How to Install Power BI Connector for Salesforce

Power BI Connector for Salesforce is distributed through the Salesforce AppExchange. This page walks through installing the app into your Salesforce org. After installation, you’ll be prompted to choose how to authorize the connector — that’s covered at the bottom under Choose a setup path.

Before you start #

• You need Salesforce administrator credentials for the org where you’re installing.
• For non-production testing, install into a sandbox first — see Sandbox or production org? below.

Sandbox or production org? #

Power BI Connector for Salesforce installs into one Salesforce org at a time, and everything it creates stays inside that org: the authorization, data sources, access tokens and history are all stored as records in the org where it runs. A sandbox install and a production install are therefore two independent copies of the connector. Nothing is shared or synced between them.

Choose where to install #

• Sandbox — test the connector against your own objects, fields, sharing rules and sandbox data before touching production. On the AppExchange listing choose Get It Now → Install in Sandbox, or Try It → Try in your sandbox. Sign in to the sandbox (not to production) when the installer asks.
• Production — live orgs and Developer Edition orgs. Choose Get It Now → Install in Production.
• No org to spare? Use Try It on Test Drive: a shared sample org with the connector pre-installed, nothing to set up.

What to expect in a sandbox #

• It is the same package and version as production, with the full feature set.
• Data sources read the sandbox’s own records — whatever your sandbox type copied from production (a Developer sandbox has metadata only; Partial Copy and Full sandboxes carry records). Empty tables in Power BI usually mean the sandbox has no records for that object, not a connector problem.
• The sandbox has its own Salesforce Site, so its data source URLs are sandbox URLs (https://<company>--<sandbox>.sandbox.my.salesforce-sites.com/…). They do not work against production, and production URLs do not work in the sandbox.
• Licensing. A sandbox created or refreshed from a production org that already runs the connector inherits the production license (Salesforce treats managed-package licenses in such sandboxes as site licenses). A sandbox where you install the connector directly from AppExchange runs on its own trial; the connector shows an expiration banner inside the app when the trial is about to end. To extend a trial, write to support@metricasoftware.com.

Moving from sandbox to production #

There is no “promote” step. Data sources and tokens are records inside the sandbox org; they are not metadata and do not travel in a change set or deployment. Recreate them in production:

1. Install the connector in production (Get It Now → Install in Production) and complete Quick Setup or Manual Setup there.
2. Recreate your data sources in production with the same objects, fields and filters. Keep the sandbox open in another tab to copy the settings.
3. Create a production access token.
4. Repoint your Power BI reports. In a report built from a dashboard template that is the two parameters: Home → Transform data → Edit parameters, replace Input_URL with the production data source URL and metricaToken with the new token. In a hand-built query, replace the URL in Power Query. Power BI asks how to authenticate once per Salesforce Site — choose Anonymous again for the production site.
5. If the report is published to the Power BI service, update the data source credentials for the production site (Anonymous, Skip test connection) before the next scheduled refresh — see How to Import Salesforce Data into Microsoft Power BI, section 5.

After a sandbox refresh #

A refresh rebuilds the sandbox from production, so treat the connector in a refreshed sandbox as a fresh install: open it, run the authorization again, create new access tokens, and check that your data sources are still there (they survive only if your sandbox type copies custom object records). Any Power BI report that pointed at the old sandbox needs the new URL and token.

Step 1: Open the AppExchange listing #

Go to Power BI Connector for Salesforce on AppExchange.

Step 2: Click “Get It Now” and choose your target #

From the listing, click Get It Now. Salesforce asks where to install:

• Install in Production — live orgs and Developer Edition orgs.
• Install in Sandbox — recommended for staging the install before promoting to production.

Step 3: Sign in #

Sign in to your Salesforce org with administrator credentials.

Step 4: Choose who can use the app #

Salesforce asks who should have access to the installed package:

• Install for Admins Only — only system administrators can access. Use this if you want to test the connector before opening it to other users.
• Install for All Users — everyone in the org can access. Recommended for most cases — you can still refine access later via permission sets.
• Install for Specific Profiles… — grant access by Salesforce profile.

Step 5: Approve third-party access #

The installer asks you to approve the sites the connector communicates with. Tick Yes, grant access to these third-party web sites and click Continue.

Step 6: Confirm installation details #

Review the install summary — package name, version, subscription, organization. Read and accept the terms by ticking I have read and agree to the terms and conditions, then click Confirm and Install.

Step 7: Wait for the install to complete #

Installation usually takes a minute or two. You’ll see a progress indicator while Salesforce installs the package and grants access.

Step 8: Open the connector #

Once installed, open the App Launcher (the grid icon, top-left), search for power, and click Power BI Connector.

Salesforce also surfaces a notification reminding you that setup is incomplete — clicking it takes you directly to the authorization screen.

Step 9: Choose a setup path #

When you open the connector for the first time, the Authorization screen presents two options. Both end with the connector wired up to your Salesforce data — the difference is only in how the initial OAuth handshake is brokered.

• Option 1: Quick Setup — recommended for most users. Uses a lightweight Metrica proxy for the one-time OAuth handshake; the proxy is involved only during initial authorization, and all data export afterward runs directly between your Salesforce org and Power BI. Follow the Quick Setup guide.
• Option 2: Manual Setup — complete the entire setup inside your own Salesforce org with no third-party services involved at any step. Recommended if your security policies prohibit third-party services from touching the OAuth flow, even briefly. Follow the Manual Setup guide.

Need to remove the connector later? #

See How do I uninstall Power BI Connector for Salesforce?