Import BI files using Genie Code

Important

This feature is in Public Preview. Workspace admins can control access to Import from External BI to AI/BI from the Previews page. See Manage Azure Databricks previews.

Add a Tableau or Power BI file to Genie Code and it builds an AI/BI dashboard that replicates your visualizations, connected to metric views that mirror the underlying business logic.

Requirements

Import from External BI to AI/BI requires partner-powered AI features enabled for both the account and workspace. See Partner-powered AI features.

Upload a file

You can upload a file (.twb, .twbx, .tds, .tdsx, or .pbit) directly into the Genie Code chat, or reference a file stored in a Unity Catalog volume. For help exporting files, see Tableau export documentation or Power BI report templates.

Start from the dashboard list page

1. Click Dashboards in the sidebar to open the dashboard list page.
2. Click Create, then select the option to import a Power BI or Tableau report.
3. Attach your Tableau or Power BI file.

This creates a new AI/BI dashboard and opens Genie Code to build it from your file. You can also access this workflow from a new, blank dashboard. Open Genie Code and click +. Then, select Import from Tableau or Import from Power BI.

Upload directly to the chat

1. Open a draft AI/BI dashboard.
2. Click the Genie Code icon in the top-right corner to open Genie Code.
3. Click New chat.
4. Choose Import from a BI tool or type /importBI to begin importing.
5. Attach your file from Tableau or Power BI to the chat.

Note

Direct file uploads have a 100 MB size limit. For larger files, upload your file to a Unity Catalog volume first, then reference it inline. You can also unzip a .twbx file and upload the extracted .twb file instead.

Reference a file in a volume

If your file is already stored in Unity Catalog, open a draft AI/BI dashboard, then use the /importBI command followed by the volume path in the Genie Code chat:

/importBI

@/Volumes/my_catalog/my_schema/my_volume/sales_workbook.twb

To import the data model only, start the import from an empty Unity Catalog metric view. See Use Genie Code to import a Tableau or Power BI file.

Promote metric views to Unity Catalog

By default, Genie Code creates local metric views for the measures and dimensions in your file. You can iterate on these views as needed. To share or move them to production, promote them to Unity Catalog metric views.

Promoted metric views are reusable across dashboards, Genie Agents, and notebooks, and get full Unity Catalog governance: access controls, lineage, and discoverability. Local metric views can only be referenced within the dashboard where they were created. Databricks recommends promoting metric views to Unity Catalog.

For instructions, see Export to a Unity Catalog metric view.

Best practices

Follow these practices to get the most accurate results when you migrate a BI file with Genie Code:

• Always provide a screenshot: Genie Code migrates best when it can validate layout and numbers against a high-quality reference image.
• Expect to work with the agent conversationally: Like any other agent, you can guide Genie Code and push back for better quality and accuracy.
• Promote finished data models to Unity Catalog: This lets future migrations that use the same or similar data models reuse your work. See Promote metric views to Unity Catalog.
• Keep the browser tab open while the agent runs: Don't close the tab or go to a different part of the workspace while Genie Code is running. This interrupts the migration agent and leaves an unfinished result.