Custom OData SAP-DataSphere connector without Gateway

[LeboeufHarry]

Hello,

We created our uwn Customer connector that connects to our SAP DataSphere world through OData. Works fine in PowerBI desktop. But now I see that (I hope I'm wrong) that the only way to get this working is to install the Connector on a PBI-Gateway machine.

What is a bit silly as I hoped to go Cloud-To-Cloud and now I whould Have to work Cloud(PBIServ)-WAN-(GateWay)-Could(SAP-DS)-WAN-(Gateway)-Cloud(PBIServ). A complete Up-and-Down traffic off all data through the Gateway...

So maybe 2 questions ...

1. Is thre no way to go without a Gateway ?

2. Are there people making a PBI-DS connection with the regular OData connector that might not need a Gateway. We failed due to Authentication troubles.

KR, Harry

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi LeboeufHarry,

We have not received a response from you regarding the query and were following up to check if you have found a resolution. If you have identified a solution, we kindly request you to share it with the community, as it may be helpful to others facing a similar issue.

If you find the response helpful, please mark it as the accepted solution and provide kudos, as this will help other members with similar queries.

Thank you.

[v-pnaroju-msft · Accepted solution]

Thankyou @GilbertQ for your response.

Hi @LeboeufHarry,

Thank you for reaching out to us through the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

Custom connectors in Power BI Service typically necessitate an on-premises data gateway for authentication and data refresh. This is due to the fact that custom connectors are, by default, considered untrusted and rely on the gateway for secure credential management.

Please consider the following workaround solutions to address the issue:

1. If SAP DataSphere supports DirectQuery, it enables Power BI to query the data directly without the need for a gateway.

2. You may utilise Power BI Dataflows, which can act as an intermediary layer, enabling you to connect to SAP Datasphere, transform the data, and load it into Power BI without a gateway.

3. When a .PBIX file containing a cloud data source is published from Power BI Desktop, a cloud connection is automatically established.
   Since SAP Datasphere is a cloud data source, kindly verify the settings under the 'Semantic Models' section, where 'Cloud Connections' can be found under 'Gateway and Cloud Connections'.If a Gateway connection has been created, please disable it and use a Cloud Connection to determine if the issue is resolved.

For further reference, kindly consult the following links:
Connect to cloud data sources in the Power BI service - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Create and share cloud data sources in the Power BI service - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Should you find our response beneficial, kindly mark it as the accepted solution and provide kudos, as this will assist other community members encountering similar issues.

Thank you.

[GilbertQ]

Hi @LeboeufHarry 

As far as I'm aware, when you're creating your own custom connectors, it will always have to go by the gateway.