Connecting Power BI to KoBo

The easiest way to connect Microsoft Power BI and view all non-public datasets in KoBo is by

Step 1: Connecting to the following web url (https://kc.humanitarianresponse.info/api/v1/data?format=csv) then entering your KoBo username and password.You will receive a CSV file with a directory of all your datasets and their respective URL.

**Step 2: **Copy the URL of the dataset you need to connect to then add it again as a new Web source.

You can alternatively use the attached BI file to skip Step 1 - it will only prompt you to enter your username and password once when you access the query editor.

KoBo Power BI Connector.pbix (124 KB)

···
1 Like

Hello

Thanks for this nice blog. What if i need to connect to the file with codes replaced or choices replaced by english label. Is there a way to do so please. Because right now I only get to connect to the codes not labels.

Thanks, -Hanna

···

On Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at 4:12:06 PM UTC+2, Chris Habib wrote:

The easiest way to connect Microsoft Power BI and view all non-public datasets in KoBo is by

Step 1: Connecting to the following web url (https://kc.humanitarianresponse.info/api/v1/data?format=csv) then entering your KoBo username and password. You will receive a CSV file with a directory of all your datasets and their respective URL.

**Step 2: **Copy the URL of the dataset you need to connect to then add it again as a new Web source.

You can alternatively use the attached BI file to skip Step 1 - it will only prompt you to enter your username and password once when you access the query editor.

2 Likes

Hi Chris! Thanks for this - it appears really straightforward. Question for you - are there settings that you need to change in Kobo prior to the connection being active? I keep getting the message that “we couldn’t authenticate with the credentials provided” - as are my colleagues (all with different account names). Any advice?

Thanks!

Shannon

···

On Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at 5:12:06 PM UTC+3, Chris Habib wrote:

The easiest way to connect Microsoft Power BI and view all non-public datasets in KoBo is by

Step 1: Connecting to the following web url (https://kc.humanitarianresponse.info/api/v1/data?format=csv) then entering your KoBo username and password. You will receive a CSV file with a directory of all your datasets and their respective URL.

**Step 2: **Copy the URL of the dataset you need to connect to then add it again as a new Web source.

You can alternatively use the attached BI file to skip Step 1 - it will only prompt you to enter your username and password once when you access the query editor.

Hi Shannon, yes you do need to change your data sharing setting to “Public”. Also please find attached the updated version of the converter that links to KoBo to retrieve data labels rather than names. Make sure you read the readme file with it :slight_smile: P.S: if you are using a different KoBo instance of humanitarianresponse.info then you will need to change the link manually

KoBo To Power BI Connector v2.zip (131 KB)

···

On Friday, September 22, 2017 at 1:12:05 PM UTC+3, Shannon L wrote:

Hi Chris! Thanks for this - it appears really straightforward. Question for you - are there settings that you need to change in Kobo prior to the connection being active? I keep getting the message that “we couldn’t authenticate with the credentials provided” - as are my colleagues (all with different account names). Any advice?

Thanks!

Shannon

On Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at 5:12:06 PM UTC+3, Chris Habib wrote:

The easiest way to connect Microsoft Power BI and view all non-public datasets in KoBo is by

Step 1: Connecting to the following web url (https://kc.humanitarianresponse.info/api/v1/data?format=csv) then entering your KoBo username and password. You will receive a CSV file with a directory of all your datasets and their respective URL.

**Step 2: **Copy the URL of the dataset you need to connect to then add it again as a new Web source.

You can alternatively use the attached BI file to skip Step 1 - it will only prompt you to enter your username and password once when you access the query editor.

Hi Chris,
after publishing the report on the web, and if there were new inputs. is there is any way to update the puplished dashboard automatically according to inputs

···

On Saturday, September 23, 2017 at 6:47:50 PM UTC+3, Chris Habib wrote:

Hi Shannon, yes you do need to change your data sharing setting to “Public”. Also please find attached the updated version of the converter that links to KoBo to retrieve data labels rather than names. Make sure you read the readme file with it :slight_smile: P.S: if you are using a different KoBo instance of humanitarianresponse.info then you will need to change the link manually

On Friday, September 22, 2017 at 1:12:05 PM UTC+3, Shannon L wrote:

Hi Chris! Thanks for this - it appears really straightforward. Question for you - are there settings that you need to change in Kobo prior to the connection being active? I keep getting the message that “we couldn’t authenticate with the credentials provided” - as are my colleagues (all with different account names). Any advice?

Thanks!

