PowerBI Desktop

Power BI Desktop lets you connect to SQream Blue and use underlying data as with other data sources in Power BI Desktop.

SQream Blue integrates with Power BI Desktop to do the following:

  • Extract and transform your datasets into usable visual models in approximately one minute.

  • Use DAX functions (Data Analysis Expressions) to analyze your datasets.

  • Refresh datasets as needed or by using scheduled jobs.

SQream Blue uses Power BI for extracting data sets using the following methods:

  • Direct query - Direct queries is the recommnended method for optimized performance.

  • Import - Lets you extract datasets from remote databases.

The Connect to SQream Blue Using Power BI page describes the following:

Installing Power BI Desktop

To install Power BI Desktop:

  1. Download Power BI Desktop 64x.

  2. Download and configure the ODBC driver.

  3. Navigate to Windows > Documents and create a folder named Power BI Desktop with a subfolder named Custom Connectors.

  4. Download the Power BI file .

  5. Save the SqreamBlue.mez file in the Custom Connectors folder you created in Step 3.

  6. Open the Power BI application.

  7. Navigate to File > Options and Settings > Option > Security > Data Extensions, and select (Not Recommended) Allow any extension to load without validation or warning.

  8. Restart the Power BI Desktop application.

  9. From the Get Data menu, select SQream Blue.

  10. Click Connect and provide the information shown in the following table:

Element Name

Description

Server

Provide the network address to your database server. Use the SQream Blue cluster URL

Port

Provide the port that the database is responding to at the network address.

Database

Provide the name of your database or the schema on your database server.

Token

Provide an access token to SQream Blue.

  1. Under Data Connectivity mode, select DirectQuery mode.

  2. Click Connect.

  3. Provide your user name and password and click Connect.

Best Practices for Power BI

SQream recommends using Power BI in the following ways for acquiring the best performance metrics:

  • Creating bar, pie, line, or plot charts when illustrating one or more columns.

  • Displaying trends and statuses using visual models.

  • Creating a unified view using PowerQuery to connect different data sources into a single dashboard.