Data Sources & Connections

Connecting to Different Data Sources

Power BI Desktop allows users to connect to a wide variety of data sources to import and analyze data. Some common data sources include:

• Excel Files: Users can connect to Excel workbooks that contain data in tabular form (worksheets or tables).
• SQL Server: Power BI can connect to SQL Server databases, enabling users to import data directly from tables or write custom SQL queries to retrieve data.
• Web Data: Data can be pulled from web-based sources, including APIs, and data feeds from websites.
• Cloud Services: Power BI supports connections to cloud-based data sources such as Google Analytics, Salesforce, and Azure SQL Databases.
• Other Sources: Connections can also be made to many other sources like Access databases, CSV files, OData feeds, and SharePoint lists.

Import vs DirectQuery Mode

• Import Mode: In Import mode, Power BI imports data into its in-memory data model. This mode is ideal for smaller datasets and scenarios where fast performance is important. The data is loaded into the Power BI file, and users can refresh the data on demand or according to a schedule.
• DirectQuery Mode: In DirectQuery mode, Power BI doesn’t import the data but instead queries the data source directly when building visualizations. This mode is suitable for large datasets where users don’t want to import all the data into Power BI’s memory but need to maintain live connections to external databases. DirectQuery is more suitable for real-time or near-real-time reporting.