Skip to main content
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Compete to become Power BI Data Viz World Champion! First round ends August 18th. Get started.

Reply
Anonymous
Not applicable

Not able to connect to an Oracle database with Power BI Desktop

I am trying to connect to an Oracle database through Power BI Desktop. I have tried reading through this article, but it doesn't seem to solve my problem.

 

I am still getting the following error when trying to connect to an Oracle database:

  • "The recommended provider ('Oracle.DataAccess.Client') is not installed. You can continue with your current provider, however it has been deprecated and may not work properly."

The following Oracle client has been installed, yet it still does not work.

ZlatanIsBack_0-1665843376233.png

It's strange Microsoft still has not solved this issue so that all the necessary Oracle-tools automatically gets installed when installing Power BI Desktop.

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
v-yalanwu-msft
Community Support
Community Support

Hi, @Anonymous ;

These errors might occur if the Oracle client either isn't installed or isn't configured properly. If it's installed, verify that the tnsnames.ora file is properly configured and you're using the proper net_service_name. You also need to make sure that the net_service_name is the same between the machine that uses Power BI Desktop and the machine that runs the gateway. 

Refer this image:

vyalanwumsft_0-1666162504323.png

You might also encounter a compatibility issue between the Oracle server version and the Oracle Data Access Client version. Typically, you want these versions to match, as some combinations are incompatible. For instance, ODAC 12.x does not support Oracle Server version 9.

If you downloaded Power BI Desktop from the Microsoft Store, you might be unable to connect to Oracle databases because of an Oracle driver issue. If you encounter this issue, the error message returned is: Object reference not set. To address the issue, do one of these steps:

  • Download Power BI Desktop from the Download Center instead of Microsoft Store.

  • If you want to use the version from Microsoft Store: on your local computer, copy oraons.dll from 12.X.X\client_X to 12.X.X\client_X\bin, where X represents version and directory numbers.

Connect to an Oracle database with Power BI Desktop - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Best Regards,
Community Support Team _ Yalan Wu
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

View solution in original post

2 REPLIES 2
v-yalanwu-msft
Community Support
Community Support

Hi, @Anonymous ;

These errors might occur if the Oracle client either isn't installed or isn't configured properly. If it's installed, verify that the tnsnames.ora file is properly configured and you're using the proper net_service_name. You also need to make sure that the net_service_name is the same between the machine that uses Power BI Desktop and the machine that runs the gateway. 

Refer this image:

vyalanwumsft_0-1666162504323.png

You might also encounter a compatibility issue between the Oracle server version and the Oracle Data Access Client version. Typically, you want these versions to match, as some combinations are incompatible. For instance, ODAC 12.x does not support Oracle Server version 9.

If you downloaded Power BI Desktop from the Microsoft Store, you might be unable to connect to Oracle databases because of an Oracle driver issue. If you encounter this issue, the error message returned is: Object reference not set. To address the issue, do one of these steps:

  • Download Power BI Desktop from the Download Center instead of Microsoft Store.

  • If you want to use the version from Microsoft Store: on your local computer, copy oraons.dll from 12.X.X\client_X to 12.X.X\client_X\bin, where X represents version and directory numbers.

Connect to an Oracle database with Power BI Desktop - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Best Regards,
Community Support Team _ Yalan Wu
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

aj1973
Community Champion
Community Champion

You need to configure the connection

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClBQ3_p7T_A

Regards
Amine Jerbi

If I answered your question, please mark this thread as accepted
and you can follow me on
My Website, LinkedIn and Facebook

Helpful resources

Announcements
July 2025 community update carousel

Fabric Community Update - July 2025

Find out what's new and trending in the Fabric community.

July PBI25 Carousel

Power BI Monthly Update - July 2025

Check out the July 2025 Power BI update to learn about new features.

Top Solution Authors