Paxata
Power BI is a powerful business analytics tool that helps users visualize and analyze data from a variety of sources. One of those sources is Paxata, a data preparation platform that enables users to transform and clean data before it’s loaded into Power BI. In order to connect to Paxata from inside Power BI, users need to use Power Query M Language code.
What is Power Query M Language?
Power Query M Language is a programming language used in Power BI to create custom data transformations. It allows users to combine data from different sources, transform it using functions, and load it into Power BI for analysis. Power Query M Language is a flexible and powerful tool that enables users to create complex data transformations, and it’s essential for connecting to Paxata.
Connecting to Paxata from Inside Power BI
To connect to Paxata from inside Power BI, users need to use the Power Query M Language code. This code tells Power BI where to find the Paxata data source and how to authenticate the user. Here’s an example of the code:
let
url = "https://Paxata.com/api/1.0/",
token = "
headers = [
#"Authorization" = "Bearer " & token
],
options = [
Headers = headers
],
source = Json.Document(Web.Contents(url & "files", options)),
files = source[files]
in
files
This code creates a connection to the Paxata API using the user’s authentication token. It then retrieves a list of all the files in the user’s Paxata account and loads them into Power BI. Users can modify this code to retrieve specific files or apply transformations to the data before it’s loaded into Power BI.
Using the Paxata Connector in Power BI
In addition to using Power Query M Language code, Power BI users can also use the Paxata connector to connect to Paxata from inside Power BI. The Paxata connector is a pre-built connector that simplifies the process of connecting to Paxata, and it automatically generates the Power Query M Language code for the user.
To use the Paxata connector, users need to follow these steps:
1. Open Power BI and navigate to the “Home” tab.
2. Click on “Get Data” and select “More…”
3. Search for “Paxata” in the search bar and select the “Paxata” connector.
4. Enter your Paxata API endpoint URL and authentication token.
5. Select the data you want to retrieve from Paxata and click “Load.”
The Paxata connector automatically generates the Power Query M Language code and retrieves the data from Paxata. Users can modify the code as needed to apply custom transformations or retrieve specific data.
Conclusion
Connecting to Paxata from inside Power BI requires the use of Power Query M Language code. Users can either write the code themselves or use the Paxata connector to generate the code automatically. By connecting to Paxata, users can transform and clean their data before analyzing it in Power BI, which can lead to more accurate insights and better decision-making.
