Power BI Desktop MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables Claude to interact with Power BI Desktop through the XMLA endpoint using Analysis Services.

Overview

This MCP server allows Claude to:

• Query Power BI data models and metadata
• Execute DAX queries
• Retrieve table schemas, columns, and relationships
• Access measures and model information
• All without leaving the Claude interface

Features

• Model Discovery: Get information about active Power BI models
• Schema Exploration: Browse tables, columns, and their properties
• DAX Execution: Run DAX queries directly against your Power BI model
• Measures: Retrieve all measures with their expressions
• Relationships: View model relationships and their properties
• Auto-Detection: Automatically finds the Power BI Desktop XMLA port

Prerequisites

• Windows OS (Power BI Desktop is Windows-only)
• Power BI Desktop installed and running with a report open
• Python 3.8+
• pythonnet package for .NET interoperability

Installation

1. Clone or Download the Repository

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd Claude-Power-BI-Integration

2. Create a Virtual Environment

python -m venv venv

3. Activate the Virtual Environment

Windows:

venv\Scripts\activate

Linux/Mac:

source venv/bin/activate

4. Install Dependencies

pip install mcp pythonnet

Configuration

Claude Desktop Configuration

Add the following configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:

Location: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powerbi": {
      "command": "C:\\Path\\To\\Your\\venv\\Scripts\\python.exe",
      "args": [
        "C:\\Path\\To\\Your\\powerbi_mcp_server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Example Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powerbi": {
      "command": "D:\\Job Preparation\\Personnel Work\\Python - Technology\\VS Code Python Code\\Claude-Power BI-Intergration\\venv\\Scripts\\python.exe",
      "args": [
        "D:\\Job Preparation\\Personnel Work\\Python - Technology\\VS Code Python Code\\Claude-Power BI-Intergration\\powerbi_mcp_server.py"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Important: Replace the paths with your actual project paths. Use double backslashes (\\) or forward slashes (/) in JSON.

Finding Your Paths

1. Python executable path:

   where python
   # Or if in virtual environment
   venv\Scripts\python.exe

2. Script path:

   • Navigate to your project folder
   • Copy the full path to powerbi_mcp_server.py

Usage

1. Start Power BI Desktop

Ensure Power BI Desktop is running with a report/model open.

2. Restart Claude Desktop

After updating the configuration, restart Claude Desktop to load the MCP server.

3. Verify Connection

In Claude, you can ask:

"Can you connect to my Power BI model?"

Claude will use the MCP server to connect and retrieve model information.

Available Tools

The MCP server provides the following tools to Claude:

Tool	Description
get_powerbi_models	Get all Power BI models in the active report
get_model_tables	List all tables in the model
get_table_columns	Get columns from a specific table
execute_dax_query	Execute DAX queries against the model
get_measures	Retrieve all measures (optionally filtered by table)
get_relationships	Get all relationships in the model
get_report_pages	Get report pages (limited - requires COM)
get_page_visuals	Get visuals from a page (limited - requires COM)

Example Queries

Once configured, you can ask Claude:

• "Show me all tables in my Power BI model"
• "What columns are in the Sales table?"
• "Execute this DAX query: EVALUATE TOPN(10, Sales)"
• "What measures are defined in the model?"
• "Show me the relationships between tables"
• "Calculate total sales by year using DAX"

How It Works

1. Port Detection: The server automatically finds the local Analysis Services port used by Power BI Desktop
2. XMLA Connection: Connects using the MSOLAP provider through OleDB
3. DMV Queries: Uses Dynamic Management Views (DMVs) to retrieve metadata
4. DAX Execution: Executes DAX queries and returns results to Claude

Troubleshooting

"Could not find Power BI Desktop Analysis Services port"

Solution:

• Ensure Power BI Desktop is running
• Open a report/model in Power BI Desktop
• The XMLA endpoint is only active when a model is loaded

"pythonnet not installed"

Solution:

pip install pythonnet

MCP Server Not Showing in Claude

Solution:

• Verify the JSON configuration is valid (use a JSON validator)
• Check that paths use double backslashes or forward slashes
• Restart Claude Desktop completely
• Check Claude Desktop logs: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs

Connection Errors

Solution:

• Ensure you have the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Analysis Services installed
• This comes with Power BI Desktop but may need repair/reinstall
• Try running Claude Desktop as Administrator

Limitations

• Windows Only: Power BI Desktop and XMLA endpoints are Windows-specific
• Local Only: Connects only to local Power BI Desktop instances
• Report Pages/Visuals: Limited access to report-level objects (requires Power BI COM interface)
• No Data Modification: Read-only access to the model

Technical Details

Architecture

Claude Desktop
    ↓
MCP Server (Python)
    ↓
pythonnet → .NET OleDb
    ↓
MSOLAP Provider
    ↓
Power BI Desktop (XMLA Endpoint)

Security

• All connections are local (localhost)
• Uses Windows Integrated Security (SSPI)
• No external network access required
• No API keys or credentials needed

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

License

[Add your license here]

Resources

• Power BI XMLA Endpoint Documentation
• DAX Query Language
• Model Context Protocol
• Analysis Services DMVs

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check the Troubleshooting section
2. Review Power BI Desktop logs
3. Check Claude Desktop logs in %APPDATA%\Claude\logs
4. Open an issue on GitHub

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Note: This is a community project and is not officially supported by Microsoft or Anthropic.