Build Visualizations of Live Sage 50 UK 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 Sage 50 UK data for visualizations, dashboards, and more. This article shows how to use CData Connect to create a virtual database for Sage 50 UK, connect to Sage 50 UK data into Power BI and then create reports on Sage 50 UK data in Power BI.

Create a Virtual SQL Database for Sage 50 UK 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 "Sage 50 UK" from Available Data Sources.
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Sage 50 UK.

   Note: Only Sage 50 UK 2012 and above are supported.

   The User and Password properties, under the Connection section, must be set to valid Sage 50 UK user credentials. These values will be the same used to log in to the Sage 50 UK software.

   Additionally, the URL property, under the Connection section, will need to be set to the address of the company dataset desired. To obtain the address, do the following:

   1. If you have not already done so, open the Sage 50 UK software.
   2. Click Tools -> Internet Options.
   3. Select the SData Settings tab.
   4. Click the Details button next to Sage 50 Accounts. A window is displayed containing a list of company names along with the address to their corresponding datasets.
   5. Set the URL property to the value in the address field next to the company desired.
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 Sage 50 UK from Power BI.

Query Sage 50 UK Tables

Follow the steps below to build a query to pull Sage 50 UK 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 (Sage50UK1)
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 Sage 50 UK 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 Sage 50 UK Data from Data Applications

With CData Connect you have a direct connection to Sage 50 UK data from Power BI. You can import more data, create new visualizations, build reports, and more — all without replicating Sage 50 UK data.

To get SQL data access to 200+ SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources (including Sage 50 UK) directly from your on-premise BI, reporting, ETL and other data applications, visit the CData Connect page and download a free trial.