Microsoft Dynamics NAV, commonly known as Navision, is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution used to manage areas such as finance, sales, purchasing, inventory, and business operations.
Connecting Dynamics NAV to Power BI allows organizations to bring business data into interactive reports and dashboards. Instead of manually reviewing information across different ERP records, users can analyze sales, inventory, purchasing, financial, and operational data in one reporting environment.
Note: The available connection options can vary depending on your Dynamics NAV version and deployment. Microsoft currently lists Dynamics NAV as supported in Power BI semantic models.
What You Need Before Connecting
Before starting the connection, make sure you have:
- Power BI Desktop installed
- Access to the required Dynamics NAV environment
- Permission to access the NAV data you want to analyze
- The required NAV service or OData endpoint configured
- The appropriate company information
- Network access to the NAV service, if required
For NAV environments that expose data through OData, you will need the appropriate OData Feed URL and authentication details.
Step 1: Open Power BI Desktop
Launch Power BI Desktop.
From the Home tab, select:
Home → Get Data
This opens the list of available data sources.
Step 2: Select the Dynamics NAV Connector
In the Get Data window, search for:
Dynamics NAV
Select the Dynamics NAV connector and select Connect.
Microsoft currently lists Dynamics NAV as a supported connector for Power BI semantic models.
Step 3: Enter the Connection Details
The connection details required depend on how your Dynamics NAV environment is configured.
For environments using an OData-based NAV connection, provide the appropriate OData Feed URL supplied by your NAV administrator.
The OData Feed URL identifies the NAV service that Power BI will use to retrieve the available data.
Step 4: Authenticate the Connection
Power BI will request the authentication information required by the configured NAV connection.
For the Dynamics NAV connector, Microsoft's connector documentation identifies connection parameters including:
- OData Feed URL
- Username
- Password
- Company
Enter the credentials provided for your NAV environment and select Connect.
If you are connecting through the standard OData Feed connector instead, Power Query can present authentication options based on the OData service configuration. Supported authentication types include options such as Anonymous, Windows, Basic, Web API, and Organizational Account, depending on the environment.
Step 5: Select the NAV Data
After the connection is established, Power BI displays the available NAV data sources.
Depending on your NAV version, configuration, and permissions, the available information may include:
- Customers
- Vendors
- Items
- Sales information
- Purchase information
- Invoices
- Inventory
- General ledger information
- Employees
- Other published NAV data
Select the data sources required for your report.
You can choose:
Load
to import the data directly, or:
Transform Data
to prepare the data before loading it into Power BI.
For most reporting projects, Transform Data is useful when the source data needs cleaning or restructuring.
Step 6: Transform the Data Using Power Query
Selecting Transform Data opens the Power Query Editor.
Power Query allows you to prepare the NAV data before it becomes part of your Power BI model.
Common transformation tasks include:
- Removing unnecessary columns
- Renaming columns
- Changing data types
- Filtering records
- Removing duplicate records
- Replacing missing or incorrect values
- Splitting columns
- Combining related data
- Creating custom columns
For example, when preparing a sales report, you may keep fields such as:
- Invoice Date
- Customer Name
- Item
- Quantity
- Unit Price
- Sales Amount
- Salesperson
- Location
Keeping only the information required for the report can make the data model easier to manage.
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Step 7: Apply the Data Transformations
After completing the required transformations, select:
Home → Close & Apply
Power BI applies the Power Query steps and loads the prepared data into the report.
Step 8: Build Your Power BI Report
Once the NAV data has been loaded, you can create interactive visualizations using Power BI.
For example, a sales report could include:
Sales Overview
Display key metrics such as:
- Total Sales
- Number of Invoices
- Total Quantity Sold
Sales by Customer
Compare sales performance across customers and identify high-value accounts.
Sales by Product
Analyze which products generate the highest sales.
Monthly Sales Trends
Track sales performance over time and identify changes in monthly revenue.
Inventory Analysis
Monitor inventory levels and identify products that may require attention.
Salesperson Performance
Compare sales performance across sales representatives.
Power BI allows you to combine charts, tables, cards, slicers, and other visuals to create an interactive reporting experience.
Step 9: Create Relationships Between Data Sources
If your report uses multiple NAV data sources, create relationships between the relevant fields.
For example:
Customers → Sales → Products
A well-structured data model helps Power BI correctly filter and analyze information across different data sources.
When creating relationships:
- Make sure related columns use compatible data types.
