In this Power BI training course by G Com Solutions, we will focus on connecting Power BI to Microsoft SQL Server using both DirectQuery and Import modes.

This hands-on course is aimed at beginner and intermediate users of Power BI, especially those with limited prior experience of working with SQL Server. All the materials used in these video tutorials can be downloaded, so that you can follow along as you watch. And during the course, you will get practice on connecting to both the on-premises and cloud-based versions of SQL Server.

The course starts with a walk through of installing the required software and exercise files and an overview of connecting to SQL Server databases.

We then discuss different strategies for connecting to data held in SQL Server databases: connecting to SQL views, executing SQL commands from within Power BI, as well using Power BI’s relationship columns feature to navigate and collate relational database tables.

We also compare the experience of importing data with that of working in DirectQuery mode and the different roles played by on-premises data gateways in each of those modes.

In addition, we will look at creating a live connection to an Analysis Services cube, parameterizing your SQL Server connections to facilitate switching from a testing to a production server, as well as the use of dataflows to centralize your data connection and data cleansing operations.