Create a connection to a data model for Power View

An Excel 2013 workbook in a Power Pivot Gallery

• Click Create Power View Report..

An Excel 2013 workbook in a Shared Documents library

You need either:

• A shared data source (RSDS) connection file.

• A BI Semantic Model Connection to a Power Pivot Workbook.

A tabular model on an SSAS server

You need either:

• A shared data source (RSDS) connection file.

• A BI Semantic Model (BISM) Connection to a Tabular Model Database.

A multidimensional model on an SSAS server

You need:

• A shared data source (RSDS) connection file.

Either an RSDS or BISM connection file will work to connect to an Excel Data Model or a tabular model. BISM files were designed specifically for connecting to Excel workbooks and SSAS tabular models. RSDS files can connect to many different data sources, but Power View only supports Microsoft BI Semantic Model for Power View data sources. The advantage of RSDS connection files is that you can specify credentials.

To create RSDS and BISM connection files, you need Add Items permissions for the library where you want to store the connection file on the SharePoint site.

After you create the connection file, SharePoint users can create Power View reports based on the model the connection file links to. Read about creating, saving, and printing Power View in SharePoint reports.

In this article

• Create a shared data source (RSDS file)

• Create a BISM connection file

Create a shared data source (RSDS file)

You can create shared data sources on a SharePoint site with SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services (SSRS) SharePoint mode.

1. In a SharePoint Server document library, click the Documents tab > New Document >Report Data Source.

   Note: If Report Data Source isn’t on the New Document menu, the report data source content type isn’t enabled. The SharePoint site administrator needs to Add Report Server Content Types to a Library (Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated Mode).

2. In Name, enter a descriptive name for the RSDS file.

3. In Data Source Type, select Microsoft BI Semantic Model for Power View.

4. In Connection String, specify a pointer to the data source and any other settings that are necessary for establishing a connection to the external data source. How you connect to a data model depends on how it is published or deployed. Here are examples for:

5. An Excel workbook in Shared Documents on a SharePoint site with the SQL Server 2012 SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services (SSRS) add-in—for example:

   Data Source=”http://<SharePointSite>/Shared Documents/MyExcelWorkbook.xlsx”

   Note: In SharePoint 2013, if the report and workbook are in the same farm, then you don’t need the Power Pivot for SharePoint add-in. If they’re in different farms, then you still need the add-in in the farm hosting the workbook.

6. An Excel workbook in the Power Pivot Gallery on a SharePoint site with SQL Server 2012 Power Pivot for SharePoint and SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services (SSRS) add-ins—for example:

   Data Source=”http://<SharePointSite>/ Power Pivot Gallery/MyExcelWorkbook.xlsx”

7. A tabular model deployed to a SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services (SSAS) instance on a server—for example:

   Data Source=ServerName\InstanceName; Initial Catalog=TabularModelName

   Note: For a default instance, you can leave out “\InstanceName”.

8. A multidimensional model on an SSAS server—for example:

   Data Source=ServerName\InstanceName; Initial Catalog=MultidimensionalModelName;cube=’ModelName’

9. In Credentials, specify how the report server obtains credentials to access the external data source. For Power View, credentials need to be stored or integrated. Read Credential and Connection Information for Report Data Sources.

10. Click Test Connection to validate the data source configuration.

11. Click OK to create the shared data source.

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Create a BISM connection file

You can create Business Intelligence Semantic Model (BISM) connection files on a SharePoint site configured with the SQL Server 2012 Power Pivot for SharePoint add-in. BISM connection files can connect to Excel workbooks or SSAS tabular models.

• Create a BI Semantic Model Connection to a Power Pivot Workbook

• Create a BI Semantic Model Connection to a Tabular Model Database

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