Report Builder: connect to snowflake via proxy

[radioactive]

Probably the wrong forum, but I don't see one for PBI Report Builder 😞

I can connect fine to our Snowflake instance using "Get Data" with Power BI Desktop using a proxy. To make it work, I had to set the proxy in the Windows environment variables since PBI Desktop does not have a proxy setting.

Using the latest version of PBI Report Builder (15.7.1814.616) on same Windows laptop, I cannot connect to our Snowflake instance using the "Get Data" experience. I can connect via ODBC. It appears to be a proxy issue even though the proxy is set in the Windows environment variables (I have them set at startup, both for http_proxy and https_proxy).

I've also asked our dedicated Microsoft support rep, but she seems to have disappeared 😞

Error message:

An exception occurred: DataSource.Error: ODBC: ERROR [HY000] [Microsoft][Snowflake] (4) REST request for URL *** failed: CURLerror (curl_easy_perform() failed) - code=6 msg='Couldn't resolve host name'. (Session ID: 71f30bd5-8dcd-4536-93ee-df77694d70ac, Region: us)

Thanks

[radioactive]

I'll accept this as "the" solution, but it is hardly a satisfactory solution as the ODBC connector has only bare bones functionality.

[v-tsaipranay]

Hi @radioactive ,

May I ask if you have resolved this issue? If so, please mark the helpful reply and accept it as the solution. This will be helpful for other community members who have similar problems to solve it faster.

Thank you.

[v-tsaipranay]

Hi @radioactive ,

May I ask if you have resolved this issue? If so, please mark the helpful reply and accept it as the solution. This will be helpful for other community members who have similar problems to solve it faster.

Thank you.

[radioactive]

The connector that Report Builder lists does not say "Beta" as some others do. So even though the tool has a non-beta connector, it is not certified? Sigh, only Microsoft.

[radioactive]

Additionally, I found this on Microsoft Learn about using Get Data to connect to Snowflake in Report Builder...Connect paginated reports to data sources using Power Query - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

[v-tsaipranay]

Hi @radioactive ,

I appreciate the additional context you've provided.

You're correct that the Snowflake connector is now visible in Power BI Report Builder’s "Get Data" experience without a "Beta" label, which indicates that it has moved out of preview and is generally available for use. However, availability in the UI does not always guarantee full feature parity or seamless behavior across all network configurations, especially in scenarios involving corporate proxies.

While the connector is supported from a product perspective and the documentation you referenced (Connect paginated reports to data sources using Power Query - Power BI | Microsoft Learn) outlines the supported integration path we are aware that Report Builder does not consistently inherit or apply system-level proxy settings (e.g., http_proxy, https_proxy) for all connector types, particularly those that depend on REST APIs like Snowflake.

This limitation can result in behavior such as the DNS resolution error you're encountering, even when the connector appears to be correctly configured. In contrast, Power BI Desktop manages proxy inheritance differently, which is why it works under the same environment variables.

Currently, the recommended and most reliable method for connecting to Snowflake within Report Builder remains via ODBC, where proxy settings can be explicitly defined at the driver or DSN level. This method continues to be the most stable in network-restricted environments and aligns with the supported configurations.

If this post helps, then please consider to Accept as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly and a kudos would be appreciated.

Thank you.

[v-tsaipranay]

Hi @radioactive ,

I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. If my response has addressed your query, please accept it as a solution and give a 'Kudos' so other members can easily find it.

Thank you.

[v-tsaipranay · Accepted solution]

Hi @radioactive ,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft fabric community forum.

This is expected behavior due to architectural differences between the two tools. Power BI Desktop can inherit system-level proxy settings (http_proxy, https_proxy), but Power BI Report Builder does not consistently recognize these, particularly for connectors like Snowflake that rely on REST APIs.

Additionally, Snowflake is not listed as a natively supported data source for Report Builder, which further limits direct connectivity through the "Get Data" experience.

You can refer to the official documentation on supported data sources here: Supported data sources for Power BI paginated reports - Power BI | Microsoft Learn. Given this limitation, the recommended and supported approach is to connect to Snowflake using an ODBC data source, which allows proxy handling at the driver level and has shown to work reliably in such environments.

If this post helped resolve your issue, kindly consider marking it as "Accept as Solution" and give it a 'Kudos' to help others find it more easily.

Please continue using Microsoft Community Forum.

Thank you.