Introduction

From version 4.1 and higher it is possible to add Power BI as an external data source. To be able to use this functionality it is required to configure the Tenant ID, Client ID and Client Secret of your Azure application. Please check the related articles or search for Power BI to find the manual which explains how the Azure application can be created.

This guide explains how the external data source can be created in the designer and how the Power BI element can be used within your template design.

Requirements

If you want to setup Power BI in the designer you need to meet the following requirements:

• Have administrator access to the designer of TDM.
• Have the Client ID, Tenant ID and Client Secret values available, they need to be used when creating the data source
• Have access to the Azure platform and have the permissions to create applications.
• Have permissions within Azure platform to grant admin consent on applications.

How to create an Azure application for Power BI

1. Sign in with your account to portal.azure.com
   
   
2. Select Azure Active Directory.
   
   Select App registrations.
   
   
   Select New registration
   
   Fill in a name for your application, for example: TDM Power BI
   
   
3. Set the “Supported account types” to: “Accounts in this organizational directory only”.
   
   
   
4. Please configure the following redirect URL: https://socialmedia.tdmsignage.com/connect/powerbi.aspx
   
   (Please make sure a WEB platform is selected and then add the URL. This can be edited afterwards by selecting the tab “Authentication”, then please select “Add a platform” and select the WEB platform and add the URL)
   
   
5. Once the application has been created please visit the tab “API permissions” and configure the following permissions. Also make sure to grant Admin consent for your Tenant.
   
   
   
6. Once you have configured the API permissions a client secret can be created in the tab “Certificates & Secrets”
   
   
   Please select “New client secret” and add a description, for example: TDM Power BI
   
   
7. Once the client secret has been created please copy the value as this will be encrypted once you leave the Azure Application page. The Tenant ID and Client ID can be found in the tab “Overview”.
   
   
8. You finished the steps for setting up the Azure application. The credentials you have created need to be configured in the TDM Designer. They will be requested once you create a Power BI data source in TDM.

How To setup Power BI

Setting up the external data source

1. Please login to the designer with an administrator account: https://designer.tdmsignage.com/
   
   
2. Please open the “Config panel”, this can be selected in the menu on the left side of the designer.
   
   
   
3. Please open the tab called “External Data” to open the overview of your data sources.
   
   
   
4. Please select the “+” button on the right side to create a new data source.
   
   
   
5. In the pop-up which will open you will see all the standard data sources which can be configured in TDM. Fill in a name for your data source and select Power BI. Once filled in select “Next”.
   
   
   
6. In the next window we need to fill in the information regarding the Azure Application. Fill in the Client ID, Tenant ID and Client secret which have been created following the manual regarding how to create the Azure application.  
   
   
   Once filled in you can select “Next” and save the data source. You now have successfully configured the data source. Now we can continue and use the data source within our template design.

Using the data source within your template design

1. Please open “Content Creation” from the menu on the left side and select “Templates”.
   
   
   
2. Please create or edit a template. This will bring you into the template editor.
   
   
   
3. Please select the “Power BI” element. This is the element with the following icon:
   
   
   
4. Once the element is selected you can create an element within your template design by clicking and holding the left mouse button. Now you can draw a frame within the template which will be used for the Power BI element.
   
   
   
5. Once you release your left mouse button a pop-up will be opened. This is the place where we can configure the Power BI element. With this example we will link a dashboard from Power BI to be displayed.
   
   Please fill in the following fields:
   Tab: General
   Name: Fill in the name of the element, for example “Power BI”
   
   Tab: Layout
   Good to know: You can change the size of the element if you press “Show positions”. Here you can adjust the size in pixels. For example, if you use Full HD and want to have the counter full screen fill in the following positions:
   
   
   Tab: Data
   Data source: Here you can select the data source we have created in the previous steps
   
   Type: This option will become available once the data source is selected. Here you can choose the type of workspace you want to display within the template. In this example we select “Dashboard”.
   
   Element: This option will become available once the data source is selected. The options which will become available depend on the type of workplace which has been selected. In this example we select “TDM Signage”.
   
   
   
6. Once you have finished configuring all the fields please press “Save”. The pop-up will now close and the element will become visible in the template editor.
   
   
   Once you reach this step you have successfully setup Power BI. Now you can add additional elements if needed. Once you have finished your template you can create a page based on the template and add this to your playlist.