Using the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator

You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to edit the DSN configuration. Note that the DSN is created during the installation process.

Complete the following steps to edit the DSN configuration:

1. Select Start > Search, and enter ODBC Data Sources in the Search box.
2. Choose the version of the ODBC Administrator that corresponds to the bitness of your application (32-bit or 64-bit).
3. Click the System DSN tab.
4. Select the system data source and click Configure.
5. Edit the information on the Connection tab and click OK.

Note: For .NET Framework 4.0, the driver distributes Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable. For .NET Framework 3.5, the driver distributes Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable.

Ensuring Registry Access

The driver stores connection information in the Windows registry. To ensure that the driver can write to the registry, perform either of the following actions:

1. Run the calling application as an administrator.
2. Connect via a User DSN instead of a System DSN.

Connecting to Microsoft Power BI XMLA

To connect, set the Workspace property to a valid PowerBIXMLA workspace (ex: CData).

Authenticating to Microsoft Power BI XMLA

Azure AD

Azure AD is Microsoft’s multi-tenant, cloud-based directory and identity management service. It is user-based authentication that requires that you set AuthScheme to AzureAD.

Desktop Applications

CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies authentication at the desktop.

Before you connect, set the following variables:

• InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH. Used to automatically get and refresh the OAuthAccessToken. CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies authentication at the desktop; that is, in situations where the user is using a local server not connected to the internet.

  You can also authenticate from the desktop via a custom OAuth application, which you configure and register at the Microsoft Power BI XMLA console. For further information, see Creating a Custom OAuth App.

• Custom Azure AD applications only:
  • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
  • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your custom OAuth application.
  • CallbackURL: The redirect URI defined when you registered your custom OAuth application.

When you connect, the driver opens the Microsoft Power BI XMLA's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application.

When the access token expires, the driver refreshes it automatically.

Headless Machines

If you need to log in to a resource that resides on a headless machine, you must authenticate on another device that has an internet browser. You can do this in either of the following ways:

• Obtain the OAuthVerifier value as described in Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code, below.
• Install the driver on another machine and transfer the OAuth authentication values after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow.

After you execute either of these options, configure the driver to automatically refresh the access token on the headless machine.

Obtaining and Exchanging a Verifier Code

To obtain a verifier code, you must authenticate at the OAuth authorization URL from a machine with an internet browser, and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

1. Choose one of these options:
   • If you are using the Embedded OAuth Application, click Microsoft Power BI XMLA OAuth endpoint to open the endpoint in your browser.
   • If you are using a custom OAuth application, set the following properties to create the Authorization URL:
     • InitiateOAuth: OFF.
     • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your application.
     • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your application.
     After the Authorization URL is established, call the GetOAuthAuthorizationUrl stored procedure with the appropriate CallbackURL. Open the URL returned by the stored procedure in a browser.

2. Log in and grant permissions to the driver. You are redirected to the callback URL, which contains the verifier code.
3. Save the value of the verifier code. Later you will set this in the OAuthVerifier connection property.

Next, exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens.

To obtain the OAuth authentication values, set these properties:

• InitiateOAuth: REFRESH.
• OAuthVerifier: The verifier code.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: The location of the file where the driver saves the OAuth token values that persist across connections.
• Custom applications only:
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client Id in your custom OAuth application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret in the custom OAuth application settings.

After the OAuth settings file is generated, re-set the following properties to connect:

• InitiateOAuth: REFRESH.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: The location containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this location grants read and write permissions to the driver to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
• Custom applications only:
  • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your application.
  • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your application.

Transferring OAuth Settings

Prior to connecting on a headless machine, you must create and install a connection with the driver on a device that supports an internet browser. Set the connection properties as described in "Desktop Applications" above.

After completing the instructions in "Desktop Applications", the resulting authentication values are encrypted and written to the location specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. The default filename is OAuthSettings.txt.

Once you have successfully tested the connection, copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine.

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to connect to data:

• InitiateOAuth: REFRESH.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: The location of your OAuth settings file. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the driver to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
• Custom applications only:
  • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your application.
  • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your application.

