Power BI Storage Explorer
05-09-2023
Introduction
The cloud-native world has transformed web browsers into our primary operating systems. However, not every aspect is easily deliverable in a pure cloud-native experience. For example, browsing and collaborating on files stored in cloud storage often still require users to install local desktop tools like Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer or S3 Browser.
This is where we are excited to introduce the Power BI Storage Explorer custom visual. It simplifies the process of sharing and collaborating on sets of files and data, eliminating the need for additional desktop installations and enhancing the overall user experience. It brings everything you need to support data analytics processes into your favorite BI tool.
Prerequisites
Configuring Cloud Storage Account
To allow Power BI to access your cloud storage, we need first to set the required CORS rules followed by generating the required access rights through an access token or key.
ADLS Gen2
For "read" access, only the method "GET" would be required:
For "read" access, only the permissions "Read" and "List" would be required:
You could also generate the SAS token on a container level which gives you even more granular access control.
AWS S3:
For "read" access, only the method "GET" would be required:
Configuring Storage Explorer Custom Visual
Getting the visual to work is very easy, you just need to populate the "Config - Storage" tab within the format pane, the rest is optional. There you can currently choose between Azure container and AWS S3 buckets. Depending on your selection, you will be confronted with different authentication methods, SAS token for Azure and Access key for AWS.
In addition to this config, you also have some basic formatting options for improving the browsing experience.
If you have any problems or additional feature requests, please feel free to reach out to info@creativedata.io
The cloud-native world has transformed web browsers into our primary operating systems. However, not every aspect is easily deliverable in a pure cloud-native experience. For example, browsing and collaborating on files stored in cloud storage often still require users to install local desktop tools like Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer or S3 Browser.
This is where we are excited to introduce the Power BI Storage Explorer custom visual. It simplifies the process of sharing and collaborating on sets of files and data, eliminating the need for additional desktop installations and enhancing the overall user experience. It brings everything you need to support data analytics processes into your favorite BI tool.
Prerequisites
- Power BI ("Allow downloads from custom visuals" enabled)
- Storage Explorer Custom Visual
- Cloud Storage Account (ADLS Gen2 or AWS S3) - CORS enabled
Configuring Cloud Storage Account
To allow Power BI to access your cloud storage, we need first to set the required CORS rules followed by generating the required access rights through an access token or key.
ADLS Gen2
For "read" access, only the method "GET" would be required:
For "read" access, only the permissions "Read" and "List" would be required:
You could also generate the SAS token on a container level which gives you even more granular access control.
AWS S3:
For "read" access, only the method "GET" would be required:
Configuring Storage Explorer Custom Visual
Getting the visual to work is very easy, you just need to populate the "Config - Storage" tab within the format pane, the rest is optional. There you can currently choose between Azure container and AWS S3 buckets. Depending on your selection, you will be confronted with different authentication methods, SAS token for Azure and Access key for AWS.
In addition to this config, you also have some basic formatting options for improving the browsing experience.
If you have any problems or additional feature requests, please feel free to reach out to info@creativedata.io