Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Microsoft ‘Connects’ Power BI and Dynamics CRM Online

    By
    Pedro Hernandez
    -
    March 9, 2015
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Microsoft Power BI and Dynamics CRM online

      Microsoft is making it easier for Power BI users to glean business insights from Dynamics CRM Online, the company’s cloud-based CRM software suite, and unearth potentially business-boosting trends from their organizations’ customer interactions.

      “This month, we are introducing a new connector for Dynamics CRM Online,” announced the Microsoft Excel Team in a blog post. “Until now, you were able to connect to Dynamics CRM Online using the OData feed connector; however, this was not very discoverable for the majority of our users.”

      Dynamics CRM Online now appears under the “From Other Sources” in Excel Power Query, requiring users to input a valid URL to their account, followed by their credentials. Power Query is an Excel add-on that links to Power BI, the company’s Azure -backed business intelligence and analytics solution for Office 365, and enables rank-and-file employees to explore data using the spreadsheet software’s familiar interface and toolset.

      “Once the user is authenticated, Power Query retrieves the list of tables and entities available in Dynamics CRM,” added Microsoft’s staffers. “The Navigator task pane displays this list and users can select one or multiple items, edit these items or load them to the workbook—just like with any other data source in Power Query.”

      Since its debut more than a year ago, Microsoft has been working to expand Power BI’s reach and provide organizations with user-friendly methods of deciphering analytical data. In December, the company rolled out a preview of Power BI dashboards, a new feature that consolidates multiple visualizations into a single view. Dashboards can include graphs, charts and other visualizations from a mix of data that resides on-premises and in the cloud.

      Users can also expect a more responsive Power Query experience, stated Microsoft.

      “Performance of loading queries has improved by about 2x-3x in this release, according to our benchmarks. Queries that used to take ~10 minutes before this update, now only take between 3-4 minutes,” claimed the company.

      The software giant also worked to reduce latency while connecting to Excel workbooks. “You should see lower times to load previews, which translates into a more responsive experience in the Query Editor,” asserted Microsoft.

      Power Query data explorers can also now calculate the time it takes between two dates and/or times without resorting to custom formulas, courtesy of some new transformation. New age and subtract operations for data and time columns provide fast answers for the time between occurrences, like the time it took for an order to ship from when it was ordered, according to the company. “These options are now available in the Date and Time menus, under the Transform and Add Column ribbon tabs.”

      Finally, Microsoft has expanded the option to disable the column name prefix to the Aggregate Columns menu. Previously added to the Expand Columns option, the new functionality allows users to “decide up-front whether to include a name prefix based on the original column name to the Aggregate Columns output,” wrote the company’s bloggers.

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a contributor to eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×