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Clarity on spec for the Bigquery to Power BI connector

Anonymous
2025-07-04T13:45:07+00:00

Hi! I'm hoping to get some clarity on the Bigquery to Power BI connector (I think it's the same connector for Power platform generally?). I'm having trouble finding someone to ask specifics. Essentially, we would like to use it at our organisation but want to check how it works first. I'm looking to find out:

Is it ODBC based?

Is it encrypted?

How are credentials stored?

How does this vary between the powerbi desktop and microsoft 365 cloud implementation?

How does this vary with the Power Apps/Platform connector? (I think they're the same?)

Any help would be appreciated. Though the documentation has some info, it's light on some specifics and we've had a couple different interpretations on our side.

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-07-04T14:15:06+00:00

    Hi Joseph French_846, 

    Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community. I appreciate your thoughtful questions. They’re important for understanding how the BigQuery connector works across Power BI and the Power Platform. 

    Below is a detailed breakdown based on current documentation and implementation: 

    1. Is it ODBC based?

    No, the connector is not ODBC-based. Since the June 2021 update, Power BI Desktop and Power Platform Dataflows use a native connector (GoogleBigQuery.Database) that does not require third-party ODBC drivers. 

    In May 2025, Microsoft introduced a preview feature using Arrow Database Connectivity (ADBC) via Implementation="2.0", which improves performance for large-scale queries. 

    2. Is it encrypted?

    Yes, encryption is enforced at multiple levels: 

    • In transit: All communication between Power BI/Power Platform and BigQuery uses HTTPS with TLS 1.2 or higher.
    • At rest: BigQuery encrypts data using AES-256 by default. For advanced control, organizations can use Customer-Managed Encryption Keys (CMEK) via Google Cloud KMS

    3. How are credentials stored?

    • Power BI Desktop: OAuth tokens (for organizational accounts) or JSON keys (for service accounts) are stored encrypted in Windows Credential Manager under Microsoft.PowerBI.Desktop_store.
    • Power BI Service (Microsoft 365 Cloud): 
      • Cloud-to-cloud: Credentials are stored in the Power BI Service Credential Store.
      • On-premises gateway: Credentials are encrypted using Windows Data Protection API and stored within the gateway cluster.

    4. How does this vary between Power BI Desktop and Microsoft 365 Cloud?

    • Connection: Power BI Desktop uses the built-in native connector. No additional drivers are needed.
    • Deployment: Desktop allows direct import. For cloud use, datasets must be published to Power BI Service.
    • Refresh: Desktop supports manual refresh or automation via scripts. Power BI Service supports scheduled refresh and requires a gateway for on-premises sources.
    • Advanced options: Desktop supports parameters like BillingProject, UseStorageApi, CommandTimeout. These are limited or require API configuration in Power BI Service.
    • ADBC support: Currently available only in Power BI Desktop (Preview mode).

    5. How does this vary with the Power Apps/Platform connector?

    Both Power BI and Power Platform use the same native M-connector for BigQuery. 

    • Authentication: Supports both organizational accounts and service accounts.
    • Data handling: 
      • Power BI supports Import and DirectQuery.
      • Power Apps/Dataflows support Import only — data is stored in Dataverse or Dataflow storage, not queried live.
    • Refresh: 
      • Power BI allows scheduled refresh or live queries.
      • Power Platform refreshes data only when the Dataflow is manually or automatically triggered.
    • Advanced options: Power BI offers more flexibility; Dataflows are more limited.

    If this information helped clarify your current situation, please consider marking this reply as an answer. Doing so helps others facing similar questions find accurate guidance more easily. 

    For reference: 

    Google BigQuery connector - Power Query | Microsoft Learn 

    Encryption at rest  |  BigQuery  |  Google Cloud 

    If this information helped clarify your current situation, please consider marking this reply as an answer. Doing so helps others facing similar questions find accurate guidance more easily.

    Thanks for your precious time. Have a nice day. 

