AdventureWorks generates data from many different departments and stores this data in many different sources. Wouldn't it be great if they could combine data from these different sources? With Power BI, they can combine data sources using connectors. In this video, you'll learn about the different connectors available in Power BI, their purpose, how to choose a connector, and securely connect to the Cloud data source. AdventureWorks needs to generate a report that compares the sale of bicycle models across the company's different outlets, web, retail, and individual sellers. However, the sales data is stored in different sources. The company needs you to generate an integrated report that combines these different data sources. You can combine these data sources using connectors in Power BI. You can use Power BI as a single business intelligence solution to generate an integrated report by combining the company's data sources through the use of connectors. But before you begin, let's find out more about connectors. Connectors are links that transport data between a data source and an application. They're basically the bridges that connect Power BI to different sources of data. With connectors, you can create a link or bridge between Power BI and different data sources like databases, files, services, SharePoint and more. Connectors make it easy to connect between data sources. You can then transform, clean, and visualize the data into Power BI for report and analysis to generate the insights. But before you start importing your data, it's important to understand what your business requirements are for the data source. This includes things like whether the data is stored on your own computer and gets updated every so often or if the data is coming from an external source and needs to be updated in real time. You also need to know who will be using the data and how it will be used. These requirements are essential because they can affect the way you load the data into Power BI, so it's important that you get them right. Microsoft frequently adds new data connectors to its desktop and services platforms. It typically releases at least one or two new connectors every month as part of the regular Power BI update. This has resulted in Power BI having a vast collection of over 100 data connectors available. Files, databases, and web services are the most used sources. All Power BI connectors are free to use, but they might be marked as Beta or Preview depending on their development stage. Any data source marked as Beta or Preview has limited support and functionality, so don't make use of it in production environments. Now that you're familiar with the data connectors available in Power BI, it's time to help AdventureWorks generate their report. Let's examine the steps involved in setting up a connector to a SQL database. First, navigate to the Home tab and locate the Get data button. You have two options to choose from here, you can either click the Get data button and then choose All. Or you can select the expand arrow next to the Get data button and select "More". This lets you access a wide range of data connectors available in Power BI. To make sure your data is mapped correctly in Power BI, it's crucial to identify the specific nature of the data. For instance, if you're working with a document meant for an Azure SQL database, using the Excel connector wouldn't give you the desired outcome as a Power BI user. In the Get data window, navigate to the Azure SQL option, to select it, and then select the Connect button. You can also use the search bar to filter the available connectors and quickly find what you're looking for. After selecting the data source, you'll be prompted to set up the connection. Depending on the type of data source you've chosen, the specific details you need to provide will differ. For example, if you're working with an Excel file, you'll need to specify the location of the file. On the other hand, if you're dealing with a SQL Server database, you'll need to enter the server name and the database connection details. There are a few additional options you may want to consider. In addition to specifying the server address and database name, you can also choose between different connection modes, such as import or direct query. Most of the time you'll select import. Other advanced options are also available in the SQL Server database window, but you can ignore them for now. You'll cover them at a later stage in the course. After you've specified the server and database names, you'll be prompted to sign in with a username and password. You'll have three different sign-in options to choose from depending on your credentials. The first option is to use your Windows account. This is often the easiest option for users who are already logged into their computer. The second option is to use your database credentials. For instance, SQL Server has its own sign-in and authentication credentials that are managed by the database administrator. The third option is to use your Microsoft account credentials, which require your Azure Active Directory credentials. Once you've selected the sign-in option that's appropriate for your situation, enter your username and password, and then select "Connect". This will allow you to securely connect to your data source. Once you've successfully connected your database to Power BI desktop, the available data in the navigator window appears. This window displays all the tables or entities that are available in your data source, such as the SQL database in this example. To preview the contents of a table or entity, simply select the checkbox next to the table. To import data into your Power BI model, select all tables that you want to bring in. Finally, once you've selected the tables, you can choose to either load the data into your model in its current state or transform it before loading. For now, the focus is on the data loading process. Data transformation will be covered in more detail at a later stage. By selecting the appropriate data and choosing the load option, you can easily bring in the data you need to start building visualization and analyzing your data in Power BI. Connectors are an essential component of Power BI. The wide range of available connectors lets you connect to lots of different data sources to bring them all together into one place. You can then import or extract the data from these sources into reports and dashboards for analysis and visualization. By leveraging the full range of connectors, you can access valuable insights to make data-driven decisions for your business. You should now understand that connectors are a powerful asset that can help you get the most out of your data analysis.