Power BI Connecting to BC tables

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Posted on by SammyG

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HI all,

we usually use Jet reporting to connect to Business Central, but we are exploring Power BI due to its dashboarding and ability to link to other systems however why do we need to create links in BC (through web services, API’s etc) and not able to link directly to the tables as we can with Jet?
Thanks

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Dynamics 365 Business Central

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Verified answer

YUN ZHU 85,670 Super User 2025 Season 1 on at

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Power BI Connecting to BC tables

Hi, Microsoft designed it this way, there's nothing you can do about it...

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/powerplatform/powerplatform-integration-overview?wt.mc_id=DX-MVP-5004336

Thanks

ZHU
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Gerardo Rentería Ga... 20,775 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Power BI Connecting to BC tables

Hi

If we talk about the cloud, you don't have direct access to the tables.

Losing Direct Access to SQL Server from Business Central SaaS

Best

GR
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Mansi Soni 5,176 on at

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Power BI Connecting to BC tables

Hello,
Power BI requires data access through web services or APIs due to its cloud-based architecture. This architecture prioritizes security, scalability, and integration across multiple systems. You can publish pages or queries as web services in Business Central and connect Power BI to those endpoints for reporting and dashboards.

Hope this answer will help you!

Regards,
Mansi Soni
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Sohail Ahmed 4,747 on at

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Power BI Connecting to BC tables

Hope this might be helpful:

Power BI cannot directly link to Business Central tables due to Microsoft's cloud architecture and design. This approach protects data, ensures performance, and facilitates seamless updates by requiring data access through controlled API endpoints rather than direct database connections.

✅ Mark this answer as verified if it helps you.
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Andrés Arias 1,293 on at

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Power BI Connecting to BC tables

Hello,

The answer would be by architecture and design, this is done to protect data, ensure performance and maintain Microsoft's update model.

I hope I can help.

Regards,

Andres
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Mohamed Amine Mahmoudi 24,372 Super User 2025 Season 1 on at

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Power BI Connecting to BC tables

Hi @SammyG,

The difference in how Jet Reports and Power BI interact with Business Central largely comes down to the architecture, data access models, and security considerations behind each tool.

Best regards,

Mohamed Amine MAHMOUDI