenarios, quick tests (POC), or when you don't have administrative rights to install the Standard gateway.

Follow these steps to refresh a Power BI semantic model using the On-premises data gateway (Personal mode):

Go to Power BI My workspace, hover your mouse cursor over your semantic model, and click Settings:
If you see this view, it means you must install the On-premises data gateway (Personal mode):
Install On-premises data gateway (personal mode) and sign-in:

Use the same email address you use when logging in into your account.
Once Microsoft gateway is installed, check if it registered correctly:
- Go back to Power BI portal
- Click Gear icon on top-right
- And then hit Manage connections and gateways menu item
Continue by clicking On-premises data gateway tab and select Personal mode option from the dropdown:
If your gateway is not listed, the registration may have failed. To resolve this:
- Wait a couple of minutes and refresh Power BI portal page
- Restart the machine where On-premises data gateway is installed
- Check firewall settings
The On-premises data gateway is now Online and ready to receive requests.
Return to your semantic model Settings, expand Data source credentials, click Edit credentials, select the Authentication method and the Privacy level, and then click the Sign in button:

dsn=OutlookMailOffice365DSN
Finally, you are ready to refresh your semantic model:

Advanced topics

Editing query in Power BI

There will be a time you need to change the initial query after importing data into Power BI. Don't worry, just right-click on your table and click Edit query menu item:

Edit query in Power BI to get REST API data

Refer to Power Query M reference for more information on how to use its advanced features in your queries.

Using parameters for dynamic queries

In the real world, many values of your REST / SOAP API call may be coming from parameters. If that's the case for you can try to edit script manually as below. In below example its calling SQL Query with POST method and passing some parameters. Notice below where paraAPIKey is Power BI Parameter (string type). You can use parameters anywhere in your script just like the normal variable.

To use a parameter in Power BI report, follow these simple steps:

Firstly, you need to Edit query of your table (see previous section)

Then just create a new parameter by clicking Manage Parameters dropdown, click New Parameter option, and use it in the query:

                
                            = Odbc.Query("dsn=OutlookMailOffice365DSN",
                                         "SELECT ProductID, ProductName, UnitPrice, UnitsInStock
                                          FROM Products
                                          WHERE UnitPrice > " & Text.From(MyParameter) & "
                                          ORDER BY UnitPrice")

Use parameter in Power BI to get REST API data

Refer to Power Query M reference for more information on how to use its advanced features in your queries.

Using DirectQuery (live connection)

By default, Power BI imports Outlook Mail (Office 365) data into its internal cache. However, if you require real-time data, you can use the DirectQuery mode.

Since the native Power BI ODBC connector limits you to Import mode, we must bridge the connection via Microsoft SQL Server. To do this, we configure the ZappySys Data Gateway and create a Linked Server pointing to it:

Architecture diagram: Power BI (DirectQuery) connected to SQL Server, bridging to ZappySys Data Gateway via Linked Server, and finally fetching data from Outlook Mail (Office 365) Service

This method requires an existing Microsoft SQL Server instance to act as the bridge.

Follow these steps to use DirectQuery:

Configure ZappySys Data Gateway and create a Linked Server in SQL Server.
Once the Linked Server is ready, open Power BI Desktop.
Click Get Data and select SQL Server.
Enter your SQL Server instance name and a valid database name (e.g., master).
Under Data Connectivity mode, select DirectQuery.
Expand Advanced options and enter your SQL query using the OPENQUERY syntax below (replace [LINKED_SERVER_NAME] with your actual Linked Server name):

SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY], 'SELECT * FROM MyMessages')
```
SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([LS_TO_OUTLOOK_MAIL_OFFICE_365_IN_GATEWAY], 'SELECT * FROM MyMessages')
```
Click OK and load the data. Your Outlook Mail (Office 365) data is now linked live rather than imported.

Avoid using DirectQuery unless it is required for very large datasets or real-time data needs. Data is fetched on demand, which can impact performance compared to the cached Import mode.

Using full ODBC connection string

In the previous steps we used a very short format of ODBC connection string - a DSN. Yet sometimes you don't want a dependency on an ODBC data source (and an extra step). In those times, you can define a full connection string and skip creating an ODBC data source entirely. Let's see below how to accomplish that in the below steps:

Open ODBC data source configuration and click Copy settings:

ZappySys API Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]

ZappySys API Driver - Outlook Mail (Office 365)

Read and write Microsoft Outlook Mail (Office 365) data effortlessly. Send, manage, and sync messages, attachments, and folders — almost no coding required.

