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Dec 27, 2024

Elite | Power BI



This article gives an overview of the Power BI integration.

 

Topics in this article include



Prerequisites 

  • This third-party software requires a license from Microsoft. 

  • You must be using a SQL database. All Elite users are on a SQL database. If you are using Expert on a SQL Database, you can integrate with Power BI as well. Please reach out to our Product Support Team for more information. 

 

What is Power BI?

Power BI is a third-party software that works in conjunction with Point of Rental. It is a Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Visualization tool for converting data from various data sources, like Point of Rental Software, into interactive dashboards and analysis reports. Power BI offers cloud-based services for interactive visualizations with a simple interface for end users to create their own dashboards and widgets.

For more information on Power BI, follow this link.

 

How does Power BI work with Elite?

Point of Rental offers a link from Elite to Power BI but does not offer customizations or development in Power BI. It simply provides access to Power BI directly from the Elite Browser. To learn how to utilize Power BI, please refer to the link at the bottom of this page.

 

How can I get Power BI?

Power BI is a Microsoft Product and can be purchased through Microsoft. Once you have purchased Power BI, contact our Sales team to integrate Power BI within Point of Rental Elite or Expert.

For more information on Power BI, follow this link.

 

How can I access Power BI from the Elite software?

Before you can access Power BI, it must be installed on the same server as Elite so that it can be launched from the Elite Interface.

Once installed, you'll need to make it visible. To do so, go to the Gear icon (top right corner of the screen) > Configuration Areas > System > Security > Left Menu > Power BI > Allow access to groups by using the 'Yes' dropdown option.

Once visible, you can access Power BI from Left Menu >Tools > Power BI. 


If Power BI is enabled but is not displaying, reach out to our Product Support Team.

 

How do I set up Power BI?

Once you have Power BI, you'll need to set it up. While we discourage self-setup, below are the instructions to self-setup. If you are interested in getting help, please contact our sales team. They can connect you with a partner who can assist you.

 

Self-Setup

Open Power BI Desktop

  1. Launch Power BI Desktop on your computer.

Get Data

  1. Click on the Home tab in the ribbon.

  2. Click on Get Data to open the data connection options.

Select Data Source

  1. Choose the type of data source you want to connect to (e.g., SQL Server, Excel,

    etc.).

  2. Click Connect.

Enter Connection Details

  1. For SQL Server:

    • Enter the server name and database name in the SQL Server database dialog.

    • Choose the appropriate connection method.

        
  2. For Other Sources:

    • Enter the required connection details (e.g., file path for Excel).

Choose Authentication Method

  1. When prompted for authentication, select Windows as the authentication

    method.

Step 6: Sign In

  1. If prompted, enter your Windows username and password. You might not need to

    enter your credentials if you are already logged in with your Windows account.

Step 7: Load Data

  1. After successfully connecting, you can choose to either load the data directly or

    transform it in Power Query.'

  2. Click Load to import the data into your Power BI model.

Step 8: Build Your Reports

  1. Once the data is loaded, you can start building your reports and dashboards.

    Troubleshooting

        

Things to know

  • If you encounter issues, ensure you have the necessary permissions to access

    the data source.

  • Make sure that your Windows account is authorized to connect to the specified

    database or data source.

 

Using Power BI, can I customize information within the Elite Dashboard?

This is NOT possible. Power BI is simply a way for our customers to access their data from a program that allows you to create your own dashboards and widgets. So in short, the dashboards and widgets created within Power BI are only accessible from within the Power BI interface; no direct access from within the Elite Browser should be expected. 

If you would like to see a report or customized information within the Elite Dashboard, you can request that we build it. This is billable. For more information, please contact our Sales department.

 

Where can I go if I would like to learn more about Power BI?

  • Click here for general information about Power BI.

  • You can click this link to see Power BI documentation.

  • Interested in taking free courses for Power BI? Click here.


If you are interested in getting help, please reach out to our sales team. They can connect you with a partner who can assist in building custom dashboards and reports using Power BI.

 

 

 



 

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