Common Data Endpoint for Power BI
Connecting Power BI to your ALVAO data has always meant creating and maintaining a dedicated application account just for reporting — an extra technical step that has nothing to do with what you're actually trying to see, and a Basic-authentication connection that security teams increasingly flag as a risk.
To fix this, Power BI now connects to ALVAO through a single common data endpoint shared across all SaaS customers, using Microsoft Entra login — so you no longer need to know or configure a specific API endpoint, and reporting access is tied to a real user identity instead of a shared service account.
What it does
The new common endpoint replaces the direct REST API connection that relied on Basic authentication. Instead of provisioning and maintaining a dedicated application account in ALVAO, administrators and report builders sign in with Microsoft Entra ID — the same identity they already use across the Microsoft ecosystem. The endpoint is the same for every SaaS customer, so there is no longer a customer-specific API endpoint to look up or configure, which simplifies both initial setup and ongoing management.
This is aimed at IT administrators and report builders who set up or maintain Power BI reporting on top of ALVAO data. It fits into the existing Power BI connection setup, just with a single shared endpoint and a modern sign-in step in place of account credentials. A new Report readers role lets administrators define precisely who can access data for reporting and analytics, and upgrading an existing Power BI report to the new connection requires only minimal configuration changes.
How it helps in real life
Setting up reporting for a new tenant
Situation: An administrator needs to connect Power BI to ALVAO data, but previously had to first create and secure a dedicated application account before anyone could build a single report.
What you do: Point Power BI at the common endpoint and sign in with Microsoft Entra ID — no application account to provision or maintain.
What you gain: Faster onboarding, one less credential to manage, and a setup step that feels familiar rather than technical.
Satisfying a security review
Situation: A security review flags the existing Basic-authentication connection between Power BI and ALVAO as lacking user-level identity and traceability.
What you do: Switch the connection to the common endpoint and Microsoft Entra login instead of the shared application account.
What you gain: Access tied to a real, auditable user identity, aligned with Microsoft ecosystem standards and easier to justify in a security review.
Administration and setup
Point your Power BI connection to the new common endpoint and sign in with Microsoft Entra ID; there's no dedicated application account left to create or maintain. Assigning the Report readers role lets administrators centrally control who can access reporting data, reducing the administrative overhead of managing report access compared to per-account setups; existing Power BI reports can be upgraded to the new connection with minimal configuration changes.
Available now
Try connecting your next Power BI report through the common endpoint, and let us know how the switch to Microsoft Entra login goes.