OutlookMailOffice365DSN
The window opens, telling us the connection string was successfully copied to the clipboard:
Then just paste the connection string into your script:

OutlookMailOffice365DSN

DRIVER={ZappySys API Driver};ServiceUrl=https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0;Provider=Custom;OAuthVersion=OAuth2;GrantType=Default;Scope=[$Scope$];ScopeSeparator={space};
You are good to go! The script will execute the same way as using a DSN.

The DSN defined in the Data source name (DSN) field will be ignored.

Have in mind that a full connection string has length limitations.

Proceed to the next step to find out the details.

Handling limitations of using a full connection string

Despite using a full ODBC connection string may be very convenient it comes with a limitation: it's length is limited to 1024 symbols (or sometimes more). It usually happens when API provider generates a very long Refresh Token when OAuth is at play. If you are using such a long ODBC connection string, you may get this error:

"Connection string exceeds maximum allowed length of 1024"

But there is a solution to this by storing the full connection string in a file. Follow the steps below to achieve this:

Open your ODBC data source.
Click Copy settings button to copy a full connection string (see the previous section on how to accomplish that).
Then create a new file, let's say, in C:\temp\odbc-connection-string.txt.
Continue by pasting the copied connection string into a newly created file and save it.
Finally, the last step! Just construct a shorter ODBC connection string using this format:
```
DRIVER={ZappySys API Driver};SettingsFile=C:\temp\odbc-connection-string.txt
```
Our troubles are over! Now you should be able to use this connection string in Power BI with no problems.

This feature requires ODBC PowerPack v1.9.0 or later.

Optional: Centralized data access via ZappySys Data Gateway

In some situations, you may need to provide Outlook Mail (Office 365) 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 Power BI (client-side) to connect to it.

Let's not wait and get going!

Create Outlook Mail (Office 365) data source in the gateway

In this section we will create a data source for Outlook Mail (Office 365) in the Data Gateway. Let's follow these steps to accomplish that:

Search for gateway in the Windows Start Menu and open ZappySys Data Gateway Configuration:
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
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
OutlookMailOffice365DSN

ZappySys API Driver
When the ZappySys API Driver configuration window opens, go back to ODBC Data Source Administrator where you already have the Outlook Mail (Office 365) 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 - Outlook Mail (Office 365)
  
  Read and write Microsoft Outlook Mail (Office 365) data effortlessly. Send, manage, and sync messages, attachments, and folders — almost no coding required.
  
  OutlookMailOffice365DSN
- 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:
  
  OutlookMailOffice365DSN
  
  ZappySys API Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
  
  ZappySys API Driver - Outlook Mail (Office 365)
  
  Read and write Microsoft Outlook Mail (Office 365) data effortlessly. Send, manage, and sync messages, attachments, and folders — almost no coding required.
  
  OutlookMailOffice365DSN
- Once a window opens, just paste the settings by pressing CTRL+V or by clicking right mouse button and then Paste option.
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.
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 Power BI. To achieve that, let's perform these steps:

Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):
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.
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.
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
Then set the default database property to OutlookMailOffice365DSN (the one we used in the Data Gateway):

OutlookMailOffice365DSN

OutlookMailOffice365DSN

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).
Continue by checking the Trust server certificate option:
Once you do that, test the connection:
If the connection is successful, everything is good:
Done!

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

Access data in Power BI via the gateway

Finally, we are ready to read data from Outlook Mail (Office 365) in Power BI via the Data Gateway. Follow these final steps:

Go back to Power BI.
Once you open Power BI Desktop click Get Data to get data from ODBC:
A window opens, and then search for "odbc" to get data from ODBC data source:
Another window opens and asks to select a Data Source we already created. Choose ZappySysGatewayDSN and continue:

ZappySysGatewayDSN
When the ODBC driver authentication window opens, configure the following:
- Enter the User name (e.g., john)
- Enter the Password that you configured in ZappySys Data Gateway
- Hit the Connect button
dsn=ZappySysGatewayDSN

Make sure the Database tab is selected; otherwise, Power BI won't be able to connect to the ZappySys Data Gateway.
Read the data the same way we discussed at the beginning of this article.
That's it!

Now you can connect to Outlook Mail (Office 365) data in Power BI via the Data Gateway.

Supported Outlook Mail (Office 365) Connector actions

Got a specific use case in mind? We've mapped out exactly how to perform a variety of essential Outlook Mail (Office 365) operations directly in Power BI, so you don't have to figure out the setup from scratch. Check out the step-by-step guides below:

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to Outlook Mail (Office 365) in Power BI and integrate data without writing complex code — all of this was powered by Outlook Mail (Office 365) 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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