Microsoft Power BI helps organizations empower everyone to make every decision based on data. Egnyte for Power BI Data Connector enables power users to connect and get easy access to Egnyte data. They can query, shape, and select data from multiple files to create dashboards and reports in Power BI Desktop.
As the user publishes these reports to Power BI Service, they will be able to auto-refresh data through Microsoft Gateway and can collaborate with the other users so they can access the latest data.
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Initial Setup
Computer Setup
Power BI Gateway Setup (For refreshing data)
Power BI Desktop (For Creating reports)
Power BI Service (for Collaboration)
Remove Authentication for the Egnyte Domain
Additional factors and Power BI Knowledgebase
Initial Setup
Prerequisites
- Microsoft Power BI Pro or Premium license for both admins and users to access the content of the report
- Standard on-premises gateway is recommended to collaborate with other users.
Refreshing doesn’t work if the computer installed with the standard gateway is offline.
Computer Setup
- If using Personal gateway - Create a "[My Documents]\Power BI Desktop\Custom Connectors" directory AND/OR
- For Standard gateway - Create a "\Windows\ServiceProfiles\PBIEgwService\Documents\Power BI Desktop\Custom Connectors" directory.
- Get EgnyteConnectorProduction.pqx file here and place it in the "Custom Connectors" directory above.
- Add the thumbprint: BADB39CD886D35082AA43F97C837BCF7230ABE5E. Refer MSFT Documentation for additional information.
- Close all instances of Power BI and restart Power BI Desktop.
If Egnyte connector in the Power BI is not visible, try putting the connector file in both locations mentioned above in step 1 and step 2, and try again.
Power BI Gateway Setup (For refreshing data)
An on-premises data gateway (standard gateway) is a software that the user installs in an on-premises network. The gateway facilitates access to data in that network. The user can install a gateway either in personal mode, which applies to Power BI only, or in standard mode. Recommended mode is the standard mode.
- Install On-premise (Standard) and Personal gateway and follow the process and Microsoft wizard.
- Login using the admin credentials and Configure and name the Gateway Connection (The user installing the gateway must be the admin of the gateway)
- Add gateway admins who can also manage and administer other network requirements.
- Use the gateway to refresh an on-premises data source.
- Troubleshoot the gateway in case of errors, and make sure it is online.
On a single computer, the user can run a single instance of the personal and standard gateway.
Power BI Desktop (For Creating reports)
- Install Power BI Desktop if not installed already.
- Login with the same Microsoft credentials as Power BI Pro or Premium license.
- Enable “(Not Recommended) Allow any extension to load without validation or warning” under File -> Options -> Settings -> Data Extension and Click Get Data.
- Select the Egnyte connector from the list.
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Clicking Connect will open a dialog and ask the user to enter their Egnyte domain. Use Domain in the form here - "https://<YOURDOMAIN>.egnyte.com" and click OK.
- Follow the Sign-in process and use the Egnyte credentials to complete the sign-in process.
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Once signed in, the user will see the navigator table with their Egnyte files as below. They can select 1 or more files (supported formats are XLS, XLSX, CSV, and Text files).
- Creating visualizations is not part of the integration currently, integrate the data as per the needs of the organization and create reports.
- Save the report or dashboard and create publish.
Power BI Service (for Collaboration)
- Open Power BI Service in the browser as shown in the step above. Alternatively, access this report via browser, using the same account login (as used in the desktop app) to access the published data.
- Ensure the Gateway is running and is online and connected.
- On the machine where the gateway is running, enter the gateway in Windows search.
- Select the On-premises data gateway app
- Log in with Microsoft credentials as used above.
- Go to Connectors - and Ensure Egnyte is therein the dropdown list.
- Select Egnyte from the list
- Ensure that in the folder settings, you have EgnyteConnectorProduction.pqx file if using Personal Gateway OR, if using Standard Gateway.
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Go to the dataset on the left-hand side, and click on scheduled refresh. The example uses "Life Expectancy" report, which is on the left-hand side, and "scheduled refresh" for illustration.
- Configure. If using a Personal gateway, select that checkbox and Apply.
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If using Standard Gateway - ensure selecting "data sources" and select the dataset to refresh for the report or dashboards. See the next 3 screens.
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Configure data source setting, ensure the user has valid credentials, and "connection is successful".
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Ensure the above dataset is connected to the standard gateway in use as below.
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Ensure there is no error in the data source credentials section.
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Configure data source setting, ensure the user has valid credentials, and "connection is successful".
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Configure to initiate auto-refresh. Note. Auto-refresh frequency depends on the type of Power BI license from Microsoft - Pro or Premium.
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User can select Refresh History from the top of the screen.
Refresh will not succeed if the computer with the personal gateway is offline. Additionally, when using a standard gateway, refresh will fail if the server is offline. Hence if a refresh fails, check the status of the gateway to troubleshoot.
- On successful configuration, the gateway will appear as shown below.
- Navigate to Settings on the Gateway.
- Ensure that the following fields are checked.
- Navigate to Settings on the Gateway.
Remove Authentication for the Egnyte Domain
Go under Power BI Desktop: File | Options, and settings | Data Source Settings | Clear permissions.
Additional factors and Power BI Knowledgebase
Per Microsoft documentation, the user can install up to two gateways on a single computer: one running in personal mode and the other running in standard mode. They can't have more than one gateway running in the same mode on the same computer.
Personal Gateway:
Personal Gateway allows one user to connect to sources and can’t be shared with others. An on-premises data gateway (personal mode) can be used only with Power BI.
This gateway is well-suited in scenarios where the organization may have one admin user responsible for creating reports. The admin user in this case would not be required to share any data sources with the others. Standard Gateway: Standard Gateway allows multiple users to connect to multiple on-premises data sources. The user can use an on-premises data gateway with all supported services, with a single gateway installation.
This gateway is well-suited to complex scenarios, such as an organization with multiple admins responsible for creation of reports. All these admins will be required to have access to multiple data sources.
- Authentication to PowerBI Desktop via Chrome is currently not supported.
- The user can use a Windows server or Windows machine that works all the time so that gateway is always online.
- During tests, if multiple developers are working on the same MS accounts, it is essential to be sure whose personal gateway is used. For example, if a developer creates a new version of the connector but it points to a different computer with a different version of the connector, then there will be connection error. Ensure that the gateway is pointing to their own machine.
- A similar issue is with a standard connector. If a developer wants to use it with their source, ensure that it is using the same connector version. It is recommended to use the right naming conventions in settings and ensure it is online.
- If the VM machine is in use, the location of the .pqx file may be different. It depends on the setup to locate and load the file for a user on the Power BI Desktop.