Error 1033 trying to connect to SAP HANA via ODBC

[Gianf]

Hi all, 

I have to connnect to a SAP HANA database. Despite there is a SAP HANA connector which -  apart form some limittions - seems to work properly, I have been told to connect using SAP ODBC driver. 

Unfortunately, this does not work and I am getting error 1033 trying to connect 

I have been in touch with some SAP consultant: we checked ODBC configuration and it looks good. They found a SAP note about this error. Here i report the relevant parts: 

According to this note, this looks like a Power BI bug invoking the driver and/or building the connection string. 

Questions: 
1) Does anyhone know how to overcome this error and/or a workaround? 
2) If it is truly a Power BI bug, how can I have this fixed? 

Thank you in advance, 

Gianfranco 

[v-hashadapu]

Hi @Gianf , Could you please confirm whether the issue has been resolved through the support ticket with Microsoft? If so, we request that you share the resolution or any key insights in this thread to benefit other members of the community. We will proceed to close this thread as part of our follow-up process, .

Should you require further assistance in the future, we encourage you to create a new thread in the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum. Our team will be happy to assist you.

Thank you for your cooperation.

[Gianf · Accepted solution]

Hi, @v-hashadapu, sorry for the delay. 

It turned out that HANA ODBC driver seem not being able to do query folding and customer requests incremental refreshes on very huge fatct tables. So we opted to use Power BI SAP HANA connector, which explicitly supports query folding, at the cost of writing native queries. 

[v-hashadapu]

Hi @Gianf , hope you are doing well. may i know if you have raised the support ticket as suggested or if your issue's solved from the other suggestions given? If your issue's solved either way, please share the insights here and mark them or any other helpful response "Accept as Solution" so others with similar issues may find the solution easily.
Thank you.

[v-shamiliv]

Hi @Gianf 
Thank you for reaching out microsoft fabric community forum.
If the issue still persists we recommend you to raise support ticket.
You can submit a ticket through the Microsoft Power BI Support Portal:

How to create a Fabric and Power BI Support ticket - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

 If this solution helps, please consider giving us Kudos and accepting it as the solution so that it may assist other members in the community
Thank you.

[burakkaragoz]

Hi @Gianf ,

This error (1033 ERROR WHILE PARSING PROTOCOL) usually means there’s a problem with how the ODBC connection string is being built or parsed by the SAP HANA ODBC driver. Based on your screenshot and the SAP note you shared, here are the most likely causes and solutions:

---

Why does this happen?

• Connection String Format: Power BI may build the ODBC connection string in a format that the HANA ODBC driver doesn’t accept, or it may include parameters that are invalid/misplaced.
• ODBC Driver Version: Using an outdated or incompatible HANA ODBC driver can also cause this error.
• Manual vs. Automatic Setup: Manually configured DSNs sometimes work, but Power BI’s automatic string generation might break.

---

How to Fix

1. Test the ODBC DSN Outside Power BI

   • Open ODBC Data Source Administrator on your PC.
   • Edit and test your SAP HANA DSN directly (outside Power BI) to make sure it connects. If it fails here, the issue is not Power BI.

2. Build and Use a Manual Connection String

   • In Power BI, when choosing the ODBC connection, go to "Advanced options" and manually enter a simple, working connection string.
   • Example:
     Code

     DRIVER={HDBODBC};SERVERNODE=yourserver:port;UID=youruser;PWD=yourpassword

   • Remove any unnecessary or special parameters.

3. Update Your ODBC Driver

   • Download and install the latest SAP HANA ODBC driver from SAP’s official site.

4. Check for Power BI Updates

   • Make sure you’re using the latest version of Power BI Desktop.

5. Test with Other Tools

   • Try connecting to the same ODBC DSN from Excel or another BI tool. If it works elsewhere but not in Power BI, then it’s a Power BI compatibility issue.

6. If It’s Power BI Only

   • If your DSN works everywhere except Power BI, it’s likely a compatibility issue with how Power BI builds/parses the ODBC string.
   • In this case, consider reporting it to Microsoft with details and a working DSN example.

---

Summary

• This is not a typical Power BI "bug," but a compatibility/formatting issue between Power BI’s ODBC connector and the SAP HANA ODBC driver.
• The best workaround is to manually build and test your connection string and ensure you’re using the latest drivers.
• If the issue is only in Power BI after all these steps, report it as a compatibility issue.

If you share your exact connection string (masking sensitive info), I can help review it for mistakes.

