Question

Connecting Power BI Report Builder v15.6 to Report Server – How do you connect Power BI Report Builder v15.6 to a Power BI Report Server? Getting connectivity issues.

I’m trying to connect Power BI Report Builder v15.6 to a Power BI Report Server but encountering connectivity issues. I’ve verified the server URL and authentication settings, but the connection either times out or returns an error. Has anyone successfully connected this version of Report Builder to a Report Server? Are there specific settings or steps required to ensure a stable connection?

Answer 1

Sometimes, when connecting Power BI Report Builder v15.6 to a Power BI Report Server, connectivity is hindered due to some bad URL formatting, troubles in authentication, or network restrictions.

Troubleshooting Steps:
Check below steps to obtain the Server URL- Be sure you have the right server URL; it will come in this format:

http://<ReportServerName>/reportserver

If using HTTPS, check the SSL certificate configuration.

Authentication Settings: Power BI Report Builder supports Windows and Basic authentication. Make sure your credentials have the required permissions to access the Report Server.

Firewall & Network Configurations: If your connection times out, check your firewall rules to allow inbound traffic on the ports used by the Report Server (the defaults are 80 for HTTP and 443 for HTTPS).

Check that the Report Server is set for Native Mode. For compatibility with Report Builder, it should not be in SharePoint Integrated Mode.

The last thing to check is the server logs for error messages. Review the Reporting Services log files (located at C: Program FilesMicrosoft Power BI Report ServerLogFiles) for information on any failed connections.

If anyone has successfully connected Report Builder v15.6 to the Report Server, I would be grateful for insights on any additional steps or settings that might have been necessary.