Skip to main content
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

We've captured the moments from FabCon & SQLCon that everyone is talking about, and we are bringing them to the community, live and on-demand. Starts on April 14th. Register now

Reply
KarenFingerhut
Responsive Resident
Responsive Resident

Multiple Servers and Adding Gateways

HI there

Can someone please answer this (probably very simple question)

I have 2 x SQL servers. I've added a gateway to the main one but the other one is new. In order for PBI to connect do I need to add a Gateway to the new one?

Many thanks

Karen

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Anonymous
Not applicable

Hi @KarenFingerhut ,

 

You would need to add a gateway for the new SQL server. Power BI uses the gateway to establish a connection to your on-premises data sources. Each SQL server that Power BI needs to connect to would require its own gateway1. This is because the gateway acts as a bridge, providing quick and secure data transfer between on-premises data (data that isn’t in the cloud) and the Power BI service.

You can follow these steps to add a gateway:

1.Install an on-premises data gateway on the same local computer as your SQL Server.
2.In Power BI Desktop, on the Home tab, select Get Data > SQL Server.
3.In the SQL Server database dialog box, enter the Server and Database (optional) names, and make sure the Data Connectivity mode is set to Import.
4.On the next screen, verify your credentials, and then select Connect.
Please note that in production environments, you typically use Windows authentication1. If authentication fails, make sure you selected the correct authentication method and used an account with database access.

 

Tutorial: Connect to on-premises data in SQL Server - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

How to connect SQL Server Tables in Power BI - Ohio Computer Academy

 

Best Regards,
Community Support Team _ Caitlyn

View solution in original post

2 REPLIES 2
Anonymous
Not applicable

Hi @KarenFingerhut ,

 

You would need to add a gateway for the new SQL server. Power BI uses the gateway to establish a connection to your on-premises data sources. Each SQL server that Power BI needs to connect to would require its own gateway1. This is because the gateway acts as a bridge, providing quick and secure data transfer between on-premises data (data that isn’t in the cloud) and the Power BI service.

You can follow these steps to add a gateway:

1.Install an on-premises data gateway on the same local computer as your SQL Server.
2.In Power BI Desktop, on the Home tab, select Get Data > SQL Server.
3.In the SQL Server database dialog box, enter the Server and Database (optional) names, and make sure the Data Connectivity mode is set to Import.
4.On the next screen, verify your credentials, and then select Connect.
Please note that in production environments, you typically use Windows authentication1. If authentication fails, make sure you selected the correct authentication method and used an account with database access.

 

Tutorial: Connect to on-premises data in SQL Server - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

How to connect SQL Server Tables in Power BI - Ohio Computer Academy

 

Best Regards,
Community Support Team _ Caitlyn

Hi @Anonymous  (Caitlyn)

Brilliant explanation, thanks very much 😊

Have a great weekend

Kind regards

Karen

Helpful resources

Announcements
New to Fabric survey Carousel

New to Fabric Survey

If you have recently started exploring Fabric, we'd love to hear how it's going. Your feedback can help with product improvements.

Power BI DataViz World Championships carousel

Power BI DataViz World Championships - June 2026

A new Power BI DataViz World Championship is coming this June! Don't miss out on submitting your entry.

Join our Fabric User Panel

Join our Fabric User Panel

Share feedback directly with Fabric product managers, participate in targeted research studies and influence the Fabric roadmap.

March Power BI Update Carousel

Power BI Community Update - March 2026

Check out the March 2026 Power BI update to learn about new features.