The data visualization process in OBIEE and Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC) is cumbersome. Hence, many organizations are using modern visualization tools such as Power BI to complement OBIEE’s data visualization limitations.

Organizations using OBIEE adopt a bimodal analytics approach for successfully leveraging the best of both worlds – OBIEE and Power BI. Hence, the need to connect Power BI to OBIEE comes into the picture. However, OBIEE being a Business Intelligence platform in itself is quite complicated when used as a data source in Power BI.

In this blog post, we’ll go through the 5 important requirements for connecting Power BI to OBIEE, to help you navigate the complications in Power BI to OBIEE integration successfully.

Here we go!

Ability to connect to both Subject Areas and Reports

The Subject Areas in OBIEE are created by connecting to numerous data sources in the physical layer and organizing the data for analysis in the business logic layer. Hence, you must be able to connect to the subject areas, rather than the data sources in the physical layer.

It is also important to have the ability to use OBIEE reports as a data source in Power BI, as this equips the stakeholders to narrow down to the filtered data they need for visualization without any additional efforts.

Reusability of existing relationships and aggregations in OBIEE

The next critical requirement is the retainment of existing relationships and aggregations in OBIEE. Meeting this requirement saves enormous amounts of time and money, as it helps eliminate the need to redevelop relationships and measures in the Power BI end from scratch.

Work seamlessly in both Import and Direct Query modes

Power BI folks know the importance of this requirement. Based on the users’ needs, the connector must have the ability to import data from OBIEE or to establish direct connectivity.

It is also equally important to educate the users about Power BI best practice – to use import for slower queries and to go for Direct Query when the queries get executed fast in the data source.

Flexible to use across different Power BI editions as-needed

Apart from Power BI Desktop, the connector must also work seamlessly with other Power BI editions (Power BI Service, Report Server) as well based on the organization’s need.

The additional requirements such as scheduled refresh based on user needs also must be taken into account.

Power BI and OBIEE versions compatibility

Last but not least! Most organizations use OBIEE 12c today, while quite a few still use 11g. The users also switch to the latest version of Power BI frequently, as Power BI releases new versions every month. Hence, the connector needs to work in the versions of Power BI and OBIEE that you use. This must-have will ensure that upgrades do not become a show-stopper for the connector.

If you’d like to know more about Power BI to OBIEE integration, here’s our eBook about Modernizing OBIEE with Power BI.