Connecting Business Central to Power BI allows users to create reports using live business data without exporting information manually. Using the Dynamics 365 Business Central connector in Power BI Desktop, users can access available web services and import data directly into their reports.

Prerequisites

Before connecting Business Central to Power BI, users should have Power BI Desktop installed and the required Business Central permissions to create and access web services. If additional permissions are needed, contact your Business Central administrator.

Connecting to Business Central

From Power BI Desktop, select Get Data and choose the Dynamics 365 Business Central connector. After signing in with Microsoft 365 credentials, select the appropriate environment and company to view available Business Central data sources.

Understanding data sources

Business Central provides access to data through Advanced APIs, Standard APIs, and Web Services. While APIs can be customized through development, Web Services provide a straightforward way to access Business Central tables and pages for reporting purposes.

Using standard web services

Many commonly used tables, such as Customers, are available through predefined web services. These tables can be selected directly from the Power BI connector and loaded into a report without any additional setup.

Creating custom web services

When the desired data is not available through a standard web service, a custom web service can be created in Business Central. To do this, identify the page ID using the Page Inspection tool, navigate to the Web Services page, create a new service using the page ID, and publish it. Once published, the custom web service becomes available for Power BI to access.

Using the page inspection tool

The page inspection tool helps users identify page IDs and field information within Business Central. This is especially useful when creating custom web services or locating the underlying field names needed for reporting.

Understanding field names in Power BI

Field names exposed through web services may differ from what users see on Business Central pages. For example, a field labeled Quantity on Hand in Business Central may appear as Inventory within the web service. Using Page Inspection helps verify the correct field name and ensures accurate reporting in Power BI.

Key takeaways

• Power BI includes a built-in connector for Business Central.
• Standard web services provide access to many commonly used Business Central tables.
• Custom web services can be created to expose additional Business Central data for reporting.
• The page inspection tool helps identify page IDs and field names required for Power BI reports.
• Understanding web service field names is essential when building accurate reports and dashboards.