How to Integrate Snowflake and Power BI

About Snowflake

Snowflake is a cloud-based data warehousing platform known for its scalability and efficiency in managing and analysing large volumes of data. In light of businesses' increasing reliance on data-driven decision-making, Snowflake's future appears bright.

Its architecture, which separates storage and compute resources, allows seamless scalability, allowing it to adapt to evolving data needs. Being very efficient and easy to operate, Snowflake has become the first preference of tech users. With a focus on simplicity and performance, Snowflake is likely to play a significant role in shaping the future of data analytics and storage in the ever-expanding digital landscape.

About Power BI

Power BI is a business analytics service developed by Microsoft. It provides interactive visualisations and business intelligence capabilities with an interface simple enough for end-users to create their reports and dashboards. Power BI allows users to connect to a wide variety of data sources, transform the data, and create visually appealing and insightful reports.

There are several reasons why Power BI has become so popular:

• User-Friendly Interface
• Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem
• Cloud-Based and On-Premises Deployment
• Wide Range of Data Connectors
• Robust Data Modeling and Transformation
• Community and Support

Two Methods to Integrate Snowflake and Power BI

1. Direct Query - Power BI supports a direct query to Snowflake, which means that the data is not imported into Power BI but rather queried directly from the Snowflake data warehouse in real time.
2. Import - Alternatively, you can import data from Snowflake into Power BI. In this approach, the data is brought into Power BI, and any transformations or modelling is done within Power BI itself.

How to connect Snowflake to Power BI?

Are you ready to supercharge your Power BI reports with Snowflake data? Follow these simple steps to seamlessly connect your Power BI workspace with Snowflake, unleashing a world of possibilities for creating interactive and insightful dashboards.

Step 1 - Kickstart the process by opening Power BI and navigating to the 'Get Data' option. This is your gateway to a list of data connectors that can transform your reporting capabilities

Step 2 - In the 'Get Data' window, type 'Snowflake' in the search bar or locate it under the database options and then Click 'Connect'.

Step 3 - Configure Your Snowflake Connection

• Configure your Snowflake connection by providing the Server ID and Data Warehouse and click 'OK'.
• Snowflake now supports custom queries. If you wish to employ this feature, delve into the additional options. Craft custom SQL queries to tailor your dataset according to your unique requirements. (Optional)
• Find the Server URL and Data Warehouse in your Snowflake account effortlessly. The Server ID is available in the left-below side menu—copy the server link, remove "https://" and paste it as your Server ID. Input the Data Warehouse Name you are willing to connect.

Step 4 - A new page will open. It will ask for Snowflake or Microsoft account username and password. I'm using Snowflake credentials.

• Grab your username from your Snowflake profile and enter your account password.
• Click 'Connect' to establish a secure link between Power BI and Snowflake.

Step 5 - Welcome to the treasure trove! A new page will open which consists of your Data Warehouse, Databases and Tables. Within your Snowflake Data Warehouse, explore databases and tables. Handpick the tables you want to integrate into Power BI and hit the 'Load' button.

Step 6 - Choose Your Data Connection Approach

Step 7 - With the data seamlessly imported, you're now equipped to craft compelling Power BI dashboards. Visualize your Snowflake data, uncover patterns, and present actionable insights to stakeholders.

Empower your analytics journey by integrating the power of Snowflake with the dynamic capabilities of Power BI. Elevate your reporting game, one insightful dashboard at a time.

About Me

I'm Vivek, a Data Analyst and BI Consultant dedicated to turning raw data into actionable insights. Are you ready to elevate your business through data-driven strategies? Connect with me on LinkedIn, explore my portfolio, Explore client testimonials or engage my services on Freelancer.com and Upwork. Excited to collaborate with you! Thank you!