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Speckle | Power BI

Speckle is the first AEC data hub that connects with your favorite AEC tools. Speckle exists to overcome the challenges of working in a fragmented industry where communication, creative workflows, and the exchange of data are often hindered by siloed software and processes. It is here to make the industry better.

Speckle Connector and 3D Visual for Power BI

Features

Speckle Power BI Data Connector lets you easily get data from Speckle into Power BI reports and visualizations. You can access and analyze data from various AEC apps (like Revit, Archicad, Grasshopper, and more) and open-source files (IFC, STL, OBJ, etc.) into Power BI with ease.

Download Power BI Connector

Speckle’s connection to Power BI consists of two parts:

• Data Connector fetches the data you uploaded from AEC apps to Speckle.
• 3D Visual allows you to see those models in 3D within Power BI.

Repository Structure

This repository is home to our Power BI connector. The Speckle Server provides all the web-facing functionality and can be found here.

src/powerbi-data-connector contains all the code for the Data connector.

src/powerbi-visual contains all the code for 3D Visual.

Installation

Power BI connector installer can be downloaded from the connectors portal. Full instructions for installation and configuration can be found on our docs.

3D Visual

3D Visual can be imported as any other Power BI custom visual.

1. Navigate to the Visualization Pane.
2. Click the three dots (…) and select “Import a visual from a file”.
3. Go to Documents/Power BI Desktop/Custom Visuals and import Speckle 3D Visual.pbiviz file.
4. Speckle cube will appear in the Visualization pane.

For more on how to use the visual, check our docs.

Quick Start

To get started with Power BI connector, please take a look at the documentation and extensive tutorials published.

Development Setup

For local development of the 3D Visual

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/specklesystems/speckle-powerbi.git
   cd speckle-powerbi

2. Navigate to the visual directory:

   cd src/powerbi-visual

3. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   # or
   yarn install

4. Start development server:

   npm run dev

5. Build the visual:

   # Development build
   npm run build:dev
   
   # Production build
   npm run build

For local development of the Data Connector

1. Install PowerQuery SDK: Follow the instructions from the official docs

2. Open the project in Visual Studio Code:

   • Open src/powerbi-data-connector/Speckle.proj
   • Build the project to generate the .mez file

3. Testing the connector:

   • Visual Studio will automatically copy the .mez file to the appropriate location
   • Restart Power BI Desktop to see the latest changes

About Speckle

What is Speckle? Check our

Features

• Object-based: say goodbye to files! Speckle is the first object based platform for the AEC industry
• Version control: Speckle is the Git & Hub for geometry and BIM data
• Collaboration: share your designs collaborate with others
• 3D Viewer: see your CAD and BIM models online, share and embed them anywhere
• Interoperability: get your CAD and BIM models into other software without exporting or importing
• Real time: get real time updates and notifications and changes
• GraphQL API: get what you need anywhere you want it
• Webhooks: the base for a automation and next-gen pipelines
• Built for developers: we are building Speckle with developers in mind and got tools for every stack
• Built for the AEC industry: Speckle connectors are plugins for the most common software used in the industry such as Revit, Rhino, Grasshopper, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Excel, Unreal Engine, Unity, QGIS, Blender and more!

Try Speckle now!

Give Speckle a try in no time by:

• ⇒ creating an account at our public server

Resources

• for help, feature requests or just to hang with other speckle enthusiasts, check out our community forum!
• our tutorials portal is full of resources to get you started using Speckle
• reference on almost any end-user and developer functionality