Connecting Power BI to Databricks via DirectQuery allows you to create reports and dashboards that directly query the Databricks data warehouse without importing the data into Power BI. This ensures that your reports always reflect the latest data in Databricks.

How to Connect Power BI to Databricks with DirectQuery

1. Partner Connect (Recommended):
   • In Power BI Desktop, click the “Partner Connect” button.
   • Choose the Databricks tile.
   • Select your Databricks compute resource and download the connection file.
   • Open the connection file in Power BI Desktop and enter your credentials (Personal Access Token or Microsoft Entra ID).
2. Manual Connection:
   • In Power BI Desktop, click “Get Data” and search for “Databricks.”
   • Choose the “Azure Databricks” connector.
   • Enter your Databricks Server Hostname and HTTP Path (found in Databricks settings).
   • Select “DirectQuery” as the Data Connectivity mode.
   • Enter your credentials.

Important Considerations for Using DirectQuery

• Performance: DirectQuery can be slower than import mode, especially for large datasets or complex queries. Optimize your Databricks tables and queries for performance.
• Data Refresh: Data in Power BI reports using DirectQuery is not refreshed automatically. You can schedule refreshes in Power BI Service or use automatic page refresh for near real-time updates.
• Limitations: Some Power BI features, such as calculated tables and certain transformations, may not be available or have limited functionality when using DirectQuery.

Additional Tips

• Native Query: Consider using the native query feature in the Databricks connector for more flexibility in writing SQL queries.
• Delta Live Tables: If you use Delta Live Tables in Databricks, you can leverage them for real-time streaming analytics in Power BI.