Power BI Connector for UiPath : Make generic REST API request via SQL

Learn how to make generic REST API request using the Power BI Connector for UiPath. This connector enables you to read and write Microsoft Power BI data effortlessly. Access, refresh, and manage datasets, reports, and dashboards — almost no coding required. We'll walk you through the exact setup.

Let's dive in!

Power BI ODBC Driver Powering this integration

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

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

Documentation

Create data source using Power BI ODBC Driver

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 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

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.

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:
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.:
  - 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
Press Generate Token button to generate Access and Refresh Tokens.
Click Test Connection to confirm the connection is working.
Optional step. Choose Default Workspace from the drop down menu.
Choose Default Dataset from the drop down menu.
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:

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

Then go to Preview tab to start building a SQL query.
Once you do that, proceed by opening Query Builder:

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
Then simply select the Make Generic REST API Request endpoint (action).
Continue by configuring the Required parameters. You can also set optional parameters too.
Move on by hitting Preview Data button to preview the results.

If you see the results you need, simply copy the generated query:

Make Generic REST API Request

Required Parameters
HTTP - Url or File Path	Select the value from the dropdown
Optional Parameters
HTTP - Request Body
HTTP - Is MultiPart Body (Pass File data/Mixed Key/value)
HTTP - Headers (e.g. hdr1:aaa \|\| hdr2:bbb)	Accept: / \|\| Cache-Control: no-cache
Parser - Filter (e.g. $.rows[*] )
Download - Enable reading binary data	False
Download - File overwrite mode	AlwaysOverwrite
Download - Save file path
Download - Enable raw output mode as single row	False
Download - Raw output data RowTemplate	{Status:'Downloaded'}
Download - Request Timeout (Milliseconds)
Advanced Properties
HTTP - Request Method	GET
HTTP - Request Format (Content-Type)	ApplicationJson
Parser - Response Format (Default=Json)	Default
Parser - Encoding
Parser - CharacterSet
General - Enable Custom Search/Replace
General - SearchFor (e.g. (\d)-(\d)--regex)
General - ReplaceWith (e.g. $1-***)
General - File Compression Type
General - Date Format
General - Enable Big Number Handling	False
General - Wait time (Ms) - Helps to slow down pagination (Use for throttling)	0
JSON/XML - ExcludedProperties (e.g. meta,info)
JSON/XML - Flatten Small Array (Not preferred for more than 10 items)
JSON/XML - Max Array Items To Flatten	10
JSON/XML - Array Transform Type
JSON/XML - Array Transform Column Name Filter
JSON/XML - Array Transform Row Value Filter
JSON/XML - Array Transform Enable Custom Columns
JSON/XML - Enable Pivot Transform
JSON/XML - Array Transform Custom Columns
JSON/XML - Pivot Path Replace With
JSON/XML - Enable Pivot Path Search Replace	False
JSON/XML - Pivot Path Search For
JSON/XML - Include Pivot Path	False
JSON/XML - Throw Error When No Match for Filter	False
JSON/XML - Parent Column Prefix
JSON/XML - Include Parent When Child Null	False
Pagination - Mode
Pagination - Attribute Name (e.g. page)
Pagination - Increment By (e.g. 100)	1
Pagination - Expression for Next URL (e.g. $.nextUrl)
Pagination - Wait time after each request (milliseconds)	0
Pagination - Max Rows Expr
Pagination - Max Pages Expr
Pagination - Max Rows DataPath Expr
Pagination - Max Pages	0
Pagination - End Rules
Pagination - Next URL Suffix
Pagination - Next URL End Indicator
Pagination - Stop Indicator Expr
Pagination - Current Page
Pagination - End Strategy Type	DetectBasedOnRecordCount
Pagination - Stop based on this Response StatusCode
Pagination - When EndStrategy Condition Equals	True
Pagination - Max Response Bytes	0
Pagination - Min Response Bytes	0
Pagination - Error String Match
Pagination - Enable Page Token in Body	False
Pagination - Placeholders (e.g. {page})
Pagination - Has Different NextPage Info	False
Pagination - First Page Body Part
Pagination - Next Page Body Part
Csv - Column Delimiter	,
Csv - Has Header Row	True
Csv - Throw error when column count mismatch	False
Csv - Throw error when no record found	False
Csv - Allow comments (i.e. line starts with # treat as comment and skip line)	False
Csv - Comment Character	#
Csv - Skip rows	0
Csv - Ignore Blank Lines	True
Csv - Skip Empty Records	False
Csv - Skip Header Comment Rows	0
Csv - Trim Headers	False
Csv - Trim Fields	False
Csv - Ignore Quotes	False
Csv - Treat Any Blank Value As Null	False
Xml - ElementsToTreatAsArray

