FTP/SFTP XML File Connector for Power BI
In this article you will learn how to integrate Using FTP/SFTP XML File Connector you will be able to connect, read, and write data from within Power BI. Follow the steps below to see how we would accomplish that. The driver mentioned above is part of ODBC PowerPack which is a collection of high-performance Drivers for various API data source (i.e. REST API, JSON, XML, CSV, Amazon S3 and many more). Using familiar SQL query language you can make live connections and read/write data from API sources or JSON / XML / CSV Files inside SQL Server (T-SQL) or your favorite Reporting (i.e. Power BI, Tableau, Qlik, SSRS, MicroStrategy, Excel, MS Access), ETL Tools (i.e. Informatica, Talend, Pentaho, SSIS). You can also call our drivers from programming languages such as JAVA, C#, Python, PowerShell etc. If you are new to ODBC and ZappySys ODBC PowerPack then check the following links to get started. |
Connect to FTP/SFTP XML File Connector in other apps
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Create ODBC Data Source (DSN) based on ZappySys SFTP XML Driver
Step-by-step instructions
To get data from FTP/SFTP XML File using Power BI we first need to create a DSN (Data Source) which will access data from FTP/SFTP XML File. We will later be able to read data using Power BI. Perform these steps:
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Install ZappySys ODBC PowerPack.
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Open ODBC Data Sources (x64):
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Create a User Data Source (User DSN) based on ZappySys SFTP XML Driver
ZappySys SFTP XML DriverYou should create a System DSN (instead of a User DSN) if the client application is launched under a Windows System Account, e.g. as a Windows Service. If the client application is 32-bit (x86) running with a System DSN, use ODBC Data Sources (32-bit) instead of the 64-bit version. -
Create and configure a connection for the FTP/SFTP storage account.
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You can use select your desired single file by clicking [...] path button.
mybucket/dbo.tblNames.xmldbo.tblNames.xml
----------OR----------You can also read the multiple files stored in FTP/SFTP Storage using wildcard pattern supported e.g. dbo.tblNames*.xml.
Note: If you want to operation with multiple files then use wild card pattern as below (when you use wild card pattern in source path then system will treat target path as folder regardless you end with slash) mybucket/dbo.tblNames.xml (will read only single .XML file) mybucket/dbo.tbl*.xml (all files starting with file name) mybucket/*.xml (all files with .xml Extension and located under folder subfolder)
mybucket/dbo.tblNames*.xml
----------OR----------You can also read the zip and gzip compressed files also without extracting it in using FTP/SFTP XML Source File Task.
mybucket/dbo.tblNames*.gz -
Now select/enter Path expression in Path textbox to extract only specific part of XML string as below ($.value[*] will get content of value attribute from XML document. Value attribute is array of XML documents so we have to use [*] to indicate we want all records of that array)
NOTE: Here, We are using our desired filter, but you need to select your desired filter based on your requirement.Go to Preview Tab. -
Navigate to the Preview Tab and let's explore the different modes available to access the data.
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--- Using Direct Query ---
Click on Preview Tab, Select Table from Tables Dropdown and select [value] and click Preview.
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--- Using Stored Procedure ---
Note : For this you have to Save ODBC Driver configuration and then again reopen to configure same driver. For more information click here.Click on the Custom Objects Tab, Click on Add button and select Add Procedure and Enter an appropriate name and Click on OK button to create.
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--- Without Parameters ---
Now Stored Procedure can be created with or without parameters (see example below). If you use parameters then Set default value otherwise it may fail to compilation)
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--- With Parameters ---
Note : Here you can use Placeholder with Paramters in Stored Procedure. Example : SELECT * FROM $ WHERE OrderID = '<@OrderID, FUN_TRIM>' or CustId = '<@CustId>' and Total >= '<@Total>'
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--- Using Virtual Table ---
Note : For this you have to Save ODBC Driver configuration and then again reopen to configure same driver. For more information click here.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.
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 Buckets with slight variations you can create virtual tables with just URL as Parameter setting).
vt__Customers DataPath=mybucket_1/customers.xml vt__Orders DataPath=mybucket_2/orders.xml vt__Products DataPath=mybucket_3/products.xml
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Click on the Custom Objects Tab, Click on Add button and select Add Table and Enter an appropriate name and Click on OK button to create.
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Once you see Query Builder Window on screen Configure it.
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Click on Preview Tab, Select Virtual Table(prefix with vt__) from Tables Dropdown or write SQL query with Virtual Table name and click Preview.
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Click on the Custom Objects Tab, Click on Add button and select Add Table and Enter an appropriate name and Click on OK button to create.
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Click OK to finish creating the data source
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That's it; we are done. In a few clicks we configured the to Read the FTP/SFTP XML File data using ZappySys FTP/SFTP XML File Connector
Read FTP/SFTP XML File Connector data in Power BI using ODBC
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Once you open Power BI Desktop click Get Data to get data from ODBC:
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A window opens, and then search for "odbc" to get data from ODBC data source:
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Another window opens and asks to select a Data Source we already created. Choose FtP/SftpxmlFileConnectorDSN and continue:
FtP/SftpxmlFileConnectorDSN -
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:
FtP/SftpxmlFileConnectorDSN -
Finally, you will be asked to select a table or view to get data from. Select one and load the data!
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Finally, finally, use extracted data from FTP/SFTP XML File Connector in a Power BI report:
Import FTP/SFTP XML File Connector data into Power BI from SQL Query
If you wish to import FTP/SFTP XML File Connector data from SQL query rather than selecting table name 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.
