ODBC TUTORIAL

How to Build Power BI Reports on Salesforce Data using the DataDirect Salesforce Driver for ODBC

Updated: 19 Aug 2024

Introduction

Progress DataDirect’s ODBC Driver for Salesforce offers a high-performing, secure and reliable connectivity solution for ODBC applications to access Salesforce data. Our ODBC driver can be easily used with SQL across all platforms - Unix / Linux, AIX, Solaris, Windows, and HP-UX. Enjoy real-time analytics, reporting, and business intelligence (BI) capabilities with your favorite tools such as Tableau, Power BI, Qlik, Excel, Cognos, Informatica, SAS, Board, MicroStrategy, SSIS, Oracle OBIEE, and more.In this article, you will learn how you can use Progress DataDirect ODBC drivers to build Power BI reports on Salesforce Data with Progress DataDirect Salesforce ODBC driver. 

 

 

Prerequisites

This tutorial assumes that you have ODBC drivers installed and a data source configured. If you have not yet done these steps, please follow these instructions: 

 

  1. 1. Download and install the Progress DataDirect Salesforce ODBC driver for your database using the 15-day trial software. In this tutorial, we are connecting to Salesforce. 

 

  1. 2. Configure a data source for your database. See the DataDirect documentation for assistance with setting up your data source. 

 

 

Configure Connection to Salesforce Driver Using the ODBC Data Source Administrator

  1. 1. After the DataDirect Salesforce ODBC driver has been installed, open ODBC Administrator to configure the connection and click on Add. 

 

 

 

  1. 2. Choose the “DataDirect X.X Salesforce” driver and click on “Finish.” 

 

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  1. 3. You should now see the ODBC Salesforce Driver Setup pop-up window launched. Add your credentials, click on “Apply” and then “Test Connect.” 

 

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  1. 4. A Logon Dialog will pop up. Enter your username and password and click on “OK.” 

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  1. 5. A pop-up window will confirm that the connection is established. 

 

 

Connecting to an ODBC Data Source using DataDirect Salesforce ODBC driver

  1. 1. In Power BI, click on Get Data > More > All > ODBC. Click on “Connect.” 

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  1. 2. You should now see a form as shown below where it will ask for the DSN name.  Select the “DSN” from the dropdown. Choose the data source previously configured to connect to Salesforce and click on “OK.” 

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  1. 3. Authenticate using your credentials under Database and click on Connect. 

 

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  1. 4. Choose your database, select table, and click on Load to continue. 

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  1. 5. You should now see your data in Power BI as shown below: 

 

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Conclusion

We hope this article helped you with how you can build Power BI reports on Salesforce data using the Progress DataDirect Salesforce ODBC driver. All the Progress DataDirect ODBC drivers like Salesforce, SQL Server, Oracle, IBM DB2, PostgreSQL, MySQL, etc., and the drivers you can build using OpenAccess SDK are fully compliant with ODBC standards and are internally certified to work with Power BI. Feel free to try these for your projects. If you have any questions or issues, contact us. 

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