Microsoft Power BI Integration

Last modified on 2023/01/24 15:23

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IntegrationIntroduction

You can integrate third-party systems with Service Manager in many ways. The method you select will depend on business requirements, architectural and security constraints as well as the characteristics specific to each third-party application or service.

This document describes an integration process that has already been implemented in a customer context. 

To find out more about this integration (e.g. scripts to be used), please do not hesitate to contact your EasyVista contact, or your service provider and integrator.

HeaderNotes_CautionPerformances

   Caution: Extracting and refreshing high volumes of Service Manager data when running Power BI reports can severely impact the performances of the Service Manager platform.

  • If you work in an international organization with different service hours for each country, you should run Power BI reports on a dedicated Report server, rather than on the production environment. Should you need more details, please contact your EasyVista consultant.

Overview of the integration

Power BI is a business analytics service by Microsoft. It aims to provide interactive visualizations and business intelligence capabilities with an interface simple enough for end users to create their own reports and dashboards.

  • Using Power BI Desktop, you can manipulate data from  hundreds of local and cloud-based data sources, such as Dynamics 365, Azure SQL Database, Salesforce, Excel, SharePoint, etc.
  • You can use Power Query Editor to edit queries for connecting to data sources, and format and convert data based on customer requirements.
     

EasyVista offers:

  • Integration examples with Power BI to help you create reports using your Service Manager data.
  • Ready-to-use reports to help you display dashboards in charts, indicators, etc. using your Service Manager data.
     
Integration Data Feed (direction) Authentication Type Integration Connector Options

Favicon EasyVista - 32.png Service Manager

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Logo Icon - Power BI.png

  • Depending on the third-party service used (authentication managed by Microsoft Power BI)
  • Basic Authentication for the Service Manager REST API
Available versions
SaaS-based On-premises
Service Manager Check icon.png Check icon.png
Power BI service (cloud) Check icon.png N/A
Power BI Desktop (local) Check icon.png Check icon.png

Useful links to documentation

Power BI - definitions

What is the difference between Power BI and Power BI Desktop?

  • Power BI is a cloud-based service.
    • It is used to connect to data sources but its modeling functionalities are limited.
    • It is used to make simple modifications to reports and page numbering.
    • It is used to share reports among users who have a Microsoft account.
  • Power BI Desktop is an interface installed on a local machine.
    • It is used to analyze data and create reports.
    • It includes Power Query Editor for connecting to numerous data sources in order to combine them in a data model (modeling).
    • It cannot be used to create paginated reports or to share reports.
       

Overview of Power BI Desktop
Power BI Desktop offers three views:

  • Report view: This is used to generate and format visualizations using queries.
  • Data view: This is used to view data in reports in a data model format, add measures, create columns, manage relationships, etc.
  • Relationship view: This is used to generate a map of relationships in the data model, manage and modify them if required.

Overview of the integration

Each integration in Power BI is made up of several key steps:

1. Run Power BI Desktop.

2. Connect to the data source.

3. Extract data.

4. Format data using Power Query Editor.

5. Generate and save the Power BI report in PBIX format.

6. Enhance the report by adding contextual links, etc.

7. Distribute the report using the Power BI service, i.e. sharing, export, etc.

Examples of integration

Each example helps you create Power BI reports using your Service Manager data.

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