Fabric and Data Engineering
Written By: Austin Levine
Last Updated on September 23, 2026
Power BI connects to Excel, SQL Server and Azure from inside Power BI Desktop, through Get data. The connection also works the other way for Excel: Excel users can pull a published Power BI semantic model into a PivotTable with Insert > PivotTable > From Power BI. There is no "Power BI button" inside SQL Server, and no product integration between Power BI and Tableau.
Power BI and Excel
Excel and Power BI connect in two directions, and they solve different problems.
Load an Excel file into Power BI
In Power BI Desktop, select Get data > Excel workbook.
Pick the file, then choose the sheets or tables to load.
Select Transform data to clean it in Power Query, or Load to load it as it is.
Load from a formatted Excel table rather than a raw sheet range where you can. A table keeps its columns stable when rows are added.
If the workbook is stored in OneDrive for Business or SharePoint, connect to it there instead of a copy on your laptop. The Power BI service can then refresh it on a schedule without a gateway.
Analyze a Power BI model in Excel
This direction is often the more useful one for finance teams. The data and the measures stay in the governed Power BI model, and people explore it with the PivotTables they know.
In Excel, use either:
Insert > PivotTable > From Power BI, or
Data > Get Data > From Power Platform > From Power BI in Excel Desktop
A pane lists the semantic models you have access to. Select one and choose Insert PivotTable. The PivotTable is a live connection, so it uses the model's measures and security, and it refreshes from Power BI.
What you need:
A Power BI admin must enable the tenant setting Users can work with Power BI semantic models in Excel using a live connection.
You need Build permission on the semantic model, or at least the Contributor role in its workspace.
A Pro or PPU license. A free license works only for models in My workspace, or on an F64 or larger capacity, or on a Power BI Premium capacity.
You can also start from the Power BI service: open the semantic model and choose Analyze in Excel.
Power BI and SQL Server
In Power BI Desktop, select Get data > SQL Server.
Enter the server name and, optionally, the database.
Choose Import or DirectQuery.
Sign in and select the tables or views to load.
Import copies the data into the model. Reports are fast, and data is as fresh as the last refresh. DirectQuery sends every visual's query to SQL Server, so data is live but each click waits on the database. Our DirectQuery vs Import guide explains when each fits.
If the SQL Server is on premises or in a private network, the Power BI service needs an on-premises data gateway to refresh or query it after you publish. Install the gateway on a machine that can reach the server, then map the data source to it in the service.
Load from views that return exactly the columns the report needs, not from wide tables. It keeps the model small and keeps business logic in one place.
Power BI and Azure
Power BI Desktop has an Azure category under Get data. The sources used most are:
Source | Typical use |
|---|---|
Azure SQL Database | Application or warehouse data in a managed SQL database |
Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 | Files such as Parquet or CSV in a data lake |
Azure Databricks | Tables built by a Databricks lakehouse |
Azure Analysis Services | An existing enterprise semantic model, used as a live connection |
You sign in with your Microsoft Entra work account. No separate service account or API is needed for a report. Service principals and the REST API come in only when you automate, for example to trigger a refresh from a pipeline.
If your data platform is Microsoft Fabric, you do not need a connector at all for data in OneLake. A semantic model in Direct Lake mode reads the lakehouse tables directly. We explain that setup in Why choose Microsoft Fabric.
For Snowflake, see our separate guide to connecting Power BI to Snowflake. To reuse the same cleaned data across several reports, look at Power BI dataflows.
Power BI and other BI tools
There is no built-in integration between Power BI and Tableau, or between Power BI and other BI tools. Neither product opens the other's reports.
Organizations that run two BI tools make it work by sharing the layer underneath:
One governed data source. Both tools read the same warehouse tables or views, so revenue means the same thing in both.
Definitions written down once. Measures such as margin are defined in the warehouse or in a documented metric list, not separately in each tool.
A plan to converge. Running two tools doubles licensing, training and support, so decide early whether both are staying.
Sources
Power BI semantic model experience in Excel - Microsoft Learn
Refresh data from an on-premises SQL Server database - Microsoft Learn
Power BI service features by license type - Microsoft Learn
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