If you type invalid SQL, Power BI may revert to table mode rather than import from Query. Make sure you do not use "$"
it as a table name in SELECT...FROM $
. You can use "_root_"
instead (e.g., SELECT .. FROM _root_). Consider using Custom Object to wrap custom SQL in a Virtual Table. This way, you can see a virtual table in Table mode where you can import multiple objects using the same connection rather than creating a new connection for each custom SQL.
Edit Query / Using Parameters in Power BI (Dynamic Query)
let
vKey=paraAPIKey,
Source = Odbc.Query(
"dsn=ZS-OData Customers",
"SELECT * FROM value WITH (SRC='http://httpbin.org/post',"
& "METHOD='POST',"
& "HEADER='Content-Type:application/json',"
& "BODY=@'{""CallerId"":1111, ""ApiKey"":""" & vKey & """}')")
in
Source
Edit Query Settings after Import
There will be a time you need to change initial Query after dataset import in Power BI. Not to worry, just follow these steps to edit your SQL.
Using DirectQuery Option rather than Import
So far we have seen how to Import FTP/SFTP XML File Connector data into Power BI but what if you have too much data and you dont want to import but link it. Power BI Offers very useful feature for this scenario. Its called DirectQuery Option. In this section we will explore how to use DirectQuery along with ZappySys Drivers. Out of the box ZappySys Drivers wont work in ODBC Connection Mode so you have to use SQL Server Connection rather than ODBC if you wish to use Live data using DirectQuery option. See below step by step instructions to enable DirectQuery mode in Power BI for FTP/SFTP XML File Connector data. Basically we will use ZappySys Data Gateway its part of ODBC PowerPack. We will then use Linked Server in SQL Server to Link API Service and then we will issue OPENROWSET queries from Power BI to SQL Server and it will then call FTP/SFTP XML File Connector via ZappySys Data Gateway.Step-By-Step - How to query FTP/SFTP XML File Connector API in SQL Server
- First read this article carefully, How to query FTP/SFTP XML File Connector API in SQL Server.
- Once linked server is configured we are ready to issue API query in Power BI.
- Click Get Data in Power BI, select SQL Server Database
- Enter your server name and any database name
- Select Mode as DirectQuery
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Click on Advanced and enter query like below (we are assuming you have created FTP/SFTP XML File Connector Data Source in Data Gateway and defined linked server (Change name below).
Select * from OPENQUERY([FTP/SFTP XML FILE CONNECTOR_LINKED_SERVER],'SELECT * FROM Customers')
- Click OK and Load data ... That's it. Now your FTP/SFTP XML File Connector API data is linked rather than imported.
Working with Gateways in Power BI (Schedule Import)
If the data needs to be updated, it is necessary to create a gateway on-premises. In this new section, we will install a Power BI Gateway and in the next section schedule it to update the FTP/SFTP XML File Connector information.- In the last section, we Published the report. Power BI may ask you to SIGN IN.
- Select the Workspace and select Datasets
- Right-click the report and select Settings.
- The system will ask for a Gateway. Stay here.
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Use the following link to install a Data Gateway:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/service-gateway-onprem
- Run the installer and press Next
- Select the option On-premises data gateway (recommended). This option allows access to multiple users and can be used by more applications than Power BI.
- The installer will show a warning message.
- Select the path to install and check the I accept the terms.
- Specify the email address to use the gateway.
- After entering the email, write the gateway name and a recovery key. Make sure to confirm the recovery key.
Manage gateways and configure the schedule
Once that the gateway is installed we will configure it and add the connection strings.- The next step is to go to manage gateway
- In order to get the connection string, we will need the connection string of the ZappySys SFTP XML Driver. In the first section of this post, we explained how to configure it. Press Copy Connection String
- Once that the data is copied, add a New data Source. In Data Source Name, enter the Data Source Name of the ZappySys SFTP XML Driver in step 13 and in Data Source Type, select ODBC. In connection string copy and paste from the clipboard of the step 13 and press Add.
- Once added the gateway. You can see the schedule refresh to On and Add another time to add the time where you want to refresh the data.
Advanced topics
Create Custom Stored Procedure in ZappySys Driver
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
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Go to Custom Objects Tab and Click on Add button and Select Add Procedure:
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Enter the desired Procedure name and click on OK:
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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>';
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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';
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Let's generate the SQL Server Query Code to make the API call using stored procedure. Go to Code Generator Tab, select language as SQL Server and click on Generate button the generate the code.
As we already created the linked server for this Data Source, in that you just need to copy the Select Query and need to use the linked server name which we have apply on the place of [MY_API_SERVICE] placeholder.
SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([MY_API_SERVICE], 'EXEC usp_get_orders @fromdate=''1996-07-30''')
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Now go to SQL served and execute that query and it will make the API call using stored procedure and provide you the response.
Create Custom Virtual Table in ZappySys Driver
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.
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Go to Custom Objects Tab and Click on Add button and Select Add Table:
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Enter the desired Table name and click on OK:
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And it will open the New Query Window Click on Cancel to close that window and go to Custom Objects Tab.
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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'
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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"
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Let's generate the SQL Server Query Code to make the API call using stored procedure. Go to Code Generator Tab, select language as SQL Server and click on Generate button the generate the code.
As we already created the linked server for this Data Source, in that you just need to copy the Select Query and need to use the linked server name which we have apply on the place of [MY_API_SERVICE] placeholder.
SELECT * FROM OPENQUERY([MY_API_SERVICE], 'EXEC [usp_get_orders] ''1996-01-01''')
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Now go to SQL served and execute that query and it will make the API call using stored procedure and provide you the response.
Conclusion
In this article we discussed how to connect to FTP/SFTP XML File in Power BI and integrate data without any coding. Click here to Download FTP/SFTP XML File Connector for Power BI and try yourself see how easy it is. If you still have any question(s) then ask here or simply click on live chat icon below and ask our expert (see bottom-right corner of this page).
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