Shannon

On Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at 5:12:06 PM UTC+3, Chris Habib wrote:

The easiest way to connect Microsoft Power BI and view all non-public datasets in KoBo is by

Step 1: Connecting to the following web url (https://kc.humanitarianresponse.info/api/v1/data?format=csv) then entering your KoBo username and password. You will receive a CSV file with a directory of all your datasets and their respective URL.

**Step 2: **Copy the URL of the dataset you need to connect to then add it again as a new Web source.

You can alternatively use the attached BI file to skip Step 1 - it will only prompt you to enter your username and password once when you access the query editor.

Hi Chris,

I am using the KoBo to Power BI Connector v2. Getting the error below after I enter my credentials. Anyone who can assist, I would greatly appreciate. Thanks.

···

On Saturday, 23 September 2017 18:47:50 UTC+3, Chris Habib wrote:

Hi Shannon, yes you do need to change your data sharing setting to “Public”. Also please find attached the updated version of the converter that links to KoBo to retrieve data labels rather than names. Make sure you read the readme file with it :slight_smile: P.S: if you are using a different KoBo instance of humanitarianresponse.info then you will need to change the link manually

On Friday, September 22, 2017 at 1:12:05 PM UTC+3, Shannon L wrote:

Hi Chris! Thanks for this - it appears really straightforward. Question for you - are there settings that you need to change in Kobo prior to the connection being active? I keep getting the message that “we couldn’t authenticate with the credentials provided” - as are my colleagues (all with different account names). Any advice?

Thanks!

Shannon

On Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at 5:12:06 PM UTC+3, Chris Habib wrote:

The easiest way to connect Microsoft Power BI and view all non-public datasets in KoBo is by

Step 1: Connecting to the following web url (https://kc.humanitarianresponse.info/api/v1/data?format=csv) then entering your KoBo username and password. You will receive a CSV file with a directory of all your datasets and their respective URL.

**Step 2: **Copy the URL of the dataset you need to connect to then add it again as a new Web source.

You can alternatively use the attached BI file to skip Step 1 - it will only prompt you to enter your username and password once when you access the query editor.

HI chris,

Hoping you can help we are trying to connect, have followed all the steps but receiving error from power bi:

Details: “The credentials provided cannot be used for the Web source. Please update the credential type through a refresh or in the Data Source Settings dialog to continue. (Source at KoboToolbox)”

I only used the base url https://kf.kobotoolbox.org do I need to grab more?

Many thanks,

Meredith

···

On Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at 9:12:06 AM UTC-5, Chris Habib wrote:

The easiest way to connect Microsoft Power BI and view all non-public datasets in KoBo is by

Step 1: Connecting to the following web url (https://kc.humanitarianresponse.info/api/v1/data?format=csv) then entering your KoBo username and password. You will receive a CSV file with a directory of all your datasets and their respective URL.

**Step 2: **Copy the URL of the dataset you need to connect to then add it again as a new Web source.

You can alternatively use the attached BI file to skip Step 1 - it will only prompt you to enter your username and password once when you access the query editor.

HI Dan - I am also having this error now

···

On Sunday, May 20, 2018 at 9:53:28 AM UTC-4, Dan Kaigua wrote:

Hi Chris,

I am using the KoBo to Power BI Connector v2. Getting the error below after I enter my credentials. Anyone who can assist, I would greatly appreciate. Thanks.

On Saturday, 23 September 2017 18:47:50 UTC+3, Chris Habib wrote:

Hi Shannon, yes you do need to change your data sharing setting to “Public”. Also please find attached the updated version of the converter that links to KoBo to retrieve data labels rather than names. Make sure you read the readme file with it :slight_smile: P.S: if you are using a different KoBo instance of humanitarianresponse.info then you will need to change the link manually

On Friday, September 22, 2017 at 1:12:05 PM UTC+3, Shannon L wrote:

Hi Chris! Thanks for this - it appears really straightforward. Question for you - are there settings that you need to change in Kobo prior to the connection being active? I keep getting the message that “we couldn’t authenticate with the credentials provided” - as are my colleagues (all with different account names). Any advice?

Thanks!

Shannon

On Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at 5:12:06 PM UTC+3, Chris Habib wrote:

The easiest way to connect Microsoft Power BI and view all non-public datasets in KoBo is by

Step 1: Connecting to the following web url (https://kc.humanitarianresponse.info/api/v1/data?format=csv) then entering your KoBo username and password. You will receive a CSV file with a directory of all your datasets and their respective URL.

**Step 2: **Copy the URL of the dataset you need to connect to then add it again as a new Web source.

You can alternatively use the attached BI file to skip Step 1 - it will only prompt you to enter your username and password once when you access the query editor.

