Connecting BI Tools: Power BI, Tableau, and Looker
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Architecture / Concept Overview: Connecting BI Tools: Power BI, Tableau, and Looker
BI tools connect to Databricks SQL warehouses over JDBC/ODBC or platform-specific connectors. Every query passes through Unity Catalog for governance before hitting the Photon engine.
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flowchart LR
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classDef ingestion fill:#5A4B36,stroke:#C9A86B,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef processing fill:#535072,stroke:#8E82B4,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef storage fill:#2E4A4A,stroke:#5FAFA8,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef serving fill:#3D5550,stroke:#6BB7AA,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef governance fill:#5A3F52,stroke:#C28BB0,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
PBI[Power BI] -->|Databricks Connector| WH[SQL Warehouse]
TAB[Tableau] -->|Databricks JDBC| WH
LOOK[Looker] -->|Databricks Dialect| WH
WH --> UC[Unity Catalog]
UC --> DELTA[Delta Lake]
PBI:::serving
TAB:::serving
LOOK:::serving
WH:::processing
UC:::governance
DELTA:::storage
*Figure 1 — BI tools connect to SQL warehouses via native connectors, with Unity Catalog enforcing governance on every query.*
Partner Connect provides a one-click onboarding path for supported BI platforms.
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graph TD
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classDef processing fill:#535072,stroke:#8E82B4,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef storage fill:#2E4A4A,stroke:#5FAFA8,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef serving fill:#3D5550,stroke:#6BB7AA,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
classDef governance fill:#5A3F52,stroke:#C28BB0,stroke-width:2px,rx:8,ry:8,color:#E0E6ED
PC[Partner Connect] --> PBI[Power BI<br/>Native connector + DirectQuery]
PC --> TAB[Tableau<br/>Published datasource]
PC --> LOOK[Looker<br/>Connection + LookML project]
PC --> AUTO[Automated Setup<br/>Service principal · SQL warehouse · Permissions]
PC:::governance
PBI:::serving
TAB:::serving
LOOK:::serving
AUTO:::processing
*Figure 2 — Partner Connect automates service principal creation, warehouse assignment, and initial connection configuration.*
Key Terms
Prerequisites and Setup
- A running SQL warehouse (serverless recommended for low-latency BI queries)
- Connection details: server hostname, HTTP path, and port (443)
- Authentication method: personal access token (PAT), OAuth, or service principal
- BI tool installed (Power BI Desktop, Tableau Desktop, or Looker instance)
Step-by-Step Implementation
Configuration Reference
| Setting | Power BI | Tableau | Looker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connector | Native Databricks | Built-in Databricks | Databricks dialect |
| Auth methods | PAT, Azure AD OAuth | PAT, OAuth | PAT, OAuth |
| Query mode | DirectQuery or Import | Live or Extract | Always live |
| Catalog support | Yes (Unity Catalog) | Yes | Yes |
| Partner Connect | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connection pooling | Managed by PBI Service | Managed by Tableau Server | Configurable in Admin |