What is the best practices to use salesforce in power bi and create reports

[pankajdhote]

Hey Guys,

I am going to create reports in power bi using salesforce data.

However I am not sure which approach is better to get data from salesforce.

We can get data directly through connector in power bi or else we can use salesforce api and store data in database and then import in power bi.

Please help me to figure out which is best approach to follow.

Will it hamper performance if i am going to get data directly to power bi using connect

[QueryWhiz]

Hi @pankajdhote Since you'll be using not only Salesforce as data source but also Zendesk too, I will suggest you use a 3rd party connector for both to just export data from those sources directly to PBI and create an integrated report. Zendesk native connector is in beta so might not work as you expect. I currently user windsor.ai's both SF and Zendesk connectors and  I export my data directly to PBI. In case you wonder, to make the connection first search for the Salesforce connector in the data sources list:

After that, just grant access to your Salesforce account using your credentials, then on preview and destination page you will see a preview of your Salesforce fields:

There just select the fields you need. It is also compatible with custom fields and custom objects, so you'll be able to export them through windsor.  Finally, just select PBI as your data destination and finally just copy and paste the url on PBI --> Get Data --> Web --> Paste the url. 

[Anonymous]

Depends on the level of integration you are planning to do. If you are just using Power BI to connect to Salesforce, then Salesforce connector should all you need. If you are planning to integrate other applications or other reporting tools, then having the data in a database would be better in my opinion. 

[pankajdhote]

Hey,

Thanks for your response.

I am going to use power BI as reporting tool only and two sources of data that is salesforce and zendesk.

If I am going to use salesforce connector to get data then my question is,

1) Would it affect performance of power BI desktop or report?

[Anonymous]

That Depends. The only issues I have seen for performance is in refreshing datasets. That varies depending on the size of table that you are using.

For example if you are loading a table with more than 20 columns(fields) and have over 20 million records. Then, expect the memory size of your Power BI report to be quite large. This would affect the data refresh time.