Power BI MCP Server 🚀

🎥 Live Demo

Transform your Power BI experience - ask questions in natural language and get instant insights from your data.

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants to interact with Power BI datasets through natural language. Query your data, generate DAX, and get insights without leaving your AI assistant.

✨ Features

• 🔗 Direct Power BI Connection - Connect to any Power BI dataset via XMLA endpoints
• 💬 Natural Language Queries - Ask questions in plain English, get DAX queries and results
• 📊 Automatic DAX Generation - AI-powered DAX query generation using GPT-4o-mini
• 🔍 Table Discovery - Automatically explore tables, columns, and measures
• ⚡ Optimized Performance - Async operations and intelligent caching
• 🛡️ Secure Authentication - Service Principal authentication with Azure AD
• 📈 Smart Suggestions - Get relevant question suggestions based on your data

🎥 Demo

Ask questions like "What are total sales by region?" and get instant insights from your Power BI data.

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• Windows with ADOMD.NET or Docker on Linux (container includes the runtime)
• SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or ADOMD.NET client libraries (Windows only)
• Power BI Pro/Premium with XMLA endpoint enabled
• Azure AD Service Principal with access to your Power BI dataset
• OpenAI API key (optional for natural language features)

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/powerbi-mcp-server.git
   cd powerbi-mcp-server

2. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Configure environment variables

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your credentials

4. Test the connection

   python quickstart.py

Configure with Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powerbi": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["C:/path/to/powerbi-mcp-server/src/server.py"],
      "env": {
        "PYTHONPATH": "C:/path/to/powerbi-mcp-server",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "your-openai-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Docker

Build the container image:

docker build -t powerbi-mcp .

Run the server:

docker run -it --rm -e OPENAI_API_KEY=<key> powerbi-mcp

The container listens on port 8000 by default. Override the host or port using environment variables or command-line arguments:

docker run -it --rm -e OPENAI_API_KEY=<key> -p 7000:7000 powerbi-mcp \
  python src/server.py --host 0.0.0.0 --port 7000

The server exposes a Server-Sent Events endpoint at /sse. Clients should connect to this endpoint and then POST JSON-RPC messages to the path provided in the initial endpoint event (typically /messages/).

The container includes the .NET runtime required by pythonnet and pyadomd. It sets PYTHONNET_RUNTIME=coreclr and DOTNET_ROOT=/usr/share/dotnet so the .NET runtime is detected automatically. Environment variables mirror those in .env.example; pass them with -e VAR=value or provide a .env file in the build context.

📖 Usage

Once configured, you can interact with your Power BI data through Claude:

Connect to Your Dataset

Connect to Power BI dataset at powerbi://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/YourWorkspace

Explore Your Data

What tables are available?
Show me the structure of the Sales table

Ask Questions

What are the total sales by product category?
Show me the trend of revenue over the last 12 months
Which store has the highest gross margin?

Execute Custom DAX

Execute DAX: EVALUATE SUMMARIZE(Sales, Product[Category], "Total", SUM(Sales[Amount]))

🔧 Configuration

Required Credentials

1. Power BI XMLA Endpoint

   • Format: powerbi://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/WorkspaceName
   • Enable in Power BI Admin Portal → Workspace Settings

2. Azure AD Service Principal

   • Create in Azure Portal → App Registrations
   • Grant access in Power BI Workspace → Access settings

3. OpenAI API Key (optional)

   • Needed only for natural language features
   • Endpoints that rely on GPT models are hidden if this key is not set
   • Get from OpenAI Platform
   • Model used: gpt-4o-mini (200x cheaper than GPT-4)

Environment Variables

Create a .env file (OpenAI settings are optional):

# OpenAI Configuration (optional)
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here
OPENAI_MODEL=gpt-4o-mini  # Defaults to gpt-4o-mini

# Optional: Default Power BI Credentials
# These values are used when the `connect_powerbi` action does not supply
# tenant_id, client_id or client_secret.
DEFAULT_TENANT_ID=your_tenant_id
DEFAULT_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
DEFAULT_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret

# Logging
LOG_LEVEL=INFO

🏗️ Architecture

powerbi-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   └── server.py          # Main MCP server implementation
├── docs/                  # Documentation
├── examples/              # Example queries and use cases
├── tests/                 # Test suite
├── .env.example          # Environment variables template
├── requirements.txt      # Python dependencies
├── quickstart.py        # Quick test script
└── README.md           # This file

Key Components

1. PowerBIConnector - Handles XMLA connections and DAX execution
2. DataAnalyzer - AI-powered query generation and interpretation
3. PowerBIMCPServer - MCP protocol implementation

🔐 Security Best Practices

• Never commit credentials - Use .env files and keep them in .gitignore
• Use Service Principals - Avoid personal credentials
• Minimal permissions - Grant only necessary access to datasets
• Rotate secrets regularly - Update Service Principal secrets periodically
• Use secure connections - Always use HTTPS/TLS

🧪 Testing

Run the test suite:

python -m pytest tests/

Test specific functionality:

python tests/test_connection.py
python tests/test_dax_generation.py

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📊 Performance

• Connection time: 2-3 seconds
• Query execution: 1-5 seconds depending on complexity
• Token usage: ~500-2000 tokens per query with GPT-4o-mini
• Cost: ~$0.02-0.06 per day for typical usage

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. ADOMD.NET not found

   • For Windows, install SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
   • On Linux, use the provided Docker image which bundles the cross-platform ADOMD.NET runtime

2. Connection fails

   • Verify XMLA endpoint is enabled in Power BI
   • Check Service Principal has workspace access
   • Ensure dataset name matches exactly

3. Timeout errors

   • Increase timeout in Claude Desktop config
   • Check network connectivity to Power BI

See TROUBLESHOOTING.md for detailed solutions.

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Anthropic for the MCP specification
• Microsoft for Power BI and ADOMD.NET
• OpenAI for GPT models
• The MCP community for inspiration and support

📬 Support

• 📧 Email: [email protected]
• 💬 Issues: GitHub Issues
• 📚 Docs: Full Documentation