Question

Importing .BAK Files into Power BI? – Is there any way to load .BAK (SQL backup) files into Power BI? Looking for workarounds!

I’d like to explore whether it is possible to load SQL Server backup (.BAK) files into Power BI for analysis. Are there any workarounds or recommended approaches to restore and access .BAK file data within Power BI?

Answer 1

In contrast, direct uploading of a .BAK (SQL Server backup) file into Power BI is impossible because Power BI has no native support for it.BAK files. Instead, the backup should be restored in SQL Server, and Power BI should be connected to the restored database. Here's how:

1. Restore.BAK File in SQL Server
Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).

RESTORE DATABASE YourDatabaseName

 FROM DISK = 'C:\path\to\your\backup.bak'

WITH MOVE 'LogicalDataFileName' TO 'C:\path\to\database.mdf',

 MOVE 'LogicalLogFileName' TO 'C:\path\to\database.ldf',

 REPLACE;

Replace LogicalDataFileName and LogicalLogFileName with actual values (use RESTORE FILELISTONLY to obtain them).

2. Connect Power BI to the restored database.

Start Power BI Desktop.

Click Get Data > SQL Server.

Enter the server name and database name.

Choose Import or DirectQuery mode.

Load tables into Power BI for analysis.

3. Workaround: Convert.BAK Data into CSV or Excel.

If no SQL Server is present:

Use a tool like SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) to restore the database over a remote or local instance.

Export tables into CSV/Excel and import them to Power BI.

Best Practices & Considerations

✔ Use Azure SQL Database or SQL Server Express if you do not have a local SQL Server instance.

✔ Automate data refresh from Power Automate or SQL Server Agent.

✔ Make sure the database permissions allow external access.