You connect Exact Online to Power BI through one of three routes: the connector Exact ships with its Premium editions, a connector from the Exact App Store, or a custom connection on the REST API. Which one fits depends on your subscription and how many administrations you run.
The trigger is nearly always the same. An export out of Exact every month, a pivot table that is slightly different from last month’s, and a meeting that first has to work out which tab holds the right version. Sound familiar? A connection removes that manual work. Whether the meeting then turns to the right things depends on what you set up around it.
Route 1: Exact’s Premium connector
If you are on a Premium edition, this is the shortest path. Exact built Power BI reporting into its Premium editions, with direct access to your own data, and ships a set of standard dashboards with it. A Power BI license is not included; what that costs is in our article on Power BI licensing costs.
- Install ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server on the computer running Power BI Desktop.
- Put your IP address on the allow list, in Exact under the model data screen, in the Microsoft Office 365 section.
- Connect through Get data, Database, Exact Online Premium.
- Set up a gateway on an always-on computer with the same driver, so the report refreshes itself.
According to Microsoft’s documentation, the connector is owned by Exact and supports both import and DirectQuery.
Route 2: a connector from the App Store
Without Premium you go through the REST API. The simplest way is a connector from the Exact App Store: it reads the API for you and delivers ready-made tables, often with a data model and sample reports. Enough for standard reporting.
Route 3: a custom connection on the API
More work, but necessary once you want history, your own calculations, or Exact combined with your CRM or time tracking. Mind the limits Exact places on API traffic: pulling full history for ten administrations is a different job from yesterday’s postings. On Premium you can buy extra traffic as a Volume Pack.
What a connection does not fix
A connection brings your figures into Power BI. What those figures mean, it leaves to you. Most of the work therefore comes after the link: aligning charts of accounts across administrations, tracking down duplicate customers and pinning down what revenue actually is. Connect a messy chart of accounts and you get it straight back, only now automatically every morning.
Which figures belong on the screen after that is covered in our financial dashboard article. Running AFAS instead? Read connecting AFAS to Power BI.
When you should hold off
- One administration and a handful of fixed questions. Exact’s own reports will do.
- A move to another package is coming. You would build everything twice.
- Nobody will own it. Without someone managing the gateway, access and definitions, it works until the first change.
Are you still pulling an export out of Exact every month, or are the figures already there in the morning? Get in touch, and we’ll look at which route fits your administration.
Frequently asked questions
Does Exact Online have its own Power BI connector?
Yes, in the Premium editions. Exact ships a connector with a set of standard dashboards. A Power BI license is not included.
Can I connect Exact Online without Premium?
Yes, through a connector from the Exact App Store or a custom connection on the REST API.
How often does Power BI refresh data from Exact Online?
As often as you schedule it, usually once a day. With the Premium connector that needs a gateway on a computer that is always on.
Can I see several administrations in one dashboard?
Yes, as long as you agree up front which chart of accounts leads. Otherwise the administrations will not add up cleanly.
