Glossary Term

Power BI Data Access Pattern

The architecture choice that defines how Power BI reaches AS400 or IBM i data for reporting.

Definition

A Power BI data access pattern is the selected way reporting tools reach Db2 for i and related IBM i data. Each pattern carries different implications for production risk and ownership.

  • DirectQuery
  • Import mode
  • Scheduled extracts
  • Replicated reporting stores
  • API-backed datasets

The pattern should be chosen by production risk and business intent, not only connector availability.

Example

A finance dashboard may use imported and governed data while an operational exception report uses a narrower API-backed dataset.