How to Connect SAP to Power BI Through SAP BTP

Power BI Connector for SAP by Metrica Software provides controlled access to SAP data through SAP BTP. Administrators manage connections and authorizations. Authorized users combine approved OData services, select entities and fields, and apply filters to create reusable Power BI data sources.

Each source provides an OData endpoint for Power BI Desktop, reusable across reports and shareable with selected users. Access is read-only, and the connector stores no separate copy of SAP records.

Follow these steps to prepare SAP data and connect it to Power BI.

What Power BI Connector for SAP Supports

Power BI Connector for SAP by Metrica Software supports:

• SAP S/4HANA On-Premise
• SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud, including RISE with SAP
• SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud
• SAP ECC
• SAP BW

The connector works with SAP data exposed through OData services and allows users to:

• Combine multiple SAP OData services in one data source
• Select individual entities and fields
• Filter records before they are transferred from SAP
• Preview data and available relationships
• Create reusable OData endpoints for Power BI
• Share prepared data sources with selected users
• Connect using personal, revocable access tokens
• Configure scheduled and incremental refresh in Power BI

Step 1: Connect the SAP System

Administrators configure the SAP connection once during deployment in SAP BTP. S/4HANA On-Premise and Private Cloud use SAP Cloud Connector and a BTP destination; Public Cloud uses Communication Arrangements and a communication user.

Administrators control accessible OData services and SAP authorizations, allowing Power BI authors to reuse the connection across reports.

Step 2: Create SAP Data Source for Power BI

Open the connector in SAP BTP and create a data source.

Create sources for specific reporting needs, such as:

• Sales and order analysis
• Inventory reporting
• Purchasing and supplier performance
• Finance and controlling
• Manufacturing operations

Give the source a name and description explaining its data and purpose.

Reuse the source across reports to keep SAP connections and data selections consistent.

Step 3: Add the Required SAP OData Services

Select the approved SAP OData services required by your report.

Combine multiple services in one source. Power BI receives their entities as separate tables through one connection, ready for relationships in the semantic model.

Sales analysis might require:

• Sales orders
• Sales order items
• Customers
• Products
• Sales organizations

Prepare this combination once and reuse it across reporting projects.

Only services available through the SAP connection can be used; SAP service activation, roles, and business authorizations still apply.

Step 4: Select SAP Entities and Fields

Select the entities and fields Power BI needs through the connector interface, without writing OData queries. Include only the required columns.

An order table might include order number, customer, company code, date, currency, status, and net value, excluding unused fields.

This simplifies the tables and reduces data transfer.

Step 5: Apply Filters to SAP Data

Filter records visually or with expressions. Filters apply when data is requested from SAP, before excluded records reach Power BI.

Filter by:

• Company code
• Plant
• Sales organization
• Business unit
• Document date
• Document type
• Record status

For example, select company codes for regional finance or active orders from a defined period for operations.

The source configuration shows which SAP records reports can retrieve.

Step 6: Preview and Save the Data Source

Preview the selected SAP entities, fields, sample records, and relationships to identify missing fields, unexpected values, or incorrect filters. Then save the source to generate an OData endpoint with your configuration. Other Power BI reports can reuse this endpoint without recreating the SAP setup.

Step 7: Share the Data Source with Other Users

Owners can share sources with registered connector users in the same tenant.

Open Actions, select Share, and add recipients by email. Save the changes; recipients will find the source under Shared with me in Data Sources.

Recipients can view source configurations, preview data and relationships, refresh Power BI reports, and clone editable copies.

Shared sources remain read-only; only the owner can modify them or manage sharing. Recipients use their own tokens, never the owner’s. Removing a recipient prevents further refreshes, while cloning allows changes without affecting others.

Step 8: Create a Personal Access Token

Before connecting to Power BI, open Access Tokens in the connector, select Create token, and enter a descriptive label. Copy the token immediately: it is shown only once. If you close the dialog without copying it, revoke the token and create a new one.

Tokens inherit their user’s connector permissions and can be revoked without changing the account password. Administrators can set an expiry policy.

Every user, including shared-source recipients, creates a personal token. Sharing never exposes the owner’s credentials.

Step 9: Load SAP Data into Power BI Desktop

In Power BI Desktop:

1. Select Get data.
2. Choose OData feed.
3. Paste the endpoint generated for the data source.
4. Authenticate using your personal access token.
5. Select the required tables in the Navigator.
6. Choose Load or Transform Data.

SAP entities appear as Power BI tables. Define relationships, transform data with Power Query, create measures, and build reports.

The connector retrieves only the prepared data, writes nothing back to SAP, and stores no separate copy of SAP records.

Step 10: Monitor Changes and Power BI Activity

The History page provides a read-only audit trail:

• Data Sources History: tracks creation, updates, deletion, cloning, and ownership transfers, including previous and new values.
• Access Tokens History: records token issuance, revocation, and expiry.
• Export History: logs OData requests from Power BI, including users, token labels, response statuses, and durations.

Use History to check refresh requests, investigate failures, and identify source access and configuration changes. History records cannot be edited or deleted through the connector.

Who Is Power BI Connector for SAP For?

Power BI Connector for SAP helps organizations reuse SAP data across reports. It supports:

• Power BI teams needing prepared data sources.
• SAP and BTP administrators managing connections, services, and permissions.
• Analytics teams combining SAP services and reusing configurations.
• Finance, sales, procurement, manufacturing, and operations teams using SAP data for recurring reporting.

Use the connector to share SAP data across reports, control access, and track activity. See the documentation for installation and configuration.