This is a Premium connector for direct connection to Microsoft Power BI. Power BI is a business analytics solution consisting of multiple tools and building blocks that let you visualize your data and share insights across your organization. The platform allows you to quickly and easily insert your Form Entries as rows in a target Power BI dataset.
Before you add a Connector, you must ensure that you have a valid Power BI Connection set up on your organization.
- Adding your Power BI Connection
- Adding a Power BI Connector to your Form
- Viewing your data in Power BI
- FAQs
- Power BI REST API Restrictions
Adding your Power BI Connection
To add a connection, go to the Connections page which is accessed via Menu > Connected Data1 > Connections2.
Note: You must be an Administrator level user to see this option.
Click "Add Connection"3 in the top-right corner of the screen and select "Power BI"4
Next, you'll need your Power BI Application ID6 and Application Secret7 to proceed. This can be obtained by following this guide5:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/developer/register-app#register-with-the-power-bi-application-registration-tool
Once your Power BI connection details are added, click "Save" in the top-right corner.
If your Application ID and Application Secret keys are correct, an Authorize9 button will appear allowing you to authenticate the connection.
By this point, your Power BI connection will have been configured at an organizational level and you can start adding Power BI Connectors to forms and linking them to your Power BI datasets.
Adding a Power BI Connector to your Form
This is done via the Form Connectors page which can be accessed from your Form design or from the Screens listing if you mouse over the Form row in question. On the Connectors page, click the "Add Connector" button located in the top-right corner of the screen. Then select the "Power BI" Connector from the list of available connector options. After the connector is added, the following can be configured:
- Dataset Name: Names the Power BI dataset which will store entry data captured for this Form. This dataset is created automatically when the first Form entry is captured against this Connector.
- Dataset Columns: Specify the Form fields that will make up this Power BI dataset. Each selected Form field will populate a column of the same name on the dataset.
NOTE: A maximum of 75 columns is permitted by Power BI.
(A list of Power BI REST API Restrictions can be found below.) - Anonymize Personal Data: If this is enabled, data from fields marked as Personal Data will be converted to a nonhuman-readable format to aid privacy.
Additionally, a Run Condition can also be set if this connector should only trigger based on a user's input or formula.
When done, click the SAVE button in the top-right corner to save your changes. Your connector is now activated and will push data into Power BI when a form is uploaded.
Viewing your data in Power BI
After a successfully-triggered connector, in your Power BI account navigate to My workspace > DATASETS and select the Dataset Name added when creating your Power BI Form Connector. Next, you'll need to configure visualizations and fields that you want the dataset visual to display. Once your visual is complete, hit "Save" in the top-right corner to create a Report which can then be pinned to a Dashboard.
For guided learning on how to use Mircosoft Power BI, we recommend getting familiar here:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guided-learning/index
FAQs
Below are some commonly-asked questions.
Q: Why is data not refreshing automatically in Power BI?
A: Datasets in Power BI need to be refreshed manually using the Refresh button in Power BI. You can also configure a scheduled refresh to automatically refresh datasets:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/refresh-scheduled-refresh
Q: Why is only the first row of a table or repeat page going to Power BI?
A: The submission of repeatable form data to Power BI is not currently supported. Supporting repeatable data is currently on our roadmap and will be available in a future app release.
Q: Why is the data structure impacted when we add/remove a field in the form?
A: When adding new fields to a form, you need to manually update the Power BI connector and update the fields which need to be included in the dataset. When you remove a field from the screen design, it will be automatically removed from the connector. The Dataset in Power BI will update according to the connector configuration. So the columns in your Dataset are defined by the fields selected in the connector.
Q: Is it possible to get data from previous form uploads to Power BI when adding a Power BI connector to an existing form?
A: Only entries captured after adding the Power BI connector will be uploaded to Power BI. However, importing/syncing files from a local or OneDrive (Business/Personal) or SharePoint Team-Sites is possible:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/service-get-data-from-files
Power BI REST API Restrictions
- 75 max columns
- 75 max tables
- 10,000 max rows per single POST rows request
- 1,000,000 rows added per hour per dataset
- 5 max pending POST rows requests per dataset
- 120 POST rows requests per minute per dataset
- If a table has 250,000 or more rows, 120 POST rows requests per hour per dataset
- 200,000 max rows stored per table in FIFO dataset
- 5,000,000 max rows stored per table in ‘none retention policy’ dataset
- 4,000 characters per value for string column in POST rows operation
If any of the above restrictions are exceeded, the connector will fail. To resolve the issue, limit the number of Dataset columns (fields selected) set up on the Power BI Connector that is failing.