Build Visualizations of Live Google Data Catalog Data in Power BI (through CData Connect)

Power BI transforms your company's data into rich visuals for you to collect and organize so you can focus on what matters to you. When paired with CData Connect (on-premise or in the cloud), you get access to Google Data Catalog data for visualizations, dashboards, and more. This article shows how to use CData Connect to create a virtual database for Google Data Catalog, connect to Google Data Catalog data into Power BI and then create reports on Google Data Catalog data in Power BI.

Create a Virtual SQL Database for Google Data Catalog Data

CData Connect Server uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources and generate APIs.

1. Login to Connect Server and click Connections.
2. Select "Google Data Catalog" from Available Data Sources.
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Google Data Catalog.

   Google Data Catalog uses the OAuth authentication standard. Authorize access to Google APIs on behalf on individual users or on behalf of users in a domain.

   Before connecting, specify the following to identify the organization and project you would like to connect to:

   • OrganizationId: The ID associated with the Google Cloud Platform organization resource you would like to connect to. Find this by navigating to the cloud console.

     Click the project selection drop-down, and select your organization from the list. Then, click More -> Settings. The organization ID is displayed on this page.

   • ProjectId: The ID associated with the Google Cloud Platform project resource you would like to connect to.

     Find this by navigating to the cloud console dashboard and selecting your project from the Select from drop-down. The project ID will be present in the Project info card.

   When you connect, the OAuth endpoint opens in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application to completes the OAuth process. For more information, refer to the OAuth section in the Help documentation.

4. Click Save Changes
5. Click Privileges -> Add and add the new user (or an existing user) with the appropriate permissions.

With the virtual database created, you are ready to connect to and visualize Google Data Catalog from Power BI.

Query Google Data Catalog Tables

Follow the steps below to build a query to pull Google Data Catalog data into the report:

1. Open Power BI Desktop and click Get Data -> Other -> SQL Server and click "Connect"
2. Set Server to the address and port of your CData Connect instance (localhost:8033 by default) and set Database to the name of the virtual database you just created (GoogleDataCatalog1)
3. Use "Database" authentication, enter the credentials for a CData Connect user and click "Connect"
4. Select tables in the Navigator dialog
5. Click Load to import the data into Power BI

Create Google Data Catalog Data Visualizations

After connecting to the data into Power BI, you can create data visualizations in the Report view by dragging fields from the Fields pane onto the canvas. Select the dimensions and measures you wish to visualize along with the chart type.

Click Refresh to synchronize your report with any changes to the data.

SQL Access to Google Data Catalog Data from Data Applications

With CData Connect you have a direct connection to Google Data Catalog data from Power BI. You can import more data, create new visualizations, build reports, and more — all without replicating Google Data Catalog data.

To get SQL data access to 200+ SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources (including Google Data Catalog) directly from your on-premise BI, reporting, ETL and other data applications, visit the CData Connect page and download a free trial.