Import MySQL Data into the Power BI Service for Visualizations

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 MySQL data for visualizations, dashboards, and more. This article shows how to connect to MySQL in CData Connect AI, publish a dataset from Power BI Desktop to the Power BI Service and then create reports on MySQL data in the Power BI service.

Configure MySQL Connectivity for Power BI Service

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

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

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

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to MySQL.

   The CData Provider supports connecting to on-premises and cloud-hosted versions of MySQL such as Amazon RDS for MySQL, Google Cloud SQL for MySQL, Azure Database for MySQL, or Oracle MySQL HeatWave. The Server and Port properties must be set to a MySQL server. If IntegratedSecurity is set to false, then User and Password must be set to valid user credentials. Optionally, Database can be set to connect to a specific database. If not set, tables from all databases will be returned.

   SSH Connectivity for MySQL

   You can use SSH (Secure Shell) to authenticate with MySQL, whether the instance is hosted on-premises or in supported cloud environments. SSH authentication ensures that access is encrypted (as compared to direct network connections).

   SSH Connections to MySQL in Password Auth Mode

   To connect to MySQL via SSH in Password Auth mode, set the following connection properties:

   • User: MySQL User name
   • Password: MySQL Password
   • Database: MySQL database name
   • Server: MySQL Server name
   • Port: MySQL port number like 3306
   • UserSSH: "true"
   • SSHAuthMode: "Password"
   • SSHPort: SSH Port number
   • SSHServer: SSH Server name
   • SSHUser: SSH User name
   • SSHPassword: SSH Password

   SSH Connections to MySQL in Public Key Auth Mode

   To connect to MySQL via SSH in Password Auth mode, set the following connection properties:

   • User: MySQL User name
   • Password: MySQL Password
   • Database: MySQL database name
   • Server: MySQL Server name
   • Port: MySQL port number like 3306
   • UserSSH: "true"
   • SSHAuthMode: "Public_Key"
   • SSHPort: SSH Port number
   • SSHServer: SSH Server name
   • SSHUser: SSH User name
   • SSHClientCret: the path for the public key certificate file
   👁 Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add MySQL Connection page and update the User-based permissions. 👁 Updating permissions
   

With the connection configured, you are ready to connect to MySQL data from the Power BI service.

Publish a Dataset from Power BI Desktop

Once you connect to MySQL in Connect AI, you can create a dataset in Power BI desktop and publish the dataset to the Power BI service.

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 MySQL data from Power BI
6. Define any relationships between the selected entities on the Relationships tab.
7. Click Publish (from the Home menu) and select a Workspace.

Build Reports and Dashboards on MySQL Data in the Power BI Service

Now that you have published a dataset to the Power BI service, you can create new reports and dashboards based on the published data:

1. Log in to PowerBI.com.
2. Click Workspaces and select a workspace.
3. Click Create and select Report.
4. Select the published dataset for the report. 👁 Select a dataset
   
5. Choose fields and visualizations to add to your report. 👁 Visualizing MySQL data in the Power BI service
   

Live Access to MySQL Data from Cloud Applications

Now you have a direct connection to live MySQL data from the Power BI service. You can create more data sources and new visualizations, build reports, and more — all without replicating MySQL data.

To get live data access to hundreds of SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from your cloud applications, sign up for a free trial of CData Connect AI.