Gateway Server and Database match data from file from desktop

[JanMeyer11]

Hey guys,

simple question but i don't get it. After reading the documentation, i'm also not any clearer about why this needs to match. The documentation doesn't say anything about that (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/connect-data/service-gateway-data-sources).

So: Why do the Server and Database inputs need to 100% match the inputs from the file? If i write 127.0.0.1 into my file and localhost into the gateway (server side) it doesn't work? Or if i type tcp:SERVERNAME and than on the other side the IPAddress, it is also not working but why? 

[v-jialongy-msft · Accepted solution]

Hello @JanMeyer11 

The Server and Database inputs in Power BI are used to specify the name of the SQL Server instance that hosts the database you want to connect to. This is important because Power BI needs to know where to find the data and how to access it. The inputs need to match exactly between Power BI and the data source, otherwise the connection will fail.

If you use SERVER\\INSTANCE in Power BI Desktop, such as Server=SERVER\\INSTANCE;Database=AdventureWorksDW2017, then you need to use SERVER\\INSTANCE in your data source configuration for the gateway as well. This requirement holds for both DirectQuery and scheduled refresh.

The reason why these inputs need to match exactly is because they are used by SQL Server authentication mode (SSOM), which is one of the authentication methods supported by Power BI. SSOM requires that both Power BI and SQL Server have consistent credentials for accessing the database. If they don’t match, then SSOM will not work properly.

^{Best Regards,}

^Jayleny

^{If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.}