Import SFTP 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 Cloud, you get access to SFTP data for visualizations, dashboards, and more. This article shows how to use the CData Connect Cloud to generate an OData feed for SFTP, import SFTP data into Power BI and then create reports on SFTP data in the Power BI service.

NOTE: You can also use the on-premise data gateway and the SQL interface in Connect Cloud to connect to SFTP data in real-time (instead of importing the data). Read how in the related Knowledge Base article.

Create a Virtual SQL Database for SFTP Data

CData Connect Cloud uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources and generate APIs.

1. Login to Connect Cloud and click Databases.
2. Select "SFTP" from Available Data Sources.
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to SFTP.

   SFTP can be used to transfer files to and from SFTP servers using the SFTP Protocol. To connect, specify the RemoteHost;. service uses the User and Password and public key authentication (SSHClientCert). Choose an SSHAuthMode and specify connection values based on your selection.

   Set the following connection properties to control the relational view of the file system:

   • RemotePath: Set this to the current working directory.
   • TableDepth: Set this to control the depth of subfolders to report as views.
   • FileRetrievalDepth: Set this to retrieve files recursively and list them in the Root table.
   Stored Procedures are available to download files, upload files, and send protocol commands. See gdatamodel for more on using SQL to interact with the server.
   
4. Click Test Database.
5. Click Privileges -> Add and add the new user (or an existing user) with the appropriate permissions.

Connecting to Connect Cloud from Power BI

To import and visualize your SFTP data in the Power BI service, add a Connect Cloud API user, add SFTP OData endpoints in Connect Cloud, and create & publish a dataset from Power BI Desktop to the service.

Add a Connect Cloud User

Create a User to connect to SFTP from Power BI through Connect Cloud.

1. Click Users -> Add
2. Configure a User.
3. Click Save Changes and make note of the Authtoken for the new user.
4. Click Database and select the SFTP virtual database.
5. On the Privileges tab, add the newly created user (with at least SELECT permissions) and click Save Changes.

Add SFTP OData Endpoints in Connect Cloud

After connecting to SFTP, create OData Endpoints for the desired table(s).

1. Click OData -> Tables -> Add Tables.
2. Select the SFTP database.
3. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Next.
4. (Optional) Edit the table definition to select specific fields and more.
5. Save the settings.

Publish a Dataset from Power BI Desktop

With OData endpoints added to Connect Cloud, you can create a dataset in Power BI descktop using OData connectivity and publish the dataset to the Power BI service.

1. Open Power BI, click Get Data -> More, then select OData feed, and click Connect.

2. Set URL to the Base URL of your Connect Cloud instance (e.g.: https://www.cdatacloud.net/myinstance/api.rsc) and click OK.
3. Set User name and Password to user name and Authtoken from above.
4. Select the full Base URL (https://www.cdatacloud.net/myinstance/api.rsc) as the level to apply the settings to/
5. Select the table(s) to visualize in the Navigator dialog.
6. Click Load to pull the data into Power BI.
7. Define any relationships between the selected entities on the Relationships tab.
8. Click Publish (from the Home menu) and select a Workspace.

Build Reports and Dashboards on SFTP 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.

SQL Access to SFTP Data from Cloud Applications

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

To get SQL data access to 200+ SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from your cloud applications, see the CData Connect Cloud.