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What is Export PBIDS in Power BI?

Cody Schneider••8 min read

Ever wish you could give a new team member a simple shortcut to your company's main database, so they could start building Power BI reports without asking you for the server name for the tenth time? That’s exactly what a PBIDS file is for. This article will walk you through what PBIDS files are, how to create them, and why they’re a small but incredibly useful feature for streamlining your data workflow.

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What is a PBIDS File, Exactly?

PBIDS stands for Power BI Data Source. In the simplest terms, a PBIDS file is a tiny shortcut that contains connection information for a single data source. Think of it like a shortcut to a website on your desktop. The shortcut icon isn’t the website itself, but it holds the address (the URL) so you can get there with a single click. A PBIDS file does the same thing for your data.

When someone opens a PBIDS file, it launches Power BI Desktop and takes them directly to the authentication step for the specified data source, bypassing all the initial configuration clicks. It’s a "fast-track" file designed to get report builders to the right data source as quickly and easily as possible.

Each PBIDS file is a plain text file written in JSON format. It typically contains three key pieces of information:

  • The type of data source (e.g., Salesforce, SQL Server, Google Analytics).
  • The address or connection details (e.g., the server name and database name).
  • The connection mode (either Import or DirectQuery).

You could even open one in a text editor like Notepad. For a connection to a SQL Server database, it might look something like this:

{
  "version": "0.1",
  "connections": [
    {
      "details": {
        "protocol": "tds",
        "address": {
          "server": "Example-SQL-Server",
          "database": "SalesData_Production"
        }
      },
      "options": {},
      "mode": "DirectQuery"
    }
  ]
}

What’s just as important is understanding what a PBIDS file doesn't contain. It does not include:

  • Credentials: No usernames or passwords are saved in the file, keeping it secure. The user must always authenticate with their own credentials.
  • Data: The file is just a connection string, it’s completely separate from the actual data.
  • A Data Model: There are no relationships, DAX measures, or custom columns.
  • Report Elements: No visuals, report pages, themes, or Power Query steps are part of a PBIDS file.

It exists for one reason: to create a standardized, error-proof starting point for connecting to a data source.

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Why Use PBIDS Files? The Key Benefits

This might seem like a small feature, but in a team environment, it solves several common and frustrating problems. Here’s why you should start using them.

Standardize Your Data Connections

For any team that shares data sources, PBIDS files are a game-changer for consistency. A data analyst or IT administrator can create an "official" PBIDS file for the main sales database, the marketing data warehouse, or the production Salesforce environment. By sharing this file, you ensure that everyone on the team is connecting to the exact same source with the correct server names and settings.

This simple step eliminates common mistakes like:

  • A new hire connecting to the old, outdated database.
  • Someone accidentally building a report against the development server instead of the production one.
  • Team members using different connection modes (Import vs. DirectQuery), leading to inconsistent report performance.

With a PBIDS file, you define the "single source of truth" once and share it with everyone.

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Onboard New Users Faster

Getting started with Power BI can be intimidating. The "Get Data" dialog presents hundreds of choices, and even after selecting the right one, users have to know the specific server addresses and configuration details. A PBIDS file streamlines this entire process into a single double-click.

Instead of writing a lengthy onboarding document with server names and screenshots, you can just email a file named CompanyDataWarehouse.pbids to a new analyst. They open the file, enter their credentials, and immediately get access to the data navigator to start building. It reduces friction and helps them be productive faster.

Save Time and Reduce Repetitive Clicks

Even for experienced analysts, building reports often means connecting to the same handful of data sources over and over again. Navigating the Get Data → Database → SQL Server menu and typing or pasting in the server name takes time. While it's only a few seconds, those seconds add up across dozens of reports.

Keeping a folder of frequently used PBIDS files on your desktop can act as a personal launchpad for new projects. Need to build a new marketing report? Double-click GoogleAnalytics.pbids and you’re off to the races.

How to Create a PBIDS File in Power BI Desktop

Creating a PBIDS file is incredibly straightforward. It takes less than a minute once you know where to look. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

  1. Get Your Connection Set Up: First, you need a Power BI report (.pbix) file that is already connected to the data source you want to export. You can either open an existing report or create a new one and connect to your data source via Get Data.
  2. Open Data Source Settings: With the report open, navigate to File > Options and settings > Data sources settings.
  3. Select a Data Source: A dialog box will appear listing all the data sources in the current report. Click on the single data source you wish to create a shortcut for. It's important to note you can only export one connection per PBIDS file.
  4. Export PBIDS: With the data source highlighted, click the Export PBIDS button at the bottom of the dialog.
  5. Name and Save Your File: A standard "Save As" window will pop up. Choose a clear and descriptive name for your file, like Northwind-Sales-DB.pbids, and save it to a convenient location.

That's it! You now have a reusable PBIDS file ready to be shared with your team or used for your own projects.

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How to Use a PBIDS File

Using a PBIDS file is even easier than creating one. All a user has to do is double-click the .pbids file they received.

Here’s the user experience:

  1. Power BI Desktop will open automatically (if it isn't already running).
  2. It will skip the Home screen and splash page and immediately open the specific authentication dialog for the data source defined in the PBIDS file (e.g., the sign-in window for SQL Server or your Microsoft account).
  3. The user enters their personal login credentials.
  4. Once they’re successfully authenticated, the Navigator window appears. This is the familiar interface where they can browse and select the specific tables, views, or other objects they need for their report.
  5. After selecting their data, they can click Load to import it directly or Transform Data to open the Power Query Editor for further cleaning and preparation.

The entire “finding the right connector and entering the server details” part of the workflow is completely automated.

PBIDS vs. PBIT (Power BI Templates): What’s the Difference?

It's easy to mix up PBIDS files with PBIT (Power BI Template) files, as both are used for streamlining report creation. However, they serve very different purposes.

Let's break down the key differences:

PBIDS (Power BI Data Source)

  • Purpose: To standardize and accelerate the process of connecting to a single data source.
  • Contents: Contains only the connection information (server, database, mode). Nothing else.
  • Analogy: A shortcut to a specific database folder on a server.
  • When to Use: Use a PBIDS file when you want your team to start a brand new, blank report but ensure they all connect to the same approved source of data.

PBIT (Power BI Template)

  • Purpose: To standardize the entire report structure and design.
  • Contents: Contains everything except the data. This includes the data model, relationships, all DAX measures, Power Query steps, report pages, visuals, themes, and parameters.
  • Analogy: A stencil or blueprint for an entire dashboard.
  • When to Use: Use a PBIT file when you want team members to create reports that have a consistent layout, branding, and business logic. For example, you could create a "Standard Monthly Sales Report.pbit" template. Each regional manager can open it, connect to their region's data, and get a perfectly formatted report without having to rebuild any visuals or write any DAX.

In short: use PBIDS to standardize the starting point (the data connection) and use PBIT to standardize the end product (the report design and logic).

Final Thoughts

PBIDS files are a small but highly practical feature in Power BI that helps teams work more efficiently and consistently. By creating simple, shareable shortcuts to key data sources, you can onboard new users faster, reduce manual errors, and ensure everyone is building from the same source of truth.

While PBIDS files streamline the initial connection in Power BI, the mission to make data analysis simpler doesn't stop there. We built Graphed to simplify the entire data workflow - from connection to insight. Instead of manually building out visuals, you can simply ask questions in plain English and get fully interactive dashboards built for you automatically, giving your entire team the power to get answers from your data in seconds, not hours.

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