Edit

Share via

Azure Synapse Analytics (SQL DW)

  • Article

Summary

Item Description
Release State General Availability
Products Excel
Power BI (Semantic models)
Power BI (Dataflows)
Fabric (Dataflow Gen2)
Power Apps (Dataflows)
Dynamics 365 Customer Insights
Analysis Services
Authentication Types Supported Database (Power BI Desktop, Excel)
Microsoft Account (all)
Basic (online service)
Service principal
Function Reference Documentation Sql.Database
Sql.Databases

Note

The service principal authentication type isn't supported when using an on-premises data gateway or a virtual network (VNet) data gateway.

Note

Some capabilities may be present in one product but not others due to deployment schedules and host-specific capabilities.

Capabilities Supported

  • Import
  • DirectQuery (Power BI semantic models)
  • Advanced options
    • Command timeout in minutes
    • Native SQL statement
    • Relationship columns
    • Navigate using full hierarchy
    • SQL Server failover support
    • Enable cross database folding

Connect to Azure Synapse Analytics (SQL DW) from Power Query Desktop

To make the connection from Power Query Desktop:

  1. Select the Azure Synapse Analytics SQL option in the connector selection.

  2. In the SQL Server database dialog that appears, provide the name of the server and database (optional). In this example, TestAzureSQLServer is the server name and AdventureWorks2012 is the database.

    Screenshot of the SQL Server database dialog where you enter Azure Synapse Analytics (SQL DW) connection.

  3. Select either the Import or DirectQuery data connectivity mode.

    You can also select and enter advanced options that modify the connection query, such as a command timeout or a native query (SQL statement). More information: Connect using advanced options

  4. Select OK.

  5. If you're connecting to this database for the first time, select the authentication type, input your credentials, and select the level to apply the authentication settings to. Then select Connect.

    Screenshot of the authentication dialog for Azure Synapse Analytics (SQL DW) authentication.

    Note

    Although the Windows authentication type is displayed, Azure Synapse Analytics SQL doesn't support the Windows authentication type. Use either the Database or the Microsoft account authentication types.

    For more information about authentication methods, go to Authentication with a data source.

  6. In Navigator, select the database information you want, then either select Load to load the data or Transform Data to continue transforming the data in Power Query Editor.

Connect to Azure Synapse Analytics (SQL DW) from Power Query Online

To make the connection from Power Query Online:

  1. Select the Azure Synapse Analytics (SQL DW) option in the connector selection.

  2. In the Azure Synapse Analytics (SQL DW) dialog that appears, provide the name of the server and database (optional). In this example, testazuresqlserver is the server name and AdventureWorks2012 is the database.

    Screenshot of the Connect to data source page where you enter the online connection information.

    You can also select and enter advanced options that modify the connection query, such as a command timeout or a native query (SQL statement). More information: Connect using advanced options

  3. If you're connecting to this database for the first time, select the authentication kind and input your credentials.

  4. Select Next to continue.

  5. In Navigator, select the data you require, and then select Transform data.

Connect using advanced options

Both Power Query Desktop and Power Query Online provide a set of advanced options that you can add to your query if needed.

Screenshot of the advanced options available for the connector in Power Query.

The following table lists all of the advanced options you can set in Power Query Desktop and Power Query Online.

Advanced option Description
Command timeout in minutes If your connection lasts longer than 10 minutes (the default timeout), you can enter another value in minutes to keep the connection open longer.
SQL statement For information, go to Import data from a database using native database query.
Include relationship columns If checked, includes columns that might have relationships to other tables. If this box is cleared, you don’t see those columns.
Navigate using full hierarchy If checked, the navigator displays the complete hierarchy of tables in the database you're connecting to. If cleared, the navigator displays only the tables whose columns and rows contain data.
Enable SQL Server Failover support If checked, when a node in the Azure SQL failover group isn't available, Power Query moves from that node to another when failover occurs. If cleared, no failover occurs.
Enable cross database folding This option is only available in Power Query Online.

Once you select the advanced options you require, select OK in Power Query Desktop or Next in Power Query Online to connect to Azure Synapse Analytics.

Troubleshooting

Always Encrypted columns

Power Query doesn't support 'Always Encrypted' columns.