    Best regards, 

    Rin-L MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-07-07T07:35:29+00:00

    Hi Joseph French_846, 

    If you still have further concerns, please feel free to let me know.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-07-05T07:55:45+00:00

    Hi Joseph,
     
    We are glad that helps.

    I believe that many users may encounter similar issue and have same concerns, and your case could serve as a valuable reference for them. 
     
    Therefore, I would make a brief summary of this post so that other forum members could easily find useful information here:  
    Issue Description: 

    ========================  

    Clarity on the BigQuery to Power BI connector, specifically whether it's ODBC based, encrypted, how credentials are stored, and how it differs across Power BI desktop and Microsoft 365 cloud implementation or Power Platform/Apps.
     
    Assessment: 
    ========= 
    The moderator has answered as below: 1. Is it ODBC based?

    No, the connector is not ODBC-based. Since the June 2021 update, Power BI Desktop and Power Platform Dataflows use a native connector (GoogleBigQuery.Database) that does not require third-party ODBC drivers. 

    In May 2025, Microsoft introduced a preview feature using Arrow Database Connectivity (ADBC) via Implementation="2.0", which improves performance for large-scale queries. 

    2. Is it encrypted?

    Yes, encryption is enforced at multiple levels: 

    • In transit: All communication between Power BI/Power Platform and BigQuery uses HTTPS with TLS 1.2 or higher.
    • At rest: BigQuery encrypts data using AES-256 by default. For advanced control, organizations can use Customer-Managed Encryption Keys (CMEK) via Google Cloud KMS

    3. How are credentials stored?

    • Power BI Desktop: OAuth tokens (for organizational accounts) or JSON keys (for service accounts) are stored encrypted in Windows Credential Manager under Microsoft.PowerBI.Desktop_store.
    • Power BI Service (Microsoft 365 Cloud): 
      • Cloud-to-cloud: Credentials are stored in the Power BI Service Credential Store.
      • On-premises gateway: Credentials are encrypted using Windows Data Protection API and stored within the gateway cluster.

    4. How does this vary between Power BI Desktop and Microsoft 365 Cloud?

    • Connection: Power BI Desktop uses the built-in native connector. No additional drivers are needed.
    • Deployment: Desktop allows direct import. For cloud use, datasets must be published to Power BI Service.
    • Refresh: Desktop supports manual refresh or automation via scripts. Power BI Service supports scheduled refresh and requires a gateway for on-premises sources.
    • Advanced options: Desktop supports parameters like BillingProject, UseStorageApi, CommandTimeout. These are limited or require API configuration in Power BI Service.
    • ADBC support: Currently available only in Power BI Desktop (Preview mode).

    5. How does this vary with the Power Apps/Platform connector?

    Both Power BI and Power Platform use the same native M-connector for BigQuery. 

    • Authentication: Supports both organizational accounts and service accounts.
    • Data handling: 
      • Power BI supports Import and DirectQuery.
      • Power Apps/Dataflows support Import only — data is stored in Dataverse or Dataflow storage, not queried live.
    • Refresh: 
      • Power BI allows scheduled refresh or live queries.
      • Power Platform refreshes data only when the Dataflow is manually or automatically triggered.
    • Advanced options: Power BI offers more flexibility; Dataflows are more limited.

    More information 

    ======== 

    Google BigQuery connector - Power Query | Microsoft Learn 

    Encryption at rest  |  BigQuery  |  Google Cloud 

    Meanwhile, hope you kindly mark it as an answer and vote it up by your original account which raised this question (as seen in the screenshot). Once marked, it will automatically pin to top. As other users will also search information in this community, your valuable marked answer will definitely also help other users who have similar queries easily to find the correct channel and useful information more quickly.  


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    Greatly Appreciate again for your patience and understanding.  

    I wish you keep safe and wish you all the best in year 2025 as well! 😊  

    Warm regards, 

    Katherine V - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-07-04T15:04:49+00:00

    This is a great help and exactly the detail we were looking for, thank you!

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