The document discusses real-time integration of Power BI with applications using various methods such as the Power BI API, Event Hubs, and Stream Analytics. It explains how to create near real-time dashboards and manage data programmatically through REST APIs, as well as the Lambda architecture for handling both real-time and batch analytics. Additionally, it covers authentication requirements through Azure Active Directory to enable seamless integration of Power BI in applications.

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Real-Time PowerBI:
API, Events, Hubs and Streams
Davide Mauri
dmauri@solidq.com
@mauridb
12.12.2015

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Thank you to our AWESOME sponsors!

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Davide Mauri
 Microsoft SQL Server MVP
 Works with SQL Server from 6.5, on BI from 2003
 Specialized in Data Solution Architecture, Database
Design, Performance Tuning, High-Performance Data
Warehousing, BI, Big Data
 President of UGISS (Italian SQL Server UG)
 Regular Speaker @ SQL Server events
 Consulting & Training, Mentor @ SolidQ
 E-mail: dmauri@solidq.com
 Twitter: @mauridb
 Blog: http://sqlblog.com/blogs/davide_mauri/default.aspx

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PowerBI
 You all know what is that, right?

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What about REAL TIME dashboards?
Two possible ways:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/mt267603.aspx

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First Option: PowerBI API

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Power BI API Workflow
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn877544.aspx

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Power BI & Your App
 As many (all?) other Microsoft product, Power BI is a
also (mainly?) platform
 Rich set of REST API
 REST: REpresentational State Transfer (REST)
 http://www.restapitutorial.com/lessons/whatisrest.html
 Allows to interact and manage almost all Power BI
objects
 Allows the creation of automatic updated (near) real-
time dashboard

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Power BI & Your App
 What you can do via Power BI REST API?
 Get and create Datasets.
 Get Tables and update Table schema.
 Add Rows and Delete Rows.
 Get Groups.
 Create Import, Get Imports, Get Import from GUID, and Get
Import by File Path.
 Dashboard operations: Get Dashboards and Get Tiles.
 Power BI REST API Limitations / Throttling
 https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/dn950053.aspx

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Power BI & Your App
 Authentication needed
 Azure Active Directory
 Via OAuth2
 Full interactive documentation of Power BI REST
API available here:
 http://docs.powerbi.apiary.io/

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Demo
apiary.io

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Integrate Power BI With Your App
 Create a user account using Azure AD
 Add a new Application from the Azure
Management Portal
 https://manage.windowsazure.com
 Allow Application to access Power BI
 Grant Application Delegated Permissions
 Get Client ID

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Integrate Power BI With Your App
 Authenticate against Azure AD
 Use Microsoft.IdentityModel.Clients.ActiveDirectory Library
 From NuGet. Latest version as of today: 2.19.208020213
 Get the token
 New or Refreshed one
 Call the desired REST API specifying the Bearer Token
in the Header
 Receive the JSON answer
 JSON.NET strongly recommended 

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Demo
PowerBI Client Console

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Integration via Event Hub and Stream Analytics
 Event hubs allows to ingest *a lot* of events
 Up to millions per second
 Again, REST API
 Assembly with Object Model available on GitHub
 WindowsAzure.ServiceBus (as of today: 3.0.9)
 API for Sending events
 But also for managing Event Hubs

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Demo
Event Hubs Client Console

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Second Option: Streaming Data

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Lambda Architecture
 Fits in the lambda architecture vision
 Real time and “batch” analytics
 http://lambda-architecture.net/

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Integration via Event Hub and Stream Analytics
 Azure Stream Analytics allows you to execute
streaming queries
 Like StreamInsight or Apache Storm
 Inputs and Outputs has to ben defined
 Streaming or Reference Data supported
 Can use Event hubs as a Streaming Source

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Integration via Event Hub and Stream Analytics
 Use Streaming SQL to
 Transform/Aggregate Streaming data
 Send results to an output
 One of the output can be PowerBI
 This enables the creation of Real-Time Dashboard
 That are automatically refreshed

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Demo
Power BI & Stream Analytics

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Third Option: PowerBI DirectQuery

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Non-Streamed Data
 Another option is Azure SQL/DW + PowerBI with
Direct Query
 Stream Analytics will output to an Azure SQL Database
 100% Lambda Architecture
 Merging can be done via Views or via Power Query
 No Streaming so no automatic chart updates
 You don’t need to refresh data, since we’re using Direct
Query

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Questions?

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Thanks!!!