Power BI Connector for Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Build 24.0.9060

Creating the Data Source Name

This section describes how to edit the DSN configuration and then authenticate and connect to Microsoft Dynamics CRM APIs.

DSN Configuration

You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to edit the DSN configuration. Note that the installation process creates a both a user DSN and a system DSN, as described in Installing the Connector.

Note: The connector stores connection information in the Windows registry. To ensure that the connector can write to the registry, either run Power BI as an administrator or use a User DSN for your connection instead of a System DSN.

User DSN

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 Power BI Desktop installation (32-bit or 64-bit).
  3. Select the system data source and click Configure.
  4. Edit the information on the Connection tab and click OK.

System DSN

Configure the system DSN the same way as the user DSN, except you will need to switch to the System DSN tab before performing Step 3.

If you're using Power BI's On-Premises Data Gateway with Standard mode, you must use the system DSN.

You must also specify a valid location for OAuthSettingsLocation (a path where OAuth credentials are locally stored to avoid repeated OAuth prompts).

This is because the Standard mode runs on service mode and can only access permitted locations, such as C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\PBIEgwService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\On-premises data gateway.

Connecting to Microsoft Dynamics CRM

To connect, set the root URL of your organization.

Authenticating to Microsoft Dynamics CRM On-Premise

To authenticate to Microsoft Dynamics CRM On-Premise, set CRMVersion = CRM2011+.

NTLM

To use SPNEGO over NTLM authentication on a CRM On-Premise deployment, set these parameters:

  • AuthScheme: NTLM.
  • User: The user's login Id.
  • Password: The user's login password.

Example NTLM connection string: 

AuthScheme=NTLM;Url='https://myOrg.crm.dynamics.com/';User=username;Password=password;CRM Version='CRM2011+'

Kerberos

To use SPNEGO over Kerberos authentication on a CRM On-Premise deployment, set these parameters:

  • AuthScheme: Kerberos.
  • User: The user's login Id.
  • Password: The user's login password.

Example Kerberos connection string: 

AuthScheme=Kerberos;Url='https://myOrg.crm.dynamics.com/';User=username;Password=password;CRM Version='CRM2011+'

Internet-Facing Deployments (IFDs)

To authenticate via an IFD, set InternetFacingDeployment to true.

Example IFD connection string: 

AuthScheme=NTLM;Url='https://myOrg.com/';User=username;Password=password;InternetFacingDeployment=True;CRM Version='CRM2011+'

Authenticating to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

You can authenticate to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online via either Azure AD (for user-based authentication) or Azure Service Principal (for Service Principal-based authentication).

To authenticate to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, set CRMVersion = CRMOnline.

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.

Authentication to Azure AD over a Web application always requires the creation of a custom OAuth application. For details, see Creating an Azure AD Application.

Desktop Applications

CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies connection to Azure AD from a Desktop application.

You can also authenticate from a desktop application using a custom OAuth application. (For further information, see Creating an Azure AD Application.) To authenticate via Azure AD, set these parameters:

  • AuthScheme: AzureAD.

  • Custom 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 you defined when you registered your custom OAuth application.

When you connect, the connector opens Microsoft Dynamics CRM's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application.

The connector completes the OAuth process, obtaining an access token from Microsoft Dynamics CRM and using it to request data. The OAuth values are saved in the path specified in OAuthSettingsLocation. These values persist across connections.

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

Headless Machines

To configure the driver with a user account 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 below in Option 1: Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code.
  • Install the connector on another machine as described below in Option 2: Transfer OAuth Settings. After you authenticate via the usual browser-based flow, transfer the OAuth authentication values.

Option 1: Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code

  1. Find the authorization endpoint.

    Custom applications only: Set these properties to create the Authorization URL:

    • OAuthClientId: The client Id assigned when you registered your application.
    • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret assigned when you registered your application.

    Custom and embedded applications: Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationUrl stored procedure.

    1. Open the URL returned by the stored procedure in a browser.
    2. Log in and grant permissions to the connector. You are redirected to the callback URL, which contains the verifier code.
    3. Save the value of the verifier code. You will use this later to set the OAuthVerifier connection property.

  2. Exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens.

    At the headless machine, set these properties:

    • AuthScheme: AzureAD.
    • OAuthVerifier: The verifier code.
    • OAuthSettingsLocation: The location of the file that holds the OAuth token values that persist across connections.

    • Custom applications only:

      • OAuthClientId: The client Id in your custom OAuth application settings.
      • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret in the custom OAuth application settings.

  3. After the OAuth settings file is generated, reset the following properties to connect:

    • OAuthSettingsLocation: The location containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this location grants read and write permissions to the connector 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.

Option 2: Transfer OAuth Settings

Before you can connect via 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 above, in Desktop Applications.

After you complete 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.

At the headless machine, set these properties:

  • AuthScheme: AzureAD.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: The location of your OAuth settings file. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the connector 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

Service principals are security objects within an Azure AD application that define what that application can do within a particular Azure AD tenant. Service Principals are created in the Azure service portal. As part of the creation process we also specify whether the service principal will access Azure AD resources via a client secret or a certificate.

Instead of being tied to a particular user, service principal permissions are based on the roles assigned to them. The application access to the resources is controlled through the assigned roles' permissions.

When authenticating using an Azure Service Principal, you must register an application with an Azure AD tenant, as described in Creating an Azure AD Application with Service Principal.

You are ready to connect after setting the properties described in this subsection. These vary, depending on whether you will authenticate via a client secret or a certificate.

Authentication with Client Secret

  • AuthScheme: AzureServicePrincipal.
  • AzureTenant: The Azure AD tenant to which you wish to connect.
  • OAuthGrantType: CLIENT.
  • OAuthClientId: The client Id in your application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: The client secret in your application settings.

Authentication with Certificate

  • AuthScheme: AzureServicePrincipalCert.
  • AzureTenant: The Azure AD tenant to which you wish to connect.
  • OAuthGrantType: CLIENT.
  • OAuthClientId: The client Id in your application settings.
  • OAuthJWTCert: The JWT Certificate store.
  • OAuthJWTCertType: The JWT Certificate store type.

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Build 24.0.9060