- Use the appropriate relationship type.
- Check for duplicate values in key columns.
- Make sure the relationship reflects the actual business process.
- Avoid unnecessary relationships that can create ambiguous filtering.
A properly structured model can make your reports easier to maintain and analyze.
Step 10: Publish the Report to Power BI Service
After completing the report in Power BI Desktop, select:
Home → Publish
Choose the appropriate Power BI workspace.
After publishing, the report and its semantic model can be accessed through Power BI Service based on the permissions configured for the workspace.
Step 11: Configure Data Refresh
Dynamics NAV data can change regularly as new sales, purchases, inventory movements, and other transactions are recorded.
To keep the Power BI report up to date, configure the appropriate refresh settings after publishing the report.
If the NAV environment is hosted on-premises or behind a private network, an on-premises data gateway may be required so that Power BI Service can access the data source for refresh.
The exact refresh configuration depends on where NAV is hosted and how the connection has been configured.
Common Issues When Connecting Power BI to Dynamics NAV
Dynamics NAV Connector Is Not Available
If you cannot find the Dynamics NAV connector, make sure you are using a current version of Power BI Desktop and search for Dynamics NAV in the Get Data window.
Microsoft currently lists Dynamics NAV as supported for Power BI semantic models.
Authentication Failed
If authentication fails, check:
- Username and password
- NAV permissions
- Company information
- OData Feed URL
- NAV service availability
- Authentication method configured for the connection
For OData connections, Power Query uses the authentication options supported by the specific OData service.
Required Data Is Not Available
If the data you need does not appear in the Navigator, check whether:
- The required data has been published or exposed by NAV.
- Your account has permission to access it.
- The correct company has been selected.
- The correct NAV service or OData endpoint is being used.
The available data depends on the NAV configuration and the services exposed by the environment.
OData Authentication Error
If you are connecting to NAV through an OData endpoint and Power BI cannot authenticate, verify that the authentication method selected in Power BI matches the authentication configuration of the OData service.
You can also review the saved data-source permissions in Power BI Desktop:
File → Options and settings → Data source settings
From there, you can edit or clear the saved credentials and reconnect using the appropriate authentication method.
Connection to NAV Service Failed
If Power BI cannot reach the NAV service, check:
- NAV server availability
- Service or OData URL
- Network connectivity
- Firewall settings
- User permissions
- NAV service configuration
If the NAV service is hosted within a private network, additional network or gateway configuration may be required.
Report Refresh Is Failing
If the report works correctly in Power BI Desktop but fails to refresh after publishing, review:
- Data source credentials
- Gateway configuration
- NAV service availability
- Network connectivity
- Refresh settings
For an on-premises NAV environment, make sure the required data source is configured correctly through the appropriate gateway.
Best Practices for Power BI and Dynamics NAV
Start With the Business Requirement
Before connecting large amounts of NAV data, determine what the report needs to answer.
For example:
- How much did we sell this month?
- Which customers generate the most revenue?
- Which products are performing best?
- What are our current inventory levels?
- How are sales changing over time?
Starting with the reporting requirement helps you identify the data you actually need.
Load Only the Required Data
Avoid importing unnecessary data sources and columns.
A focused data model can make reports easier to understand, maintain, and optimize.
Use Power Query for Data Preparation
Use Power Query to clean and transform source data before building your report.
This creates a more consistent dataset for analysis and reduces unnecessary transformation work later in the report.
Build a Structured Data Model
When working with multiple NAV data sources, create clear relationships between related information.
For example: Customer information → Sales transactions → Product information
A structured model makes filtering, calculations, and reporting easier to manage.
Plan Your Refresh Strategy
Determine how frequently the business needs updated information.
If the report depends on frequently changing NAV data, make sure the connection, credentials, gateway, and refresh configuration are all set up correctly.
Conclusion
Connecting Microsoft Dynamics NAV (Navision) to Power BI provides a practical way to turn ERP information into interactive business reports.
By connecting to the appropriate NAV data source, preparing the information with Power Query, creating a structured data model, and configuring the required refresh settings, organizations can analyze sales, inventory, purchasing, finance, and other operational information more effectively.
The exact connection process can vary depending on the Dynamics NAV version, deployment, available services, and authentication configuration. For OData-based connections, Power BI provides the OData Feed connector and supports multiple authentication methods depending on the service configuration.
With the right data model and reporting approach, Power BI can turn Dynamics NAV data into clear, interactive insights that support everyday business decisions.