Azure Service Principal

Azure Service Principal is role-based application-based authentication. This means that authentication is done per application, rather than per user. All tasks taken by the app are done without a default user context, but based on the assigned roles. The application access to the resources is controlled through the assigned roles' permissions.

To use Azure Service Principal authentication, you must:

• Set up the ability to assign a role to the authentication application. To do this, create a custom OAuth AD application, as described in Creating a Custom OAuth App.
• Register an application with an Azure AD tenant, to create a new service principal that can be used with the role-based access control, to access resources in your subscription.

Do the following:

1. Create a custom Azure AD application, as described in Creating a Custom OAuth App.
2. Assign a role to the application:
   1. Use the search bar to search for the Subscriptions service.
   2. Open the Subscriptions page.
   3. Select the subscription to which to assign the application.
   4. Open the Access control (IAM).
   5. Select Add > Add role assignment. Microsoft Power BI XMLA opens the Add role assignment page.
   6. Assign your custom Azure AD application the role of Owner.

Admin Consent

Admin consent occurs when the Admin for an Azure Active Directory tenant grants permissions to a custom application that explicitly requires an admin to consent to the use case.

When creating a new Azure AD application in the Azure Portal, you must specify which permissions the application requires. Some permissions may be marked as "Admin Consent Required". For example, all Groups permissions require Admin Consent. If your application requires admin consent, there are two ways you can do this.

The easiest way to grant admin consent is to have an admin log into portal.azure.com and navigate to the application you have created in App Registrations. Under API Permissions, click Grant Consent. This gives your application permissions on the tenant under which it was created.

If your organization has multiple tenants or you must grant application permissions for other tenants outside your organization, use the GetAdminConsentURL stored procedure to generate the Admin Authorization URL. Unlike the GetOAuthAuthorizationUrl stored procedure, no important information is returned from this endpoint. Rather, after the OAuth application is successfully authorized, it returns a Boolean indicating that permissions have been granted.

After the administrator has approved the OAuth Application, you can continue to authenticate.

Client Credentials

Client credentials refers to a flow in OAuth where there is no direct user authentication taking place. Instead, credentials are created for just the application itself. All tasks taken by the application are done without a default user context. This makes the authentication flow a bit different from the standard flow.

All permissions related to the client OAuth flow require admin consent. This means you cannot use the application embedded with the CData ODBC Driver for Microsoft Power BI XMLA in the client OAuth flow. You must create your own OAuth application to use client credentials. See Creating a Custom OAuth App for more information.

In your App Registration in portal.azure.com, navigate to API Permissions and select the Microsoft Graph permissions. There are two distinct sets of permissions: Delegated permissions and Application permissions. The permissions used during client credential authentication are under "Application Permissions".

Select the permissions you require for your integration. After you do this, set the following connection properties:

• AuthScheme: AzureServicePrincipal.
• InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
• AzureTenant: The tenant you wish to connect to.
• OAuthGrantType: CLIENT.
• OAuthClientId: The client Id in your application settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: The client secret in your application settings.

Authentication with client credentials takes place automatically like any other connection, except there is no window opened prompting the user. Because there is no user context, there is no need for a browser popup. Connections will take place and be handled internally.

Auth Certificate

Auth Certificate refers to an OAuth flow that uses a certificate to enable server-to-server authentication. All permissions related to the client OAuth flow require admin consent. This means you cannot use the application embedded with the CData ODBC Driver for Microsoft Power BI XMLA in the client OAuth flow. You must create your own OAuth application to use an OAuth certificate. See Creating a Custom OAuth App for more information.

In your App Registration in portal.azure.com, navigate to API Permissions and select the client Graph permissions. There are two distinct sets of permissions: Delegated permissions and Application permissions. The permissions used during certificate authentication are under "Application Permissions".

Select the permissions that apply to your particular integration. After you do this, set the following connection properties:

• AuthScheme: AzureServicePrincipalCert.
• AzureTenant: The tenant to which you need to connect.
• OAuthJWTCert: The JWT Certificate store.
• OAuthJWTIssuer: The OAuth client Id.
• OAuthJWTCertType: The type of the certificate store specified by OAuthJWTCert.

Certificate authentication takes place automatically. Since there is no user context, there is no pop-up to signal the point at which authentication occurs. Connections are made and handled internally.