PBI vs SAP

Yes, you can connect Power BI Report Server to various SAP data sources. The two most common SAP systems used are:

• SAP HANA – In-memory database commonly used with Power BI.
• SAP BW (Business Warehouse) – Typically used with MDX or OLE DB for OLAP.

1. For SAP HANA

Requirements:

• Install SAP HANA ODBC driver on the Power BI Report Server machine.
• Use the DirectQuery mode for live connection, or import data.

Steps:

1. Open Power BI Desktop (Optimized for Report Server).
2. Click Get Data → More... → Search for SAP HANA.
3. Enter server name (e.g., hana.server.local:30015).
4. Choose Import or DirectQuery and log in using SAP credentials.
5. Build the report and publish to Power BI Report Server.

2. For SAP BW

Requirements:

• Install SAP NetWeaver RFC SDK and SAP BW Connector.
• Power BI Desktop (Report Server edition) must match the connector version.

Steps:

1. Open Power BI Desktop (RS edition) → Get Data → SAP Business Warehouse Server.
2. Provide BW server address and credentials.
3. Choose InfoProvider or BEx query as source.
4. Transform and model data as needed, then publish to Report Server.

Resources:

• Power BI Report Server - Connect to data sources
• Connect to SAP HANA in Power BI
• Connect to SAP BW in Power BI