How to connect Power BI to Priority ERP
Short answer
Power BI can read Priority through its OData feed, through a reporting copy of the SQL Server database, or through a data warehouse that you load on a schedule. For on-prem Priority, use an on-premises data gateway for refresh.
Priority has its own reports and dashboards, and for many questions they are enough. Teams reach for Power BI when they need to combine Priority with other data, such as machine data, CRM or budgets, or when management wants a consistent design across the company.
There are three ways to feed it, and the right one depends on volume and on how much load your Priority server can take. The OData feed is the simplest to set up. A reporting database copy is faster for large tables. A warehouse is the best when many reports share the same cleaned data.
The technical connection is the easy part. The harder part is deciding the definitions: what counts as on-time delivery, how scrap is measured, which date is the order date. Settle those before building visuals.
What teams use it for
On-time delivery and order backlog
Track promised versus shipped dates by customer, product group and plant, with backlog aging by week.
Inventory and turns
Show stock value by warehouse, slow-moving parts and coverage in days, combined with open purchase order receipts.
Purchasing performance
Supplier delivery reliability, price variance versus last receipt and open commitments by buyer.
Production status and WIP
Work order progress, scrap and yield, and WIP value by routing step, depending on how your shop reports in Priority.
Finance views
Receivables aging, margin by customer or product, and month-end comparison to budget alongside external data.
Priority ERP integration surface
- The Priority OData v4 service can be consumed from Power BI as an OData feed. It is simple, respects Priority logic and permissions, and suits moderate data volumes.
- On self-hosted installations, the underlying SQL Server database can be read for reporting, typically from a replica or restored copy to protect production. Table and column names are Priority specific, so map them carefully and check with your vendor on supported practices.
- Priority forms and reports can be exported to Excel or CSV, which supports small or ad hoc dashboards without any live connection.
- A data warehouse or lakehouse loaded by scheduled extracts is a common choice when several tools share the same data.
- The on-premises data gateway lets Power BI service refresh from a server that is not exposed to the internet. Details depend on your network and licensing.
How it works
- 1
Agree on the definitions
Write down each measure with its source fields and filters. Have operations and finance sign off before any build.
- 2
Choose the connection
Use OData for a pilot and small volumes. Move to a reporting copy or warehouse when refresh times grow or when the feed slows users down.
- 3
Install the gateway if needed
For on-prem Priority, install the on-premises data gateway on a server that can reach the data source, and register the data source in the Power BI service.
- 4
Model the data
Build a star schema with a date table, customers, parts, suppliers and facts for orders, receipts and stock. Do the joins in the model, not in every report.
- 5
Build and secure reports
Create the dashboards, and apply row-level security by plant, sales region or business unit where needed.
- 6
Schedule refresh and monitor
Set refresh times outside peak order entry, alert on failures, and track load on the Priority server.
Example flows
Daily backlog dashboard
Trigger: Scheduled refresh at 05:00
- Gateway queries order lines and shipments from the reporting source.
- Model computes open quantity and aging buckets.
- Dashboard shows backlog by customer and week.
Result: Sales and planning start the day with the same numbers.
Supplier reliability review
Trigger: Monthly procurement meeting
- Report joins purchase order lines with goods receipts.
- Measure compares promised and actual receipt dates.
- Visual ranks suppliers by lateness and value.
Result: Buyers see which suppliers need escalation, with the data behind the ranking.
Keeping data on-prem
With a self-hosted Priority server, keep the data inside your network and let the Power BI service refresh through the on-premises gateway, or use Power BI Report Server where your licensing allows a fully internal setup. Read from a reporting copy rather than production for heavy models. If natural-language Q&A is wanted without sending data outside, a local model that translates questions into queries over the same reporting layer is an option, with the answers shown beside the dashboards.
Security checklist
- Use a read-only account for the Power BI connection, and avoid personal credentials in shared datasets.
- Apply row-level security for plants, regions or customers, and test it with real user accounts.
- Restrict the gateway server and keep it patched, since it holds data source credentials.
- Review sharing settings so reports with margins or prices are not published to wide audiences.
Ways to get it done
Priority's built-in reports and dashboards
Effort: Low
Enough for single-system views and operational lists. No extra tooling.
Power BI over OData or a reporting copy
Effort: Two to six weeks for a first set
Good for cross-source dashboards where you own a BI developer or analyst.
Warehouse plus Power BI plus natural-language Q&A, with Netray
Effort: Scoped project
Fits larger estates where several systems feed the same views and users want to ask questions in plain language.
Pitfalls
- !Pulling large tables through OData repeatedly and slowing the production Priority server.
- !Building measures separately in each report, so numbers differ between dashboards.
- !Forgetting time zones and fiscal calendars in the date logic.
- !Querying SQL tables directly without understanding which fields Priority maintains through triggers.
- !Giving everyone access to cost and margin data by default.
Frequently asked questions
Does Priority have a Power BI connector?
Power BI can read the Priority OData feed using its standard OData connector. Check with Priority or your partner for any packaged connector or templates for your version, since availability varies.
Should I connect directly to the SQL database?
Only through a reporting copy, and only if your support terms allow it. Direct reads can be faster for big tables, but you must handle Priority's table structure yourself and avoid loading production.
Do I need a gateway?
If Priority is self-hosted and not reachable from the Power BI service, yes. The on-premises data gateway lets scheduled refresh work without exposing the server. Cloud-hosted Priority may not need one.
Can users ask questions in plain language?
Power BI offers its own natural-language features depending on licence and settings. For richer, grounded Q&A over ERP data on-prem, a local model over the same semantic layer is an alternative.
How often can data refresh?
It depends on volume, license limits and the load Priority can bear. Daily or several times a day is common. Near real time usually needs a different design, such as streaming or direct queries to a replica.
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