There are several different ways to connect your Logo Tiger 3 or Netsis data to Power BI. Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages. In this article we'll cover the three main methods and practical implementation examples.
01. Method 1: Direct SQL Server Connection
Logo Tiger and Netsis use an MSSQL database. You can connect directly from Power BI via Get Data > SQL Server. Advantage: fastest and most flexible. Disadvantage: you need to know the Logo table structure, and the database load reflects directly onto Power BI.
02. Method 2: Logo Data Connect
An interface Logo developed itself. It brings predefined Logo tables and views into Power BI. Easy to use but limited in flexibility; it may fall short for custom reporting.
03. Method 3: Custom OData / REST API
Logo j-Platform and modern Tiger 3 versions offer OData or REST APIs. Power BI can connect to these services. Preferred in cloud scenarios.
04. Building a Star Schema
Raw Logo tables have a normalized structure; you need to convert them to a star schema for Power BI. For this:
- Views are defined on SQL Server
- Tables are combined in Power Query
- A fact table (sales, orders) and dimension tables (customer, product, date) are created
05. Frequently Asked Questions
Commonly encountered situations:
- Two companies' data in one report: separated by the company column (LFIRMNR)
- Figures differ at the month-end close: closing entries must be accounted for
- Performance slowed down: Aggregations or Incremental Refresh should be considered