Easy Tech TutsHow to Use Power BI With SAP, Connect it Easily 2026
By Impran M N
Pulling enterprise SAP data into Power BI opens up consolidated financial and supply chain reporting, but the setup involves a few prerequisite steps most people miss the first time. This guide covers installing the necessary drivers and connecting to SAP HANA or Business Warehouse so you can build dashboards directly on top of your SAP data.
01Install required driver packages
Before connecting, install the mandatory local .NET driver packages Power BI needs to communicate with SAP systems.
02Choose your SAP connection type
Decide whether you're connecting to SAP HANA or SAP Business Warehouse, since Power BI provides dedicated native connectors for each.
03Enter your server connection details
Provide the correct server address and authentication details for your SAP instance inside the Power BI connection dialog.
04Navigate the Data Navigator pane
Use the multi-table Data Navigator to select the specific SAP tables or views you want to import into your data model.
05Publish and schedule refresh
Once your model is built, publish it to your cloud workspace and configure automated scheduled refreshes to keep the SAP data current.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need special drivers to connect Power BI to SAP?
Yes, you typically need to install the required .NET driver packages before Power BI can establish a connection to SAP systems.
Can I connect to both SAP HANA and SAP BW?
Yes, Power BI includes native connectors for both SAP HANA and SAP Business Warehouse.
Why is my SAP connection slow?
Version mismatches between drivers and your SAP instance, or querying overly large tables, are common causes of slow performance.
Do I need a gateway to refresh SAP data in the cloud?
Yes, since SAP systems are typically on-premises, a data gateway is generally required to support scheduled cloud refreshes.
Watch the full walkthrough
The same steps, demonstrated on screen from start to finish.
