Custom connectors for different databases?

[Dragon496]

Hello

I have been asked to investigate the functionality of custom connectors and Power BI (both in desktop and the gateway).

A third party has supplied us with a .mez file to allow us to connect to the data. I believe a colleague of mine has managed to use it successfully to retrieve data within Power BI desktop. We have been supplied with two files, one for the test system and one for live. Sure enough, when you place either file in the custom connectors folder, then I can access the data source (at present I cannot access data simply because I have not been given permission).

I have been asked to investigate, whether there is a way to switch between live and test without having to switch the files, in the custom connectors folder. I am thinking this is up to the developer of the custom connector?

I have tried placing both files in the folder, but only the test one is showing up when you try to get data within Power BI desktop.

Can anyone advise please?

Thanks

[Dragon496]

Apologies, but when you see different names, what are you referring to? Obviously, the mez files have different names. I have also amended the resource file so that the ButtonTitle and TableName have different values.

Could you advise what other changes are needed so that I can have a test and a live connector in the get data dialogue box?

Thanks

(Please ignore the bad word in my previous reply, I was not paying attention to the speech recognition errors!).

[lbendlin]

specify different DataSource.Kind values

[lbendlin]

It's as simple as renaming one of the .mez files.  You can also modify the innards (these are actually ZIP files)  if you want to change the connector titles too.

[Dragon496]

What we cannot understand, is why can you not have 2 mez files in the folder, say one for test and another for live? While the live file, works on it own, only the test connection is shown, in the Get Data dialogue box, if I include both files in the folder. Any idea why?

[lbendlin]

They need to have different names.

[Dragon496]

Apologies, but when you see different names, what are you referring to? Obviously, the mez files have different names. I have also amended the resource file so that the ButtonTitle and TableName have different values.

Could you advise what other changes are needed so that I can have a test and a live connector play smart

Thanks

[lbendlin · Accepted solution]

Check the main .pq file.  There you can specify different DataSource.Kind values.  You could even keep both versions in the same definition file.