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PowerBI Integration

Steps

The following steps outline the process for integrating PowerBI with DataOS:

Step 1: Navigate to the Data Product Hub

Access the Home Page of DataOS. From there, navigate to the Data Product Hub to explore the various data products available within the platform.

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Step 2: Browse and Select a Data Product

In the Data Product Hub, users should browse through the list of data products. Clicking on a specific data product to integrate with PowerBI. For example, selecting Sales360 from the list allows exploration of the Sales360 data product.

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Step 3: Access Integration Options

  1. Locate the downloaded ZIP file on the local system and unzip the folder. Three files will be present in the folder. Open the 'public_sales360' file in Power BI. Ensure that all three files are kept together, as the other two files are essential for the semantic sync of the Data Product.

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Step 4: Download and Open the ZIP File

Locate the downloaded ZIP file on the local system and unzip the folder. Three files will be present in the folder. Open the 'public_sales360' file in Power BI. It is essential to keep all three files together, as the other two files are necessary for the semantic synchronization of the data product.

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This downloads a file.zip archive that stores the main components of a Power BI project. When running the curl command, you can specify any name for the zip file, and it will be downloaded with that name. The file.zip contains key components for syncing the Lens Model (here sales360) to Power BI, including folders like the .Report and .SemanticModel:

  • public_sales360-table.Report: This folder holds contains definition.pbir file related to the report definition in Power BI. These files define the visual representation of data, such as tables and charts, without storing actual data. They connect the semantic model and data sources to create the report views.

  • public-sales360-table.SemanticModel: This folder contains files that define the underlying data model for your Power BI project. The Semantic Model plays a crucial role in managing how Power BI interacts with data, setting up relationships, hierarchies, and measures.

    • definition.bism: This file represents the Business Intelligence Semantic Model (BISM). It defines the structure of your data, including data sources, relationships, tables, and measures for your Lens Model. The .bism file holds essential metadata that helps Power BI understand and query the data, forming the core of the data model for report creation and analysis.

    • model.bim: Power BI uses the .bim file to generate queries and manage interactions with the dataset. When you build reports or dashboards in Power BI, it references this semantic model to ensure the correct structure is applied to the data.

  • public-sales-360-table.pbip: This file serves as a Power BI project template or configuration file. Power BI uses files like .pbip or .pbix to encapsulate reports, datasets, and visualizations. The .pbip file ties together the semantic model and report definitions from the other folders, acting as the entry point for working on the project in Power BI Desktop or the Power BI service.

Step 5: Enter Credentials

Once the file is opened, a popup will appear prompting for the DataOS username and API key.

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Step 6: Establish Connection

Click the connect button. A popup will appear; click OK.

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Step 7: View Data in Power BI

After connecting, users can see tables and views containing dimensions and measures.

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Governance of Model on Power BI

When the Lens Model is activated via BI Sync on Power BI, the management process is handled through authentication and authorization using the DataOS user ID and API key when accessing synced data models. This ensures that columns redacted by Lens data policies are restricted based on the user's group permissions.

For instance, if a user named iamgroot in the "Analyst" group is restricted from viewing the "Annual Salary" column, this column will not be visible in either the Data Product exploration page or in PowerBI after syncing. Power BI requires the DataOS user ID and API key for authentication, ensuring that users can access the full model, except for any columns restricted by their data policies. This approach maintains security and guarantees that users only see the data they are authorized to view.