How to integrate Power BI using Alteryx

Integrate Alteryx and Power BI
Integrate Alteryx and Power BI

Learn how to quickly and efficiently connect Power BI with Alteryx for smooth data access.

Read and write Microsoft Power BI data effortlessly. Access, refresh, and manage datasets, reports, and dashboards — almost no coding required. You can do it all using the high-performance Power BI ODBC Driver for Alteryx (often referred to as the Power BI 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 data source using Power BI ODBC Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Power BI using Alteryx, we first need to create an ODBC data source. We will later read this data in Alteryx. 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
    • 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. When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "Power BI" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "Power BI" 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:

    PowerBiDSN
    Power BI
    ODBC DSN Template Selection

  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). More info is available in the Authentication section.

    User Credentials

    Power BI 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.
    1. Navigate to the Azure Portal and log in using your credentials.
    2. Access Microsoft Entra ID.

    3. Register a new application by going to App registrations and clicking on New registration button:

      Start new app registration in Microsoft Entra ID
      INFO: Find more information on how to register an application in Graph API reference.

    4. 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.
      Register app in Microsoft Entra ID

    5. After registering the app, copy the Application (client) ID for later:

      Copy client ID of Microsoft Entra ID app

    6. Copy OAuth authorization endpoint (v2) & OAuth token endpoint (v2) URLs to use later in the configuration:

      Copy Auth and Token URLs in Microsoft Entra ID app

    7. 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.:
        • offline_access
        • https://analysis.windows.net/powerbi/api/Workspace.Read.All
        • https://analysis.windows.net/powerbi/api/Dataset.Read.All
        • https://analysis.windows.net/powerbi/api/Dataset.ReadWrite.All
    8. Press Generate Token button to generate Access and Refresh Tokens.
    9. Click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.
    10. Optional step. Choose Default Workspace from the drop down menu.
    11. Choose Default Dataset from the drop down menu.
    12. Done! Now you are ready to use the API Connector!
    API Connection Manager configuration

    Just perform these simple steps to finish authentication configuration:

    1. Set Authentication Type to User Credentials [OAuth]
    2. Optional step. Modify API Base URL if needed (in most cases default will work).
    3. Fill in all the required parameters and set optional parameters if needed.
    4. Press Generate Token button to generate the tokens.
    5. Finally, hit OK button:
    PowerBiDSN
    Power BI
    User Credentials [OAuth]
    https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg
    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...
    Default Dataset (select after generating tokens) Fill-in the parameter...
    Optional Parameters
    Client Secret
    Redirect URI (must match App Redirect URI)
    Default Workspace (Keep Empty for My Workspace - select after generating tokens)
    RetryMode RetryWhenStatusCodeMatch
    RetryStatusCodeList 429|503
    RetryCountMax 20
    RetryWaitTimeMs 1000
    RetryMultiplyWaitTime True
    Login options
    ODBC DSN OAuth Connection Configuration

  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 - Power BI
    Read and write Microsoft Power BI data effortlessly. Access, refresh, and manage datasets, reports, and dashboards — almost no coding required.
    PowerBiDSN
    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 Alteryx to retrieve data from Power BI. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step. 

    SELECT * 
FROM Workspaces
WHERE Id='aaaaaaaa-bbbb-cccc-dddd-eeeeeeeeeeee'
    Configure table/endpoint parameters in ODBC data source based on API Driver
    Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the Power BI 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 Alteryx:

    ZappySys API Driver - Power BI
    Read and write Microsoft Power BI data effortlessly. Access, refresh, and manage datasets, reports, and dashboards — almost no coding required.
    PowerBiDSN
    SELECT * 
FROM Workspaces
WHERE Id='aaaaaaaa-bbbb-cccc-dddd-eeeeeeeeeeee'
    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 Power BI 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 Power BI servers).

  9. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Read Power BI data in Alteryx Designer (workstation)

Here we will be reading Power BI data on your workstation using Alteryx Designer. Follow the steps below to connect via ODBC and run your workflow locally.

Version requirement: Alteryx support was added in ODBC PowerPack v2.2.1. You must have ODBC PowerPack v2.2.1 or higher installed. How to check version of my ODBC PowerPack.

  1. Open Alteryx Designer.

  2. First, verify your DCM Settings to ensure you can access ODBC drivers. Go to Options > User Settings > Edit User Settings.

    If DCM Mode is set to DCM Only, change it to DCM Optional if you would like to access the legacy Generic ODBC Connection.

    Alteryx DCM User Settings for ODBC access
    After changing this setting, you may need to click Save and restart the connection window for the "Generic ODBC" icon to appear.

