Starting August 2025, Microsoft deprecated the native Power BI connectivity for QuickBooks Online. For accounting teams that rely on financial dashboards and for IT and data engineers tasked with delivering secure, governed reporting, the change requires immediate action. Organizations need a connector that not only replaces the native option but also improves performance, coverage, and reliability.
Why CData’s connector matters
Enter the CData QuickBooks Online Power BI Connector—a Microsoft-certified alternative designed to meet an organization's reporting, migration, and performance needs. Here’s why it stands out:
1. Microsoft-certified for Power BI
The CData QuickBooks Online Connector is Microsoft certified, meeting Power BI’s highest standards for security, reliability, and compatibility. That certification gives organizations confidence that they can replace Microsoft’s native QuickBooks Online connector with a solution that’s fully supported and enterprise-ready.
2. Comprehensive API coverage
The connector provides broad coverage of the QuickBooks Online API, giving you access to all data entities and fields available through the API. Migration from Microsoft’s native Power BI connector for QuickBooks Online is straightforward, as the schema structure of CData Connector and the native QuickBooks Online columns are nearly similar.
See the examples below:
CData QBO Driver Column Name | Data Type Name (Read-only) | Native Power BI Connector Column Name |
|---|
Id | varchar | Id |
SyncToken | varchar | SyncToken |
MetaData_CreateTime | datetime | Create_Time |
MetaData_LastUpdatedTime | datetime | Last_Updated_Time |
Name | varchar | Name |
SubAccount | bool | SubAccount |
ParentRef | varchar | ParentRef_Value |
ParentRef_Name | varchar | ParentRef_Name |
FullyQualifiedName | varchar | Fully_Qualified_Name |
Description | varchar | Description |
Active | bool | |
Classification | varchar | Classification |
AccountType | varchar | Account_Type |
AccountSubType | varchar | Account_SubType |
AcctNum | varchar | Account_Number |
CurrentBalance | decimal | Current_Balance |
CurrentBalanceWithSubAccounts | decimal | Current_Balance_With_SubAccounts |
CurrencyRef | varchar | CurrencyRef_Value |
CurrencyRef_Name | varchar | CurrencyRef_Name |
TaxCodeRef | varchar | TaxCodeRef_Value |
3. Flexible deployment
Whether you’re building in Power BI Desktop or publishing to Power BI Service, the connector adapts to your environment. With full on-premises data gateway support, reports and dashboards created in Power BI Desktop can automatically refresh once published to Power BI Service, ensuring insights remain current in the cloud without manual effort.
For organizations needing a cloud-native solution, CData Connect AI provides connectivity to QuickBooks Online (plus hundreds of other sources) directly from Power BI and the Power BI Service.
4. Real-time analytics
Performance is driven first by intelligent query pushdown, which executes supported filters, aggregations, and operations directly in QuickBooks Online. The connector handles other complexities in-memory with an embedded SQL engine. These features together enable DirectQuery connections, where Power BI retrieves only the data each visual requires. The result: faster queries, smoother interactions, and real-time visibility into financial data.
5. Security and compliance benefits
Live connectivity reduces unnecessary data replication and movement, helping minimize sprawl. Keeping data in place on QuickBooks Online servers enforces strong governance while serving business needs quickly.
Migrating from Microsoft’s native Power BI connector
With the deprecation of Microsoft’s native QuickBooks Online connector, many organizations face the challenge of keeping critical reporting pipelines intact. The CData QuickBooks Online Power BI Connector allows organizations to migrate smoothly. Thanks to schema mapping and broad API coverage, existing Power BI reports can be carried over with minimal rework. All while gaining better performance, real-time DirectQuery access, and enterprise-level governance.
What this means for you
Choosing the right QuickBooks Online Power BI connector alternative isn’t just about replacing what was lost. It’s about upgrading to something future-ready. CData’s QuickBooks Online Power BI Connector stands out because it:
Provides a Microsoft-certified solution for trusted Power BI integration.
Delivers true real-time reporting with DirectQuery so dashboards always reflect current QuickBooks data.
Runs faster with intelligent pushdown, executing heavy work at the source to keep visuals responsive.
Surfaces full metadata and supports SQL, making QuickBooks data easier to explore and model accurately.
Ensures seamless migration from Microsoft’s native connector with simple schema mapping.
Scales reliably for accounting, IT, and data engineering teams, supporting governed, enterprise-grade reporting pipelines.
In short, CData offers a complete, reliable, and future-ready QuickBooks Online Power BI Connector for analytics, AI, and self-service reporting.
How to get started
Install and configure the connector (Desktop)
Run the installer, create/configure the System DSN, and complete OAuth (sandbox optional).
Connect in Power BI Desktop
Go to Get Data → CData QuickBooks Online, select your DSN, and choose DirectQuery (live) or Import (snapshot). Select tables and shape data as needed.
Build reports and dashboards
Use the fields and visualizations panes to create charts and filters; refresh to see the latest numbers.
For step-by-step instructions, including screenshots, read the QuickBooks Online Power BI Desktop guide in our knowledge base.
Get uninterrupted QuickBooks Online reporting with CData
The CData QuickBooks Online Power BI Connector is the trusted, Microsoft-certified alternative to the deprecated native connector. It simplifies migration, ensures live reporting with DirectQuery, accelerates analytics with intelligent pushdown, supports automatic refresh of published reports through the on-premises gateway, and offers flexible deployment for both IT and accounting teams. For organizations seeking a secure, high-performance QuickBooks to Power BI integration, CData is the most complete solution.
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