Visualize Live IBM Informix Data in Power BI (via CData Connect AI)

Power BI transforms your company's data into rich visuals for you to collect and organize so you can focus on what matters to you. When paired with CData Connect AI, you get access to IBM Informix data for visualizations, dashboards, and more. This article shows how to use CData Connect to create a live connection to IBM Informix, connect to IBM Informix data from Power BI and then create reports on IBM Informix data in Power BI.

Configure IBM Informix Connectivity for Power BI

Connectivity to IBM Informix from Power BI is made possible through CData Connect AI. To work with IBM Informix data from Power BI, we start by creating and configuring a IBM Informix connection.

1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
👁 Adding a Connection

2. Select "IBM Informix" from the Add Connection panel
👁 Selecting a data source

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to IBM Informix.

   Set the following properties to connect to IBM Informix

   • Server: Set this to the name of the server running IBM Informix.
   • Port: Set this to the port the IBM Informix server is listening on.
   • Database: Set this to the name of the IBM Informix database.
   • User: Set this to the username of a user allowed to access the database.
   • Password: Set this to the password of a user allowed to access the database.
   👁 Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add IBM Informix Connection page and update the User-based permissions. 👁 Updating permissions
   

With the connection configured, you are ready to connect to IBM Informix data from Power BI.

Query IBM Informix Tables

Follow the steps below to build a query to pull IBM Informix data into the report:

1. Open Power BI Desktop and click Get Data -> Online Services -> CData Connect AI and click "Connect"
2. Click "Sign in" and authenticate with your CData Connect AI account 👁 Authenticating with Connect AI
   
3. After signing in, click "Connect" 👁 Connecting to Connect AI
   
4. Select tables in the Navigator dialog 👁 The available tables. (Salesforce tables are shown)
   
5. Click Load to establish the connection to your IBM Informix data from Power BI

Create IBM Informix Data Visualizations

After connecting to the data into Power BI, you can create data visualizations in the Report view by dragging fields from the Fields pane onto the canvas. Select the dimensions and measures you wish to visualize along with the chart type.

Click Refresh to synchronize your report with any changes to the data.

Live Access to IBM Informix Data from Data Applications

With CData Connect AI you have a direct connection to IBM Informix data from Power BI. You can import more data, create new visualizations, build reports, and more — all without replicating IBM Informix data.

To get SQL data access to hundreds of SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources (including IBM Informix) directly from your on-premise BI, reporting, ETL and other data applications, visit the CData Connect AI page and start a free trial.