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Connect Xtract Universal to Power BI Desktop (Custom Connector)

This article shows how to use the Xtract Universal Custom Connector to connect Xtract Universal with Power BI Desktop. You can also watch our YouTube tutorial on how to install and use the Power BI Custom Connector:

For information on how to connect using Power Queries, refer to Connect Xtract Universal to Power BI Desktop (M-script).

Installation of the Xtract Universal Custom Connector

Follow the steps below to install the Xtract Universal Custom Connector:

  1. Open the \powerbi folder located in the Xtract Universal installation directory, e.g., C:\Program Files\XtractUniversal\powerbi\.
  2. Run the install-connector PowerShell script.
    This script copies the XtractUniversalExtension.pqx file to the [Documents]\Power BI Desktop\Custom Connectors folder. If the folder does not exist, the script creates the folder.
  3. Run the trust-connector PowerShell script.
    This script modifies the registry at HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Power BI Desktop\ and adds/modifies the registry value TrustedCertificateThumbprints with the thumbprint of the XtractUniversalExtension.pqx file. This procedure follows Microsoft's recommendations for trusting third-party connectors.
  1. Check if the directory [Documents]\Power BI Desktop\Custom Connectors exists. If it does not exist, create this directory.
  2. Open the \powerbi folder located in the Xtract Universal installation directory, e.g., C:\Program Files\XtractUniversal\powerbi\.
  3. Copy the XtractUniversalExtension.pqx file from the \powerbi folder to [Documents]\Power BI Desktop\Custom Connectors.
  4. Copy the content of the thumbprint.txt file from the \powerbi folder and follow the instructions in Microsoft Documentation: Trusting third-party connectors to add the thumbprint of the Custom Connector to your Registry.
  5. Restart Power BI.

The Xtract Universal data source is now available within Power BI Desktop.
powerbi-datasource

Power BI Settings

To use the Xtract Universal data source efficiently, adjust the following settings in Power BI Desktop:

  1. Navigate to File > Options and settings > Options.
  2. Open the Security tab and activate the option (Not Recommended) Allow any extension to load without validation or warning.
    Power BI cache
  3. Optional: Increase the Power BI cache in the tab Load Data to prevent multiple calls from Power BI to Xtract Universal when extracting large data volumes. Multiple calls result in in multiple entries for the same extraction in the Xtract Universal extraction log.
    Power BI cache

Connect Power BI Desktop with Xtract Universal

To use an Xtract Universal extraction in Power BI Desktop:

  1. Select Xtract Universal from the Get Data menu.
  2. Click [Connect].
  3. Enter the server address of the machine that runs Xtract Universal using the following format: <Protocol>://<HOST or IP address>:<Port>/.
    powerbi-XU_URL
  4. When prompted for authentication, enter your the authentication details. For more information, see Single Sign On and SAP authentication.
  5. The "Navigator" window lists all extractions that use the Connect Xtract Universal to Power BI Desktop (Custom Connector) destination in Xtract Universal. Select an extraction from the list. The preview data shows the actual SAP column headers and preview data (real data or dummy data, depending on the extraction type).
    powerbi-navigator
  6. Click [Load]. This triggers the extraction and writes the extracted SAP data to Power BI.

Your SAP data is now available for further processing.

Parameters

The Xtract Universal Custom Connector can pass custom runtime parameter to Xtract Universal when creating a report based on a selected extraction. Power BI Desktop lists all custom runtime parameters in the Navigator menu. The parameters can be filled with values from within Power BI Desktop.
XU-Custom-Parameter-exposed

You can find a list of all custom runtime parameters of an extraction in the Custom tab of the "Run Extraction" menu:
XU-Custom-Parameter-exposed

Last update: January 16, 2026