Import Azure Data Catalog Data into the Power BI Service for Visualizations

Power BI transforms your company's data into rich visuals for you to collect and organize so you can focus on what matters to you. When paired with CData Connect AI, you get access to Azure Data Catalog data for visualizations, dashboards, and more. This article shows how to connect to Azure Data Catalog in CData Connect AI, publish a dataset from Power BI Desktop to the Power BI Service and then create reports on Azure Data Catalog data in the Power BI service.

Configure Azure Data Catalog Connectivity for Power BI Service

Connectivity to Azure Data Catalog from Power BI Service is made possible through CData Connect AI. To work with Azure Data Catalog data from Power BI Service, we start by creating and configuring a Azure Data Catalog connection.

1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection

2. Select "Azure Data Catalog" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Azure Data Catalog.

   You can optionally set the following to read the different catalog data returned from Azure Data Catalog.

   CatalogName: Set this to the CatalogName associated with your Azure Data Catalog. To get your Catalog name, navigate to your Azure Portal home page > Data Catalog > Catalog Name

   Connect Using OAuth Authentication

   You must use OAuth to authenticate with Azure Data Catalog. OAuth requires the authenticating user to interact with Azure Data Catalog using the browser. For more information, refer to the OAuth section in the help documentation.

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Azure Data Catalog Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

With the connection configured, you are ready to connect to Azure Data Catalog data from the Power BI service.

Publish a Dataset from Power BI Desktop

Once you connect to Azure Data Catalog in Connect AI, you can create a dataset in Power BI desktop and publish the dataset to the Power BI service.

1. Open Power BI Desktop and click Get Data -> Online Services -> CData Connect AI and click "Connect"
2. Click "Sign in" and authenticate with your CData Connect AI account
3. After signing in, click "Connect"
4. Select tables in the Navigator dialog
5. Click Load to establish the connection to your Azure Data Catalog data from Power BI

6. Define any relationships between the selected entities on the Relationships tab.
7. Click Publish (from the Home menu) and select a Workspace.

Build Reports and Dashboards on Azure Data Catalog Data in the Power BI Service

Now that you have published a dataset to the Power BI service, you can create new reports and dashboards based on the published data:

1. Log in to PowerBI.com.
2. Click Workspaces and select a workspace.
3. Click Create and select Report.
4. Select the published dataset for the report.
5. Choose fields and visualizations to add to your report.

Live Access to Azure Data Catalog Data from Cloud Applications

Now you have a direct connection to live Azure Data Catalog data from the Power BI service. You can create more data sources and new visualizations, build reports, and more — all without replicating Azure Data Catalog data.

To get live data access to hundreds of SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from your cloud applications, sign up for a free trial of CData Connect AI.