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

Configure SuiteCRM Connectivity for Power BI

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

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

2. Select "SuiteCRM" from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to SuiteCRM.

   The User and Password properties must be set to valid SuiteCRM user credentials. Additionally, specify the URL to the SuiteCRM application, for example http://suite.crm.com.

   Note that retrieving SuiteCRM metadata can be expensive. It is advised that you store the metadata locally as described in the Caching Metadata section of the data provider help documentation.

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

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

Query SuiteCRM Tables

Follow the steps below to build a query to pull SuiteCRM 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 SuiteCRM data from Power BI

Create SuiteCRM 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 SuiteCRM Data from Data Applications

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

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