Connect to Power BI XMLA Data from PowerBuilder via ODBC

The CData ODBC Driver for Power BI XMLA can be used from any platform or development technology that supports ODBC, including PowerBuilder. This article shows how to connect to Power BI XMLA data and execute queries from the Database Painter and controls such as the DataWindow.

Connect to Power BI XMLA as an ODBC Data Source

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

By default, use Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) to connect to Microsoft Power BI XMLA. Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) is Microsoft's multi-tenant, cloud-based directory and identity management service. It is user-based authentication that requires that you set AuthScheme to EntraID (formerly AzureAD).

For more information on other authentication schemes, refer to the Help documentation.

Create a Profile for the ODBC Driver for Power BI XMLA

Follow the steps below to use the Database Painter tool to create a database profile based on an ODBC DSN (data source name) for Power BI XMLA. In the Database Painter, you can use wizards and the UI to work with Power BI XMLA data.

1. In PowerBuilder, click Tools -> Database Painter.
2. In the Objects window in the Database Painter, right-click the ODBC node and click New Profile.
3. On the Connection tab, enter a name for the profile and select the Power BI XMLA DSN in the Data Source menu. 👁 The ODBC DSN, required to create the Database Profile. (Salesforce is shown.)
   
4. To view and modify a table, right-click a table and then click Edit Data -> Grid.

Using Power BI XMLA Data with PowerBuilder Controls

You can use standard PowerBuilder objects to connect to ODBC data sources and execute queries. The following example shows how to retrieve Power BI XMLA data into a DataWindow. You can add the following code to the open method:

SQLCA.DBMS = "ODBC"
SQLCA.DBParm = "ConnectString='DSN=CData PowerBIXMLA Source'"
CONNECT USING SQLCA;
dw_customer.SetTransObject(SQLCA);
dw_customer.Retrieve();