Visualize Live ServiceDesk Plus Data in Power BI (via CData Connect AI)

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 ServiceDesk Plus data for visualizations, dashboards, and more. This article shows how to use CData Connect to create a live connection to ServiceDesk Plus, connect to ServiceDesk Plus data from Power BI and then create reports on ServiceDesk Plus data in Power BI.

Configure ServiceDesk Plus Connectivity for Power BI

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

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

2. Select "ServiceDesk Plus" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to ServiceDesk Plus.

   Using OAuth Authentication

   ServiceDeskPlus uses Zoho OAuth 2.0 for secure authentication. To set up OAuth access:

   1. Register your application in the Zoho Developer Console at https://api-console.zoho.com
   2. Configure your redirect URI to match your application setup
   3. Note your Client ID and Client Secret from the application settings

   After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

   • AuthScheme: Set this to OAuth.
   • OAuthClientId: Set this to your Zoho application Client ID.
   • OAuthClientSecret: Set this to your Zoho application Client Secret.
   • Scope: Set this to the required ServiceDeskPlus permissions (default includes read access to requests, problems, assets, and projects).
   • Domain: Set this to your ServiceDeskPlus domain
   • Portal: Set this to your ServiceDeskPlus portal

   Example Connection String

   Profile=C:\profiles\ServiceDeskPlus.apip;ProfileSettings="Portal=itdesk;Domain=.in;Scope=SDPOnDemand.requests.READ SDPOnDemand.problems.READ SDPOnDemand.assets.READ SDPOnDemand.projects.READ";AuthScheme=OAuth;OAuthClientId=your_client_id;OAuthClientSecret=your_client_secret;
   

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

With the connection configured, you are ready to connect to ServiceDesk Plus data from Power BI.

Query ServiceDesk Plus Tables

Follow the steps below to build a query to pull ServiceDesk Plus data into the report:

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 ServiceDesk Plus data from Power BI

Create ServiceDesk Plus Data Visualizations

After connecting to the data into Power BI, you can create data visualizations in the Report view by dragging fields from the Fields pane onto the canvas. Select the dimensions and measures you wish to visualize along with the chart type.

Click Refresh to synchronize your report with any changes to the data.

Live Access to ServiceDesk Plus Data from Data Applications

With CData Connect AI you have a direct connection to ServiceDesk Plus data from Power BI. You can import more data, create new visualizations, build reports, and more — all without replicating ServiceDesk Plus data.

To get SQL data access to hundreds of SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources (including ServiceDesk Plus) directly from your on-premise BI, reporting, ETL and other data applications, visit the CData Connect AI page and start a free trial.