Help connecting Power BI Desktop to SQL server on Linux

[SPowell42]

Hi all,

I'm trying to experiment with Power BI desktop and SQL server, and having issues connecting. Here's the details:

1. I'm running SQL Server on a Linux VM on my laptop

2. On the Linux VM, I'm able to run "sqlcmd" and connect to the database with no issues

3. From my laptop "host" laptop, I have no issues connecting to SQL server using SSMS. I choose the IP address of the host, use "SQL Server Authentication", and can log in fine using the "SA" account / password

From Power BI desktop, however, I'm not able to connect. When I choose "Get Data" and "SQL Server" as the source, the options I have to connect are "Use my current credentials" which obviosly won't work, (SQL Server on Linux won't know anything about my windows credentials), or "Use alternate credentials".

I've tried "Use alternate credentials", and it doesn't like the username / password for either:

1. The linux account

2. The "SA" SQL server account / password

I really wanted to play with getting up to speed with SQL server, analysis services tabular and Power BI, but if I'm not going to be able to connect to the SQL server on the VM I'm stuck. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Scott

[thomasronn · Accepted solution]

Don't you have the database login option?

Thats where you login in with sql server authentication

[pludlow]

Thomas, maybe you can help me as well. I able to get to the screen you show, but then get a user name password error. When I try to Get data again trying to connect to same portal, it bypasses the user name password screen and just fails for wrong user name password. I have shut down and restarted and it still bypasses the user name password screen. How do I clear this to change the user name etc

[SPowell42]

Thank you!!! Other BI tools don't spread logins over multiple tabs, I never even realized that was related to the authentication method (in all fairness, all of the other Microsoft tools seem to have a simple dropdown to select Windows vs. Server authentication). I really appreciate the help - I never would have found that!

Thanks!!

Scott