Question

How do I configure Power BI to authenticate against Autodesk BIM360 using OAuth 2.0 tokens?

I am working on a project that requires connecting Power BI to Autodesk BIM360 for data integration. Since BIM360 uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication, I need guidance on how to set up Power BI to use OAuth tokens for seamless authentication. Could you provide step-by-step instructions or best practices for this configuration?

Answer 1

Connect Power BI to Autodesk BIM360 using an OAuth 2.0 connection. The following instructions detail how to accomplish this task.

Register an App with Autodesk Forge

Log in to Autodesk Forge (https://forge.autodesk.com/).

Then, create a new app under "My Apps" and specify all necessary permissions to access BIM360 data.

Remember to save a copy of the client ID and client secret for authentication purposes.

Obtaining OAuth Tokens:

Use a tool like Postman or script to replace the client ID, client secret, and required scopes in POST requests to https://developer.api.autodesk.com/authentication/v1/authenticate for the OAuth 2.0 token."

Store the produced access token for API access.

Set up Power BI:

Go to Power BI, choose to get data, then we advanced.

Add endpoint API from the BIM360 (https://developer.api.autodesk.com/data/v1/projects).

Then, in HTTP headers, make Authorization Bearer: <Your_Access_Token>.

Load the data into Power BI and start creating reports.

Best Practices: Have a scripting language such as Python or any workflow automation tool refresh the token within a scheduled time frame and update the Power BI data source properties through an automated process to enable the process without human intervention.