How to Connect Power BI to Microsoft Planner or SharePoint Plans
Question details
The user wants to know if Power BI can establish a direct connection to Microsoft Planner or SharePoint plans to visualize project management and task data.
- Product
- Power BI, Microsoft Planner
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to integrate project planning data, track task progress, and create comprehensive management dashboards in Power BI.
- Observed behavior
- Power BI currently lacks a native, direct data connector for Microsoft Planner, requiring users to rely on alternative integration methods or data exports.
Ensure you have the latest version of Power BI Desktop installed, as Microsoft frequently updates available data connectors and integration capabilities.
Export Planner Data to Excel for Power BI Import
Since a direct connector isn't natively available, the most reliable and immediate workaround is to export your Planner data to an Excel file and import it into Power BI.
This method is ideal for one-off reports or infrequent data analysis. It allows you to leverage all your Planner task details without setting up complex automation flows.
Open Microsoft Planner in your web browser and navigate to the specific plan you want to analyze.
Click the three dots (...) at the top of the plan board to open the More menu, then select 'Export plan to Excel' to download a spreadsheet containing all your tasks.
Open Power BI Desktop, click 'Get Data' from the Home ribbon, select 'Excel workbook', and locate your downloaded file to begin creating visualizations.
Use Power Automate to Sync Planner Data to a SharePoint List
For automated data refreshing, you can set up a Power Automate flow to copy Planner tasks into a SharePoint list, which Power BI can easily connect to.
Manage Your Exported Plan Data Seamlessly with WPS Office
If you are using the export-to-Excel workaround to analyze your Planner data, you don't need an expensive Microsoft 365 subscription to view or clean up your spreadsheets. WPS Office is a free, lightweight alternative that lets you edit and organize Excel files effortlessly before importing them into Power BI.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Download and install WPS Office Free from the official website.
- 2. Open WPS Spreadsheets: Launch the application and select the Spreadsheets module.
- 3. Edit your Planner data: Open your exported Planner Excel file to clean or format the data before bringing it into Power BI.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Microsoft add a direct Power BI connector for Planner?
Microsoft periodically updates Power BI connectors based on user feedback. While there is no native Planner connector at the moment, it is a highly requested feature. Always check the latest Power BI Desktop release notes or the Microsoft Fabric community for updates.
Can I connect Power BI to Project for the Web instead of Planner?
Yes. Unlike Planner, Microsoft Project for the Web uses Dataverse to store its data. You can use the native Dataverse connector in Power BI to access Project data directly for your dashboards.
Are there third-party connectors available for Planner and Power BI?
Yes, several third-party integration platforms and custom API connectors exist that can bridge the gap between Planner and Power BI. However, these typically require an additional subscription and technical setup.