  3. Drag an Input Data tool onto your Alteryx canvas.

    Drag Input Data tool onto Alteryx canvas

  4. In the Configuration pane, click Set Up a Connection.

    Set Up a Connection in Alteryx Input Data configuration

  5. Note for DCM Users: If your environment has DCM (Data Connection Manager) enabled, the classic "Generic ODBC" icon may be hidden. To find it, select Data sources on the left and type "ODBC" in the search bar.

  6. Once the ODBC window opens, click Connect Asset and select your PowerBiDSN DSN from the list.

    Connect Asset and select ODBC DSN in Alteryx
    Ensure you have configured a 64-bit System DSN in the Windows ODBC Data Source Administrator before this step.

  7. After selecting your DSN, configure your SQL Query in the Input Data tool configuration:

    Configure SQL Query in Alteryx Input Data tool

  8. To save your data, drag an Output Data tool and connect it to the Input Data tool.

  9. Configure the Output Data tool to write to a CSV file:

    Configure Output Data to CSV in Alteryx

  10. Press Run (Ctrl+R) to execute the workflow. Verify the results in the Results Window at the bottom.

    Run Alteryx workflow and view results

Using DSN-less Connection String

If you prefer to use a DSN-less connection string instead of creating an ODBC data source in Alteryx, you can enter the connection string directly in the Input Data tool's connection setup:

Alteryx DSN-less connection string setup

Deploy workflow and run on server (e.g. Alteryx Server)

To run your Alteryx workflow on a server (e.g. Alteryx Server or a machine used for scheduled runs), install ZappySys ODBC PowerPack and configure the same DSN on that server so the workflow can connect to Power BI data.

  1. On the server where the workflow will run, download and install ODBC PowerPack (v2.2.1 or higher for Alteryx support).
  2. Open ODBC Data Sources (64-bit) on the server and create a System DSN with the same name and settings as on your workstation (use the same driver and connection configuration). An easy way to copy your workstation DSN settings to the server is described in How to copy ODBC DSN or Data Gateway settings to another server (use Copy Settings on the workstation, then Load settings on the server).
  3. Deploy or publish your workflow to the server (e.g. upload to Alteryx Server or copy the workflow to the server).
  4. Run the workflow on the server; it will use the DSN you created in step 2 to connect to Power BI.

Optional: Centralized data access via ZappySys Data Gateway

In some situations, you may need to provide Power BI 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 Alteryx (client-side) to connect to it.

Let's not wait and get going!

Create Power BI data source in the gateway

In this section we will create a data source for Power BI 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
    PowerBiDSN
    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 Power BI 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 - Power BI
      Read and write Microsoft Power BI data effortlessly. Access, refresh, and manage datasets, reports, and dashboards — almost no coding required.
      PowerBiDSN
      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:

      PowerBiDSN
      ZappySys API Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
      ZappySys API Driver - Power BI
      Read and write Microsoft Power BI data effortlessly. Access, refresh, and manage datasets, reports, and dashboards — almost no coding required.
      PowerBiDSN
      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 Alteryx. 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 PowerBiDSN (the one we used in the Data Gateway):

    PowerBiDSN
    PowerBiDSN
    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 Alteryx via the gateway

Finally, we are ready to read data from Power BI in Alteryx via the Data Gateway. Follow these final steps:

  1. Go back to Alteryx.

  2. Drag an Input Data tool onto your Alteryx canvas.

    Drag Input Data tool onto Alteryx canvas

  3. In the Configuration pane, click Set Up a Connection.

    Set Up a Connection in Alteryx Input Data configuration

  4. Note for DCM Users: If your environment has DCM (Data Connection Manager) enabled, the classic "Generic ODBC" icon may be hidden. To find it, select Data sources on the left and type "ODBC" in the search bar.

  5. Once the ODBC window opens, click Connect Asset and select your ZappySysGatewayDSN DSN from the list.

    Connect Asset and select ODBC DSN in Alteryx
    Ensure you have configured a 64-bit System DSN in the Windows ODBC Data Source Administrator before this step.

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

  7. That's it!

Now you can connect to Power BI data in Alteryx via the Data Gateway.

If you are asked for authentication details, use Database authentication, SQL authentication or Basic authentication option and enter the credentials you used when configuring the Data Gateway, e.g. john and your password.

Supported Power BI Connector actions

Got a specific use case in mind? We've mapped out exactly how to perform a variety of essential Power BI operations directly in Alteryx, 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 Power BI in Alteryx and integrate data without writing complex code — all of this was powered by Power BI 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):

Download Chat

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