BI Desktop

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

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

  • Direct query - Direct queries let you connect easily with no errors, and refresh Power BI artifacts, such as graphs and reports, in a considerable amount of time in relation to the time taken for queries to run using the SQream SQL CLI Reference guide.

  • Import - Lets you extract datasets from remote databases.

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

Prerequisites

To connect to SQream, the following must be installed:

  • ODBC data source administrator - 32 or 64, depending on your operating system. For Windows users, the ODBC data source administrator is embedded within the operating system.

  • SQream driver - The SQream application required for interacting with the ODBC according to the configuration specified in the ODBC administrator tool.

Installing Power BI Desktop

To install Power BI Desktop:

  1. Download Power BI Desktop 64x.

  2. Download and configure your ODBC driver.

    For information about downloading and configuring your ODBC driver, see ODBC or contact SQream Support.

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

  4. From the Client Drivers page, download the PowerQuery.mez file.

  5. Save the PowerQuery.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.

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

    Element Name

    Description

    Server

    Provide the network address to your database server. You can use a hostname or an IP address.

    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.

    User

    Provide a SQreamdb username.

    Passwords

    Provide a password for your user.

  11. Under Data Connectivity mode, select DirectQuery mode.

  12. Click Connect.

  13. 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.