[Gianf]

Hi @burakkaragoz; 
than kyou for your super-quick answer. Here there are my feedbacks: 

1) The "Test connection" in the ODBC control panel reports success
2) I am trying to build a manual connection string according to your example, but Power BI does not allow me: 

Without specifiying UID & PWD I get a different error: 

Looks like there is no server name (The empty quotes?) but this is not true. The server name I entered is the same we put in the ODBC configuration, and I assume it is correct (see #1 above) 

3 & 4) Both ODBC driver and Power BI are already updated to the latest version
5) Unfortunately I am working on a customer VM, where there are no tools other than PBI and I am not allowed to install anything. have you any suggestion on how to perform this test, maybe with some portable tool I am not aware of? 

Thank you

Gianfranco 

[burakkaragoz]

@Gianf ,

Thanks for your detailed follow-up and screenshots. Here’s a breakdown based on your feedback:

1) ODBC Test Connection Succeeds, Power BI Fails:
This confirms the DSN and driver themselves are working—so the problem is specific to how Power BI is using them.

2) Manual Connection String & Credentials Issue:

• Power BI requires UID and PWD to be entered in the credentials dialog, not directly in the connection string for ODBC sources.
• If you try to include UID/PWD in the string, Power BI throws the error you’re seeing.
• If you leave them out, Power BI expects you to supply credentials in the UI, but sometimes this can break with certain DSN/provider combinations.

3) “No server name” / Empty Quotes Issue:

• The error about empty server name, despite the DSN being correct, suggests Power BI isn’t reading the DSN config as expected.
• This sometimes happens if Power BI can’t access the ODBC configuration in the user context it’s running under (especially on VMs or restricted environments).

4) Latest Drivers/Updates:

• You’ve confirmed both are up to date—good step.

5) Customer VM, No Additional Installs Allowed:

• This limits typical troubleshooting (installing tools like DBeaver, Excel, etc.).

---

What you can try:

A) Credentials Dialog in Power BI:

• When connecting in Power BI, choose the DSN and click “Connect.”
• When prompted, enter your username and password in the credentials dialog—not in the connection string or advanced options.
• If you’re using Windows Authentication, make sure the user running Power BI has access on the HANA side.

B) Double-check DSN Scope:

• Make sure the DSN is created as a System DSN (not User DSN), so it’s visible to all users/services on the VM.
• Power BI sometimes can’t access User DSNs if it’s running under a different user context.

C) Minimal Connection String:

• In the advanced options, leave the connection string blank or only enter additional needed parameters (avoid UID, PWD, server, etc.—these should be in the DSN).

D) If you absolutely must test outside Power BI, but can’t install tools:

• If you have access to the command prompt, you can try using the built-in odbcconf or odbcad32 tools to test the DSN.
• If PowerShell is available, you could use a simple script to test an ODBC connection without extra installs. Here’s a sample PowerShell snippet:

PowerShell

$conn = New-Object System.Data.Odbc.OdbcConnection
$conn.ConnectionString = "DSN=DATASOURCE_PROD;Uid=youruser;Pwd=yourpass;"
$conn.Open()
Write-Host "Connection successful!"
$conn.Close()

(Replace with your actual DSN name and credentials.)

---

Summary

• Do not put UID/PWD in the connection string in Power BI; use the credentials dialog.
• Ensure the DSN is a System DSN.
• If Power BI still cannot connect despite the DSN working elsewhere, it's likely a Power BI <-> ODBC integration edge case or environment restriction.
• If possible, try running Power BI Desktop as “Run as Administrator,” which sometimes helps with permissions on VMs.

If none of these work and you can’t install anything else, you might need to collect all error logs and escalate to Microsoft as a Power BI ODBC bug/compatibility issue.

Let me know if you’re able to try these steps, or if you can share any additional error details from Power BI’s log files (found under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Power BI Desktop\AnalysisServicesWorkspaces). I’m happy to help review those as well!

[Gianf]

Hi @burakkaragoz 

here I am back with the results: 
1) Connection string without credentials: 

Asking for credentials... 

No joy 😞 

2) Data source is System DSN, confirmed. 
3) Blank connection string (actually 1st thing tested)

Back to error 1033
4)  Test connection via Powershell 

Failure 😞  error 1033 

I am not able to run Power Bi as an administrator - I don't have the required privileges. 
I am not able to locate any Power Bi logs under the folder you pointed; here it is the folder contents: 

The FlightRecorder<etc> file is a binary one and unreadable. the msmdsrv.log file looks like it contains no useful information
I don't know how to collect other logs, I would be very happy if you could point me the right direction, thansk!