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Quickstart — from Zero to a Power BI Report

1 min read

Table of Contents

The shortest path from zero to a Power BI report fed by your HubSpot data. Four steps, each linked to its long-form guide if you want more detail.

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This guide assumes the connector is already installed in your HubSpot portal. If not, follow Installation Guide first.

Step 1 — Create an access token #

Power BI authenticates to your data source with HTTP Basic auth: your username plus a personal access token. Create one now so it’s ready for step 3.

  1. In the connector, open Access Tokens in the left nav.
  2. Click Create token. Give it a memorable label, for example Power BI Desktop — laptop.
  3. Optionally set an expiry date.
  4. Confirm. The token value is shown exactly once. Click Copy and save it somewhere safe (a password manager works).

Your new access token — copy now, won't show again

Full guide: Create an Access Token.

Step 2 — Create a data source #

A data source bundles a selection of HubSpot objects and properties into a single OData URL that Power BI can read.

  1. Open Data Sources in the connector’s left nav, then click Create data source.
  2. Give it a name (for example, Sales Pipeline) and an optional description.
  3. In the object tree, expand a HubSpot object (start simple — Deals is a good first pick) and tick the properties you want in your report.
  4. Optionally repeat for additional objects (Companies, Contacts) to build a multi-object data source.
  5. Click Save.

Create Data Source form — picking fields on a HubSpot object

Full guide: Create a Data Source.

Step 3 — Connect Power BI Desktop #

  1. Back on the Data Sources page, copy your new data source’s OData URL.
  2. Open Power BI Desktop. Select Get data → OData feed.
  3. Paste the URL. When prompted for credentials, choose Basic. Enter your connector username + the access token from step 1 as the password. Confirm.
  4. Power BI fetches the metadata, lists the tables it discovered, and loads them into the model.

Full guide: Connect Power BI Desktop.

Step 4 — Build your report #

From here it’s standard Power BI. Drag fields onto the canvas, build visuals, save the .pbix.

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Want to publish the report to the Power BI service and have it refresh on a schedule? See Schedule Refresh in Power BI Service. You’ll typically create a second access token labelled Power BI service refresh so you can revoke it independently of your laptop token.

What’s next #

  • Share the data source with teammates so they can build their own reports.
  • Filter the data source to limit rows by date, status, or any property.
  • Preview the rows before connecting Power BI — useful for sanity checks.