Finance, ERP and payments · data source guide
SAP data in Power BI
Connector status
Connector in Microsoft's list
- SAP HANA database
- SAP Business Warehouse Application Server
- SAP Business Warehouse Message Server
- SAP ERP (Preview)
Microsoft's index lists SAP HANA database (Excel, Power BI, Power Query Online), both SAP Business Warehouse connectors (Power BI, Power Query Online) and SAP ERP as Preview.
Checked against Microsoft Learn's Power Query connector list on 5 November 2026. Connectors change; check the list before you build.
How to get SAP data into Power BI
In order of preference for a report that refreshes on its own.
- 1
Prefer the curated layer
Connect to SAP BW queries or HANA calculation views that your SAP team maintains rather than ERP tables. They already carry business logic (currency conversion, hierarchies) that is hard to rebuild in Power BI.
- 2
SAP HANA: import or DirectQuery
Get data → SAP HANA database supports import and DirectQuery. DirectQuery keeps data in HANA and suits large volumes, at the cost of query latency on every interaction.
- 3
SAP BW: install the prerequisites
The SAP BW connectors need SAP's connector library on the machine running Desktop and on the gateway. Follow the prerequisites on each connector's reference page.
- 4
Plan the gateway
Most SAP systems are on-premises or in a private network, so scheduled refresh and DirectQuery in the Service go through an on-premises data gateway.
Typical SAP KPIs
Table and column names in the DAX are illustrative: rename them to match your model.
Revenue vs plan
Actual revenue from the finance query against plan version.
Rev vs Plan % = DIVIDE ( [Revenue Actual] - [Revenue Plan], [Revenue Plan] )Purchase price variance
Difference between standard and actual purchase price times quantity.
PPV = SUMX ( POLines, ( POLines[ActualPrice] - POLines[StandardPrice] ) * POLines[Qty] )On-time delivery (supplier)
Goods receipts on or before the promised date.
Supplier OTD = DIVIDE ( CALCULATE ( COUNTROWS ( GoodsReceipts ), GoodsReceipts[DaysLate] <= 0 ), COUNTROWS ( GoodsReceipts ) )Inventory value
Stock quantity times valuation price, by plant.
Inventory Value = SUMX ( Stock, Stock[Qty] * Stock[ValuationPrice] )Open purchase orders
Value of PO lines not yet received.
Open PO Value = CALCULATE ( SUM ( POLines[OpenValue] ), POLines[OpenValue] > 0 )Modelling notes for SAP
- Technical names (for example 0CALDAY) are hard to read; rename in Power Query or use the query's descriptions.
- Hierarchies from BW may arrive flattened; rebuild parent-child hierarchies carefully.
- Authorisations in SAP don't automatically become Power BI row-level security in import mode.
Templates for SAP data
Free page layouts with a background, theme JSON and PBIP project. Swap the sample tables for your own queries.
Finance template
CFO OverviewPower BI CFO dashboard template with revenue, EBITDA, cash and opex KPIs, a 13-week cash view, EBITDA bridge, P&L matrix and opex mix.
Finance template
Profit & Loss StatementPower BI P&L statement template: a full-height income statement matrix with actual, budget and prior year, margin KPIs and expense drivers.
Finance template
Budget vs ActualBudget vs actual Power BI template for cost-centre owners: actual, budget, variance and burn-rate KPIs, monthly combo chart and variance ranking.
Manufacturing template
Manufacturing OEEPower BI manufacturing OEE dashboard template: OEE, availability, performance and quality gauges, downtime Pareto, OEE by shift and scrap matrix.
Supply chain template
Supply Chain InventoryPower BI inventory dashboard template: inventory value, days of supply, stock-outs and fill rate KPIs, inventory vs demand, a category treemap and stock alerts.
Supply chain template
Logistics & DeliveryPower BI logistics dashboard template: on-time delivery, drops, cost per drop and damage KPIs, a delivery map, late deliveries by carrier and exceptions.
Power BI visuals for Supply Chain · Power BI visuals for Manufacturing · More by department: Finance templates · Supply chain templates · Manufacturing templates
Visuals for SAP KPIs
Chart types that suit these KPIs, with data shapes and example prompts.
Visual
Waterfall ChartRevenue walk: prior year → price → volume → mix → FX → current year; Budget reconciliation: budget → categorical variances → actual
Visual
Sankey DiagramCustomer journey: acquisition channel → onboarding step → conversion or churn; Budget cascade: total revenue → segment → cost bucket → net margin
Visual
Pareto ChartDefect category analysis (which defects cause 80% of complaints?); Cost concentration (which vendors account for 80% of spend?)
Visual
Bullet ChartExecutive KPI scorecards (5-10 KPIs in a grid); Sales attainment across reps or regions
SAP and Power BI: questions
Which SAP connector should I use?
SAP HANA database for HANA views, the SAP Business Warehouse connectors for BW queries. SAP ERP is listed as Preview; check its reference page before relying on it.
Do SAP connectors need a gateway?
For on-premises or privately networked SAP systems, yes: scheduled refresh and DirectQuery in the Service go through an on-premises data gateway.
Related data sources
Other sources teams often combine with this one.
No connector of its own in Microsoft's list
NetSuite in Power BINetSuite data in Power BI
Connector in Microsoft's list
Dynamics 365 in Power BIDynamics 365 data in Power BI via the Dataverse, Business Central and Customer Insights connectors
Connector in Microsoft's list
Azure SQL Database in Power BIAzure SQL Database in Power BI with the Azure SQL database connector
SAP is a trademark of its owner. Product names are used only to describe compatibility; VizForge is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the owner or by Microsoft.
Design the SAP report page first
Lay out KPI cards and visual slots in the free Design Studio, then export the background, theme JSON and a PBIP project to bind to your data.
The design studio for Power BI. Free, in your browser, no sign-up.