How to Install and Use the Weni Data Connector for Power BI

Mallu Updated by Mallu

Introducing Weni Data Connector for Power BI

Weni Team is excited to announce a new feature to boost your chatbot analysis practices, the Data Connector for Power BI. This custom connector, made by our developers, allows users to pull data directly from Weni Platform to Power BI. This practical guide aims to introduce you to how to install and configure the feature as well as some best practices.

First things first: What are the Prerequisites?

  • Download the Power BI Desktop. This version is free to create. You need this free version of Microsoft software locally on your computer.  
  • Also, make sure you are a user collaborator in a chatbot project workspace inside Weni Platform to have an API Token.

How to install 

  1. Download the .mez files;
    WeniFluxos.mez
    RapidPro.mez
  2. Save the files in the path [Documents]/Power BI Desktop/Custom Connectors (It is important that the folders have these names)
  1. Check Allow any extensions to be loaded WITHOUT VALIDATION OR WARNING in Power BI Desktop File > Options > Security > Data extensions;
  2. Restart Power BI Desktop.

How to extract data with Weni Data Connector

  1. Go to Get Data on PowerBI Desktop;
  2. Type Weni Flows (beta) and click connect . For RapidPro type RapidPro (Beta)
  1. Access the Weni Platform, go to Settings -> Project Preferences and copy the API Token. This unique code per user will authenticate the integration via API between Weni Platform and Power BI
  2. For “Weni Fluxos (beta)” fill in the API Token
    For "RapidPro (Beta)" type in URL https://rapidpro.ilhasoft.mobi/api/v2/ and fill in the token with the API Token;
  3. Define the start date and end date that will be used to define the time period of data export
  4. Press start
  5. Select the desired table and click Transform. To view all extracted data, click the icon in the column header and then Expand to New Lines.

It’s important to know!

The data connection happens by an API integration between RapidPro and Power BI. The data extracted is structured in a JSON format. So, in order to have access to all data fields, you need to expand the columns in the PowerQuery window.

Best Practices:

  1. Select only relevant data to optimize extraction process by previewing tables on navigator window;
  2. Transform to make your data useful
    Make sure that your data is well-formatted, clean, and organized before starting to create dashboards, reports, etc.;
  3. Keep a data catalog with all data fields, descriptions, and types from your chatbot project. Also, make sure that  your variables such as contact fields and results clearly describe its purpose;
  4. Understand data concepts like flows, runs, and contacts in order to properly interpret and create project insights;
  5. Explore the Weni Plataform API documentation to get familiar with what is the data available and how it is structured.

How did we do?

Incremental Update - Power BI

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