Forum Discussion
Cross-tenant connection between Databricks and Power BI
Hi! We are currently using a Databricks datasource for building Power BI reports, both instances being on the same tenant. We are moving our data to another tenant but we'd like to keep Power BI workspace in the old tenant. Is this something that can be accomplished? If so, what's the process we need to follow in order to connect the Power BI workspace to the new datasource in the new tenant? Is there any aspect to take into consideration while doing so (disadvantages, problems this system might imply)?
Hi BiancaCiui , Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community Forum.
Yes, Power BI in one tenant can connect to Azure Databricks in another tenant. Power BI uses Azure AD for authentication and Azure AD supports cross-tenant identities. Power BI only needs two things, the Databricks endpoint and an identity that exists in the Databricks tenant. That identity can be a service principal (best option) or a guest user.
Create a service principal in the Databricks tenant, give it access to the Databricks workspace and SQL warehouse and use that identity from Power BI. If Databricks is publicly accessible, no gateway is needed and everything works over HTTPS. If Databricks is on a private network (VNet / Private Link), you need network connectivity between tenants and usually an on-premises data gateway. This is supported but adds cost and operational complexity.
The main downsides are governance and reliability. You now manage identities and access across two tenants and if the service principal or network breaks, all reports break.
Connect Power BI Desktop to Azure Databricks - Azure Databricks | Microsoft Learn
Configure service principals on Azure Databricks for Power BI - Azure Databricks | Microsoft Learn
6 Replies
- lbendlin
Super User
Can you provide more details? Is this regular Databricks or Azure Databricks? On a private network?
v-hashadapuCommunity Support
Hi BiancaCiui , Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community Forum.
Yes, Power BI in one tenant can connect to Azure Databricks in another tenant. Power BI uses Azure AD for authentication and Azure AD supports cross-tenant identities. Power BI only needs two things, the Databricks endpoint and an identity that exists in the Databricks tenant. That identity can be a service principal (best option) or a guest user.
Create a service principal in the Databricks tenant, give it access to the Databricks workspace and SQL warehouse and use that identity from Power BI. If Databricks is publicly accessible, no gateway is needed and everything works over HTTPS. If Databricks is on a private network (VNet / Private Link), you need network connectivity between tenants and usually an on-premises data gateway. This is supported but adds cost and operational complexity.
The main downsides are governance and reliability. You now manage identities and access across two tenants and if the service principal or network breaks, all reports break.
Connect Power BI Desktop to Azure Databricks - Azure Databricks | Microsoft Learn
Configure service principals on Azure Databricks for Power BI - Azure Databricks | Microsoft Learn
EduardDAdvocate III
v-hashadapu thank you for the answer here. May I ask if VNET Data Gateway can be used in this scenario or only n-premises data gateway?
- v-hashadapu
Hi EduardD , Yes, VNet Data Gateway can be used here as well, it’s not limited to the On-premises Data Gateway. In fact, if your Databricks workspace in the new tenant is secured with Private Link/VNet injection, the VNet gateway is usually the cleaner option because it’s Microsoft managed and avoids maintaining gateway VMs. The thing is gateway’s VNet must be able to privately reach the Databricks network in the other tenant (via peering, VPN, ExpressRoute, etc.) and resolve the private DNS correctly. If Databricks is publicly accessible, then you typically don’t need any gateway at all.
Connect Power BI Desktop to Azure Databricks - Azure Databricks | Microsoft Learn
Use virtual network data gateway and data sources in Power BI | Microsoft Learn
- v-hashadapu
Hi BiancaCiui ,
hope you are doing great. May we know if your issue is solved or if you are still experiencing difficulties. Please share the details as it will help the community, especially others with similar issues.
- v-hashadapu
HI BiancaCiui , Hope you're doing okay! May we know if it worked for you, or are you still experiencing difficulties? Let us know — your feedback can really help others in the same situation.
