Import Dynamics NAV 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 Dynamics NAV data for visualizations, dashboards, and more. This article shows how to connect to Dynamics NAV in CData Connect AI, publish a dataset from Power BI Desktop to the Power BI Service and then create reports on Dynamics NAV data in the Power BI service.

Configure Dynamics NAV Connectivity for Power BI Service

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

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

2. Select "Dynamics NAV" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Dynamics NAV.

   Before you can connect, OData Services will need to be enabled on the server. Once OData Services are enabled, you will be able to query any Services that are published on the server.

   The User and Password properties, under the Authentication section, must be set to valid Dynamics NAV user credentials. In addition, specify a URL to a valid Dynamics NAV server organization root and a ServerInstance. If there is not a Service Default Company for the server, set the Company as well.

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

With the connection configured, you are ready to connect to Dynamics NAV data from the Power BI service.

Publish a Dataset from Power BI Desktop

Once you connect to Dynamics NAV 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 Dynamics NAV 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 Dynamics NAV 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 Dynamics NAV Data from Cloud Applications

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