How to publish a custom connector for organization internal use

[Vishnu_G]

Hi everyone,

I’ve developed a custom connector using the Power Query SDK, and it works fine in Power BI Desktop. Now that development is complete, I want to understand the best way to publish and use this connector within an organization.

Additionally I have few question
1) If I want to “certify” the connector — does that mean it becomes publicly available to all Power BI users, or can I certify it for internal use only?

[v-tsaipranay]

Hi @Vishnu_G ,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.

As mentioned by @jaineshp , the on-premises data gateway (standard mode) is currently the only supported method for enabling scheduled refresh with custom connectors in Power BI Service (including Fabric). There’s no cloud-native publishing option yet for refresh without a gateway.

Hope this helps. Please feel free to reach out for further assistance.

Thank you.

[Vishnu_G]

Thank you so much for the clarification

[jaineshp]

Hey @Vishnu_G,

To publish your custom connector for internal org use, follow these steps:

1. Package the Connector:
Build the .mez file using the Power Query SDK in Visual Studio Code.

2. Deploy for Internal Use:

• Store the .mez file in a shared network folder or distribute it to users manually.

• Users must enable "Custom data connectors" in Power BI Desktop (Options > Security).

3. Gateways (for scheduled refresh):
To use it with the Power BI service, deploy the connector to an on-premises data gateway (standard mode). Place the .mez in the Custom Connectors folder on the gateway machine.

4. Certifying the Connector:
Certification is for public connectors only — it means Microsoft reviews and makes it available to all Power BI users.
➡️ If you want to keep it internal, do not certify. Just distribute it securely within your org.

Let me know if you need guidance on the gateway part!

Fixed? ✓ Mark it • Share it • Help others!

Best Regards,
Jainesh Poojara | Power BI Developer

[Vishnu_G]

Thank you so much for the detailed explanation.

I do have the on-premises data gateway already set up and working with my custom connector.

Just to understand all available options
1) Is the gateway the only method currently available for enabling scheduled refresh with custom connectors in Fabric (or Power BI service)? Or are there any other publishing options that support refresh without needing the gateway?

[jaineshp · Accepted solution]

Hey @Vishnu_G,

You're very welcome!

To answer your follow-up:

Yes, currently the on-premises data gateway (in standard mode) is the only supported method to enable scheduled refresh for custom connectors in Power BI service (including Fabric workloads that use Power BI datasets behind the scenes).

Fixed? ✓ Mark it • Share it • Help others!

Best Regards,
Jainesh Poojara | Power BI Developer