Microsoft Power BI
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
Microsoft Power BI is a business analytics service that delivers insights to enable fast, informed decisions. It provides interactive visualizations and business intelligence capabilities with an interface simple enough for end users to create their own reports and dashboards. Power BI connects to a wide variety of data sources, offering robust data preparation, data discovery, and interactive reporting.
Power BI + MotherDuck
Microsoft Power BI integrates with MotherDuck by connecting to the cloud data warehouse capabilities provided by MotherDuck, which is based on DuckDB. This integration allows users to leverage Power BI's powerful visualization and analytics tools to explore and analyze data stored in MotherDuck, ensuring seamless data access and real-time insights.
FAQS
How do I connect Power BI to MotherDuck?
To connect Power BI to MotherDuck, you need to: 1) Install the DuckDB ODBC driver for Windows from the DuckDB releases page, 2) Enable custom extensions in Power BI's security settings, 3) Download and install the DuckDB Power Query Connector (.mez file) from MotherDuck's GitHub releases, and 4) Configure your connection using the md: prefix format (e.g., md:my_database) with your MotherDuck authentication token. See the full setup guide in our Power BI documentation.
What are the prerequisites for using Power BI with DuckDB/MotherDuck?
You'll need: the DuckDB ODBC driver for Windows (x86_64/AMD64), Power BI Desktop with custom extension support enabled, the DuckDB Power Query Connector extension (.mez file), and a MotherDuck authentication token. You must also enable 'Allow any extensions to load without validation or warning' in Power BI's security settings before the connector will work.
Does Power BI support DirectQuery with MotherDuck?
Power BI with MotherDuck supports DirectQuery mode, but with one limitation: DirectQuery only supports one custom connector data source per report. If you need to combine multiple data sources, you'll need to use Import mode instead. For most MotherDuck use cases, Import mode with scheduled refresh provides excellent performance.
How do I troubleshoot Power BI connection issues with MotherDuck?
Common issues include: 1) Missing VCRUNTIME140.dll - install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable, 2) ODBC driver not found - verify installation in Registry Editor at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ODBC\ODBCINST.INI\DuckDB, 3) Custom connector not loading - ensure the .mez file is in [Documents]\Power BI Desktop\Custom Connectors and restart Power BI. For persistent issues, contact support@motherduck.com after verifying your token and network access.
