Use CData Connect Cloud to Access Backlog Data in Microsoft Power Pivot



Use CData Connect Cloud to connect to live Backlog data in the Power Pivot business intelligence tool.

This article will explain how to use CData Connect Cloud to present Backlog data as OData services and then consume the data in Microsoft Excel's Power Pivot business intelligence tool. Follow the steps below to retrieve and edit Backlog data in Power Pivot.

Connect to Backlog from Power Pivot

To work with Backlog data from Power Pivot, we need to connect to Backlog from Connect Cloud, provide user access to the connection, and create a Workspace for the Backlog data.

Connect to Backlog from Connect Cloud

CData Connect Cloud uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.

  1. Log into Connect Cloud, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
  2. Select "Backlog" from the Add Connection panel
  3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Backlog.

    In order to authenticate using the API Key, specify the following:

    • AuthScheme: Set to APIToken.
    • API Key: Set to the API Key that allows you to make requests to the Backlog API. You can generate this key by opening the Settings page in Backlog and selecting the API section.
    • URL: Set to the your Backlog tenant URL.

    In order to authenticate using OAuth, set AuthScheme to "OAuth" and refer to the Help documentation.

  4. Click Create & Test
  5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Backlog Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect Cloud through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect Cloud. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.

  1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect Cloud app to open the settings page.
  2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
  3. Give the PAT a name and click Create.
  4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

Configure Backlog Endpoints for Power Pivot

After connecting to Backlog, create a workspace for your desired table(s).

  1. Navigate to the Workspaces page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace).
  2. Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
  3. Select the Backlog connection (e.g. Backlog1) and click Next.
  4. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm.
  5. Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}

With the connection, PAT, and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to Backlog data from Power Pivot.

Import Backlog Tables in Power Pivot

Follow the steps below to import tables that can be refreshed on demand:

  1. In Excel, click Data -> Get Data -> From Other Sources -> From OData Feed
  2. Fill out the OData feed URL (e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name})
  3. On the next screen, select Basic and configure the username and password. Password will be your PAT.
  4. Select the tables that you would like to import into Excel

  5. After selecting your table(s) and clicking Load, you should see the data appear in an Excel spreadsheet

  6. Now, click the Power Pivot tab on the ribbon, and then select Add to Data Model. This can now work with your Backlog data in Power Pivot.

Free Trial & More Information

If you are interested in connecting to your Backlog data (or data from any of our other supported data sources) from Power Pivot, sign up for a free trial of CData Connect Cloud today! For more information on Connect Cloud and to see what other data sources we support, refer to our CData Connect Cloud page.

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Learn more about CData Connect Cloud or sign up for free trial access:

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