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Switch SQL Server data sources in Power BI

This is a handy trick for switching between the SQL Server instances and databases that a Power BI file is connected to & is particularly useful if, like myself, you develop and/or test against one environment & then want to connect the final Power BI file to the production database.

Once the Power BI development is complete & it’s time to switch to the production database (or back to development/test for redevelopment & bug fixing), follow the below steps. Bear in mind that the schema must be the same on the development/test & production environments for the views &/or tables referenced by your Power BI file, & you must have appropriate permissions on both environments.

  1. In the Power BI Desktop Home menu, click Transform Data to open the Power Query Editor.

2. In the Power Query Home menu, click Data Source Settings to open a pop-up window.

3. Choose “Data sources in current file”, highlight the relevant data source & click Change Source.

4. In the SQL Server Database pop-up window, update the connection details by typing in the Server & Database fields. Click Ok.

5. In the Data Source Settings pop-up window, you’ll see that the data source name has been updated. Click Close.

6. In the Power Query Editor Home menu, click Refresh All to refresh the preview.

7. Click Close & Apply to apply the change to the Power BI file. The query changes will apply automatically.

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