How to import data from local .db database into Power BI?

[dvabel]

I want to import data into Power BI from a local .db file. I found similar questions, and the answer was usually related to using an ODBC driver.

I downloaded an ODBC driver (ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server) and tried choosing ODBC when importing data into Power BI, but I ran into several issues, such as:
"ERROR [08001] [Microsoft][ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server]Named Pipes Provider: Could not open a connection to SQL Server [53]"
or
"ERROR [HYT00] [Microsoft][ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server]Login timeout expired"
or even
"ERROR [08001] [Microsoft][ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server]A network-related or instance-specific error has occurred while establishing a connection to test. Server is not found or not accessible. Check if instance name is correct and if SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. For more information see SQL Server Books Online."

I did not work neither with .db files or ODBC before so my skills are limited in this area. Does somebody have an answer for me?

[v-yaningy-msft]

Hi, @dvabel 

According to your description, you get a connection error when using Desktop to connect to a local .db database. In fact, using Desktop to connect to a local .db database requires you to install a database or driver that corresponds to the type of database you are using, and you need to determine the type of database you are using based on the file extension. Here are some examples:

1. If your database file is saved in .mdb or .accdb format, you can use Microsoft Access to open and manage it. access uses its own driver and does not require an additional ODBC driver.

Microsoft Access download link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/access

2. SQL Server database files (.mdf format), you need to install the ODBC driver for SQL Server or install the SQL Server database. 3.

SQL Server ODBC download link:  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/connect/odbc/download-odbc-driver-for-sql-server?view=sql-serv...

SQL Server database download link:  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-downloads

3. MySQL database requires MySQL ODBC driver or installation of MySql database.

MySQL ODBC Download link:  https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/odbc/

MySQL Download link:  https://www.mysql.com/downloads/

If I misunderstood you, please provide your file type and more data or screenshots without sensitive information, feel free to ask any questions about this.

Best Regards,
Yang
Community Support Team

If there is any post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution  to help the other members find it more quickly.
If I misunderstand your needs or you still have problems on it, please feel free to let us know. Thanks a lot!

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[Idrissshatila]

Hello @dvabel ,

there's a database connector in power bi that you could use to connect to a database.

check this https://youtu.be/K690u_FkL4A?si=LJ6HQt3wMrs-Z6pD

[dvabel]

Hi @Idrissshatila ,

Unfortunately this is not an SQL server database, this is a local .db file stored on my computer. Do you have any suggestions specifically for those?