@dan did you ever find a solution to the JSON error?

···

On Sunday, May 20, 2018 at 9:53:28 AM UTC-4, Dan Kaigua wrote:

Hi Chris,

I am using the KoBo to Power BI Connector v2. Getting the error below after I enter my credentials. Anyone who can assist, I would greatly appreciate. Thanks.

On Saturday, 23 September 2017 18:47:50 UTC+3, Chris Habib wrote:

Hi Shannon, yes you do need to change your data sharing setting to “Public”. Also please find attached the updated version of the converter that links to KoBo to retrieve data labels rather than names. Make sure you read the readme file with it :slight_smile: P.S: if you are using a different KoBo instance of humanitarianresponse.info then you will need to change the link manually

On Friday, September 22, 2017 at 1:12:05 PM UTC+3, Shannon L wrote:

Hi Chris! Thanks for this - it appears really straightforward. Question for you - are there settings that you need to change in Kobo prior to the connection being active? I keep getting the message that “we couldn’t authenticate with the credentials provided” - as are my colleagues (all with different account names). Any advice?

Thanks!

Shannon

On Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at 5:12:06 PM UTC+3, Chris Habib wrote:

The easiest way to connect Microsoft Power BI and view all non-public datasets in KoBo is by

Step 1: Connecting to the following web url (https://kc.humanitarianresponse.info/api/v1/data?format=csv) then entering your KoBo username and password. You will receive a CSV file with a directory of all your datasets and their respective URL.

**Step 2: **Copy the URL of the dataset you need to connect to then add it again as a new Web source.

You can alternatively use the attached BI file to skip Step 1 - it will only prompt you to enter your username and password once when you access the query editor.

Hi everyone, sorry been missing in action :slight_smile: what KoBo platform are you registered on Meredith/Dan?

···

On Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at 11:12:18 PM UTC-4, Chris Habib wrote:

Hi everyone, sorry been missing in action :slight_smile: what KoBo platform are you registered on Meredith/Dan?

Now I was finally able to connect but the file is not converting as clean when I use the web connection vs having the CSV downloaded. I’ve set all the same parameters as the CSV import. encoding, columns, delimiter but it ends up looking ugly when it comes through the web query, it will ahve extra characters on the header or compress everything into one column.

···

On Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at 11:12:18 PM UTC-4, Chris Habib wrote:

Hi everyone, sorry been missing in action :slight_smile: what KoBo platform are you registered on Meredith/Dan?

Thanks to Chris Habib, it is very useful.

Regarding the permissions to share it publicly, if we are private organizations and we do not want our data to be public, does mean there is no way to access those data by this method? in that case, what other methods to use?

And second, when it comes to reading image URLs inside our survey, how do get that on PowerBI? I can only access the name.jpg field so impossible to display the image itself.

Thanks!

···

El miércoles, 1 de febrero de 2017, 15:12:06 (UTC+1), Chris Habib escribió:

The easiest way to connect Microsoft Power BI and view all non-public datasets in KoBo is by

Step 1: Connecting to the following web url (https://kc.humanitarianresponse.info/api/v1/data?format=csv) then entering your KoBo username and password. You will receive a CSV file with a directory of all your datasets and their respective URL.

**Step 2: **Copy the URL of the dataset you need to connect to then add it again as a new Web source.

You can alternatively use the attached BI file to skip Step 1 - it will only prompt you to enter your username and password once when you access the query editor.

I am also not able to get past the credentials when trying to connect. Our account is under the KoboToolbox.org not the humanitarian.info account, does that make a difference?

I think the base URL for non-humanitarian account is kc.kobotoolbox.org

That is the legacy version URL. kf.kobotoolbox.org should be the most current URL.

Hi
İ am connecting KoBoTollbox to Power Bi with a project has 250,000 rows throgh the next Api:
https://kc.humanitarianresponse.info/api/v1/data/XXXX?format=csv
where XXXX is the id of the project …
is there are any way to retrieve all the rows to make LİVE analyse via Power bi
NOTE:
İ want to link them cloud NOT locally so İ doN’T want to download the XLS file locally
because İ have adjusted Power Bİ to refresh the data cloudy every 1 hour

1 Like

Thank you Chris for the topic.

I have the same question than Mario, how can i connect Power BI to kobo while keeping the data private. I’m working for ngo with sensitive beneficiary data that cannot be public.

Thank you for your answer.
Quentin

I’ve come up with an alternative method that I believe stays secure - please review and let me know what you think:

1 Like

Hello everybody,
How do I display Kobo labels in Power Bi?