Connecting Azure SQL Database to Power BI — My First Data Visualization Project

As someone interested in cloud, I wanted to explore how Azure integrates with Power BI to build real-time dashboards. This project helped me understand how to:

• Deploy a SQL database on Azure

• Load sample data (AdventureWorksLT)

• Connect it to Power BI

• Build basic graphs and visuals

Here’s how I did it!

Step 1: Create the Azure SQL Database

I started in the Azure Portal and followed these steps:

1. Searched for “SQL Databases” → clicked + Create

2. Configured:

   • Database name: adventureworksdb

   • Server: Created a new SQL server with login credentials

   • Sample data: Chose AdventureWorksLT (great for learning)

3. Chose Basic compute tier to minimize cost

4. Enabled:

   • "Allow Azure services to access this server"

   • Client IP access for Power BI connection

     

Then I deployed it — and the database was ready in a few minutes!

Step 2: Connect to Power BI

After the database was deployed, I opened Power BI Desktop and followed this flow:

1. Home → Get Data → SQL Server

2. Entered:

   • Server name: yourservername.database.windows.net

   • Database: adventureworksdb

   • 

3. Authentication:

   • Chose SQL Server Authentication

   • Entered username & password from Azure

   • 

Power BI connected smoothly and loaded the sample tables.

Step 3: Build Visuals

I explored tables like:

• SalesLT.Customer

• SalesLT.Product

• SalesLT.SalesOrderHeader

Then I created visuals such as:

• Bar chart of sales by product category

• Line graph of sales trends over time

• Pie chart of orders by region

• 

Power BI made it easy to drag and drop fields — and seeing real-time cloud data visualized felt powerful.

Thanks for reading!
This project helped me connect two powerful tools — Azure and Power BI — and gave me a real sense of how cloud data flows into visual reports.

If you’re learning cloud or data tools, this is a great beginner-friendly combo to try.
Let’s keep building and learning together! 🚀

— Jyothi