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How do you connect Dynamics 365 Business Central to Power BI?
Through the web services or the API of Business Central. A direct connection is enough for a first report. Once it becomes serious you pull data incrementally into your own layer, because the direct route gets slow at volume and loads your source system during office hours. Business Central dimensions become real dimension tables in the model.
Three approaches, and when each fits
| Approach | Fits | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Standard reports | Answering the first questions | Cannot be combined with other sources |
| Direct connection | A first report of your own | Slow at volume, loads the source |
| Own data layer | Daily use and several sources | Needs a setup up front |
Dimensions are the actual work
In Business Central, dimensions hang off the entries: department, project, cost centre, whatever you use. In reporting you want them as real tables, with a fixed mapping to the structure you steer on. That mapping belongs outside the report; put it inside and the next report gets a slightly different structure and the argument about which overview is right begins.
Half an hour is enough to know whether we fit
No slide deck and no quote at the end. We walk through your sources, your definitions and your biggest frustration.
Book half an hourFrequently asked questions
How do you connect Dynamics 365 Business Central to Power BI?
Through the web services or the API of Business Central. For a first report a direct connection is enough; once it becomes serious you pull the data incrementally into your own layer, because the direct route gets slow at volume and loads your source system during office hours.
Why not just use the standard reports?
They are fine to start with and answer the first questions. They run out the moment you want to combine with another source, use your own dimension structure, or keep history that Business Central overwrites itself.
How do you handle Business Central dimensions?
They are the core of any financial reporting and the place where it usually goes wrong. We turn them into real dimension tables in the model, with a fixed mapping to the structure you actually steer on. That mapping belongs outside the report so only one version of it exists.
How long does the first connection take?
For one subject, revenue and margin or the general ledger, 6 to 10 weeks to figures you can steer on, including the connection, the model and the definitions. After that around 30 minutes per 2 weeks.
Can you combine this with other systems?
Yes, and that is usually why the phone rings. Business Central alongside a webshop, a time-tracking tool or a sales channel. The moment two sources name the same customer or product differently, joining them becomes the actual work.