SELECT * 
FROM generic_request
WITH (Url='/groups',
Filter='$.value[*]')


/*
EXPLANATION:
- This configuration calls Power BI REST API "Get Groups" endpoint and gets the Workspaces back.
- This is achieved by "/groups" value in the "Url" parameter.
- The SQL query parameter "Filter" uses JsonPath "$.value[*]".
- This gets JSON objects from "value" array and transforms them into SQL rows.

MORE INFORMATION:
- About "Get Groups" REST API endpoint:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/power-bi/groups/get-groups
- About JsonPath used in "Filter" parameter:
  https://zappysys.com/blog/jsonpath-examples-expression-cheetsheet  
*/

Click OK to use built SQL query and close the Query Builder.
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 UiPath:
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 generic_request
WITH (Url='/groups',
Filter='$.value[*]')


/*
EXPLANATION:
- This configuration calls Power BI REST API "Get Groups" endpoint and gets the Workspaces back.
- This is achieved by "/groups" value in the "Url" parameter.
- The SQL query parameter "Filter" uses JsonPath "$.value[*]".
- This gets JSON objects from "value" array and transforms them into SQL rows.

MORE INFORMATION:
- About "Get Groups" REST API endpoint:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/power-bi/groups/get-groups
- About JsonPath used in "Filter" parameter:
  https://zappysys.com/blog/jsonpath-examples-expression-cheetsheet  
*/
```
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).

Let's not stop here and explore SQL query examples, including how to use them in Stored Procedures and Views (virtual tables) in the next steps.

Power BI SQL query examples

Use these SQL queries in your UiPath data source:

Call generic API request

Calls a generic Power BI API endpoint. Supply the endpoint path in the Url parameter.

SELECT * 
FROM generic_request
WITH (Url='/groups',
Filter='$.value[*]')


/*
EXPLANATION:
- This configuration calls Power BI REST API "Get Groups" endpoint and gets the Workspaces back.
- This is achieved by "/groups" value in the "Url" parameter.
- The SQL query parameter "Filter" uses JsonPath "$.value[*]".
- This gets JSON objects from "value" array and transforms them into SQL rows.

MORE INFORMATION:
- About "Get Groups" REST API endpoint:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/power-bi/groups/get-groups
- About JsonPath used in "Filter" parameter:
  https://zappysys.com/blog/jsonpath-examples-expression-cheetsheet  
*/

Call generic API request with URL parameters

Calls a generic Power BI API endpoint with URL parameters (e.g. filters). Supply the endpoint path and parameters in the Url parameter.

SELECT * 
FROM generic_request
WITH (Url='/groups?$filter=contains(name,''MyWorkspace'') or name eq ''My Blue Workspace''',
Filter='$.value[*]')


/*
EXPLANATION:
- This configuration calls Power BI REST API "Get Groups" endpoint and gets the Workspaces back.
- This is achieved by "/groups" value in the "Url" parameter.
- Workspaces are filtered on the Power BI REST API side by using the "$filter" URL parameter.
- Only those Workspaces are returned that:
  > contain a string value "MyWorkspace" or
  > if the Workspace name is "My Blue Workspace" (each single quote is escaped with two single quotes).
- The SQL query parameter "Filter" uses JsonPath "$.value[*]".
- This gets JSON objects from "value" array and transforms them into SQL rows.

MORE INFORMATION:
- About "Get Groups" REST API endpoint:
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/power-bi/groups/get-groups
- About JsonPath used in "Filter" parameter:
  https://zappysys.com/blog/jsonpath-examples-expression-cheetsheet  
*/

Get DynamicRequest

SELECT * FROM __DynamicRequest__

generic_request endpoint belongs to __DynamicRequest__ table(s), and can therefore be used via those table(s).

Create SQL view in ODBC data source

ZappySys API Drivers support flexible Query language so you can override Default Properties you configured on Data Source such as URL, Body. This way you don't have to create multiple Data Sources if you like to read data from multiple EndPoints. However not every application support supplying custom SQL to driver so you can only select Table from list returned from driver.

If you're dealing with Microsoft Access and need to import data from an SQL query, it's important to note that Access doesn't allow direct import of SQL queries. Instead, you can create custom objects (Virtual Tables) to handle the import process.

Many applications like MS Access, Informatica Designer wont give you option to specify custom SQL when you import Objects. In such case Virtual Table is very useful. You can create many Virtual Tables on the same Data Source (e.g. If you have 50 URLs with slight variations you can create virtual tables with just URL as Parameter setting.

Go to Custom Objects Tab and Click on Add button and Select Add Table:
Enter the desired Table name and click on OK:
And it will open the New Query Window Click on Cancel to close that window and go to Custom Objects Tab.
Select the created table, Select Text Type AS SQL and write the your desired SQL Query and Save it and it will create the custom table in the ZappySys Driver:
Here is an example SQL query for ZappySys Driver. You can insert Placeholders also. Read more about placeholders here
```
SELECT
  "ShipCountry",
  "OrderID",
  "CustomerID",
  "EmployeeID",
  "OrderDate",
  "RequiredDate",
  "ShippedDate",
  "ShipVia",
  "Freight",
  "ShipName",
  "ShipAddress",
  "ShipCity",
  "ShipRegion",
  "ShipPostalCode"
FROM "Orders"
Where "ShipCountry"='USA'
```
That's it now go to Preview Tab and Execute your custom virtual table query. In this example it will extract the orders for the USA Shipping Country only:
```
SELECT * FROM "vt__usa_orders_only"
```

Make generic REST API request in UiPath via SQL view

Open UiPath Studio.
Before we really begin the work, make sure UiPath Studio is set as your profile (blue application icon).
In case, it is set to UiPath StudioX, you can change it in UiPath StudioX Settings:

Simply select UiPath Studio option:
Start by creating a new project based on UiPath Process template:
Add Run Query activity in Main Sequence box:
Click Configure Connection... button to create an ODBC connection:
Continue by clicking Connection Wizard:
When the window opens, select ODBC-based driver, provider, and then choose ODBC data source:

PowerBiDSN

PowerBiDSN

You can also select Use connection string option and use whole ODBC connection string instead. Obtain the connection string by pressing Copy Settings button in your data source configuration.
Once you do that, it's time to configure a SQL query:

Make sure, you enclose the query in double quotes!
Proceed by adding a Write CSV activity after Run Query:

In this article we are using Write CSV, but you can freely add any other destination of your choice, e.g. Write DataTable to Excel.
Once you do that, configure the added Write CSV, this will write Power BI data to a CSV file:
It's time for fun! Which means it's time for debugging! Just run the package locally to debug:
Finally, ensure there are no execution errors!

Advanced topics

Creating SQL stored procedures

You can create procedures to encapsulate custom logic and then only pass handful parameters rather than long SQL to execute your API call.

Steps to create Custom Stored Procedure in ZappySys Driver. You can insert Placeholders anywhere inside Procedure Body. Read more about placeholders here

Go to Custom Objects Tab and Click on Add button and Select Add Procedure:
Enter the desired Procedure name and click on OK:
Select the created Stored Procedure and write the your desired stored procedure and Save it and it will create the custom stored procedure in the ZappySys Driver. Here is an example stored procedure for ZappySys Driver. You can insert Placeholders anywhere inside Procedure Body. Read more about placeholders here
```
CREATE PROCEDURE [usp_get_orders]
    @fromdate = '<<yyyy-MM-dd,FUN_TODAY>>'
 AS
    SELECT * FROM Orders where OrderDate >= '<@fromdate>';
```
That's it now go to Preview Tab and Execute your Stored Procedure using Exec Command. In this example it will extract the orders from the date 1996-01-01:
```
Exec usp_get_orders '1996-01-01';
```

Conclusion

And there you have it — a complete guide on how to make generic REST API request in UiPath without writing complex code. All of this was powered by Power BI ODBC Driver, which handled the REST API pagination and authentication for us automatically.

Download the trial 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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More actions supported by Power BI Connector

Got another use case in mind? We've documented the exact setups for a variety of essential Power BI operations directly in UiPath, so you can skip the trial and error. Find your next step-by-step guide below: