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How to Connect Power BI to ServiceNow Using ODBC

Cody Schneider••9 min read

Transforming your raw ServiceNow data into actionable reports in Power BI can unlock powerful insights, but figuring out the connection can seem daunting. Using an ODBC driver provides a stable and direct pipeline between the two platforms. This guide will walk you through every step of the process, from finding and installing the right driver to shaping your data and building your first ServiceNow dashboard in Power BI.

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What is an ODBC Driver, and Why Use It for ServiceNow?

Think of an ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) driver as a universal translator. Power BI speaks its own language, and ServiceNow’s database speaks another. The ODBC driver sits between them, translating requests and data so they can communicate seamlessly. While you can connect to ServiceNow through other methods like its native Power BI content pack, that approach is often limited in flexibility and provides pre-built reports you can’t easily customize.

The ODBC method gives you direct, read-only access to the underlying data tables in your ServiceNow instance. This means you have total control over the exact data you pull, allowing you to build completely custom reports that fit your specific business needs. It’s the most powerful and flexible way to create meaningful, in-depth reports from your Incident, Problem, Change, and Configuration Management (CMDB) data.

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Getting Started: What You'll Need

Before you begin, gather a few things to make the process smooth. Ensuring you have everything ready upfront will help you avoid roadblocks later on.

  • Power BI Desktop: You'll need the free Power BI Desktop application installed on your Windows machine. It's best to use the latest version to ensure compatibility.
  • ServiceNow Permissions: You need a ServiceNow user account with at least the odbc and itil roles. Depending on your instance's security settings, you might need administrative privileges to access certain tables. At a minimum, your role needs permission to make web service requests to the tables you want to report on.
  • Your ServiceNow Instance Details: Know your instance URL (like https://yourcompany.service-now.com), your username, and your password.
  • The ServiceNow ODBC Driver: You’ll need to download the official driver directly from your ServiceNow instance. We'll cover how to find it in the next step.

Step 1: Download and Install the ServiceNow ODBC Driver

First, you need to get the official ODBC driver. ServiceNow conveniently provides the installer directly within your instance.

  1. Log in to your ServiceNow instance.
  2. In the filter navigator (the search bar on the top left), type "ODBC" and press Enter.
  3. Under the "System ODBC" module, click on "ODBC Driver."
  4. On the next page, you'll see download links for different operating systems. Click the "Download ODBC Driver for Windows" button.
  5. An installer file (ending in .msi) will download. Once it's finished, run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts. The default settings are usually sufficient.

A crucial tip: Your Power BI Desktop and ODBC driver installation must match. Most modern systems use a 64-bit version of Power BI, so you should install the 64-bit driver. If you're on an older system with a 32-bit Power BI installation, make sure you choose the 32-bit driver instead. A mismatch is one of the most common causes of connection errors.

Configuring the ODBC Data Source Name (DSN)

With the driver installed, the next step is to configure a Data Source Name, or DSN. Think of a DSN as a shortcut that stores all the connection details for your ServiceNow instance so you don’t have to enter them every time. It saves your instance URL, username, and authentication method in one place.

  1. Open the Windows Start Menu and search for "ODBC Data Sources." Make sure you open the version that matches your driver installation (either 32-bit or 64-bit).
  2. The "ODBC Data Source Administrator" window will open. Click on the System DSN tab. A System DSN is available to any user on the computer, whereas a User DSN is only available to the user who created it. System DSN is generally the better choice.
  3. Click the Add... button on the right.
  4. A new window will appear. Scroll through the list and select the ServiceNow ODBC Driver that you just installed, then click Finish.
  5. This brings up the configuration panel. Here’s how to fill it out:
  • Name: Give your connection a clear, descriptive name. Something like "ServiceNow Prod" or "ServiceNowITSM" works well.
  • Host: Enter your ServiceNow instance URL without the "https://" part. For example: yourcompany.service-now.com.
  • User: Enter your ServiceNow username.
  • Password: Enter your ServiceNow password for that username.
  1. Before finishing, click the Test Connect button. This will verify that your credentials are correct and that the driver can communicate with your instance. If you get a "Connection successful" message, you’re good to go! Click OK to save your DSN.
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Step 2: Connecting Power BI to the ODBC Source

Now for the exciting part - connecting Power BI to the DSN you just created. This is where you’ll start seeing your ServiceNow data come to life.

  1. Open Power BI Desktop.
  2. From the Home ribbon, click on Get data and then select More...
  3. In the "Get Data" window, select Other from the list on the left and then choose ODBC. Click Connect.
  4. You'll see a "From ODBC" dialog box. In the "Data Source Name (DSN)" dropdown menu, you should now see the DSN you configured earlier (e.g., "ServiceNow Prod"). Select it.
  5. Click OK. Power BI may ask you to enter your credentials again. If so, select the "Database" option on the left, enter your ServiceNow username and password, and click Connect.

Step 3: Navigating and Loading Your ServiceNow Tables

Once the connection is successful, Power BI's Navigator window will appear. This window shows you all the databases and tables available through the ODBC connection. You'll see a long list of ServiceNow tables with names like incident, change_request, cmdb_ci, and so on.

Let's say your goal is to create a dashboard to track open IT incidents.

  1. In the Navigator search bar, type incident to find the incident table.
  2. Click the checkbox next to the incident table. A preview will appear on the right.
  3. At the bottom right, you have two options: Load or Transform Data. Always, always choose Transform Data. This opens the Power Query Editor, which is where you prepare your data for analysis.

Best Practices in Power Query

Directly loading an entire ServiceNow table is almost always a bad idea. Tables like incident or cmdb_ci can have hundreds of columns, most of which are system fields you don't need. Loading all of that data will make your report painfully slow. Power Query is your place to clean up and slim down the data before it gets loaded into your Power BI model.

Here are the essential first steps to take in the Power Query Editor:

  • Choose Your Columns: This is the most important step for performance. In the Home ribbon, click Choose Columns. Uncheck all the columns you don't need for your report. For an incident report, you might only need fields like number, state, priority, short_description, caller_id, assignment_group, and sys_updated_on. Reducing the column count from 200+ to just 10-15 will dramatically improve your report's speed.
  • Filter Your Rows: Don't pull years of data if you only need the last 90 days. Use the filter dropdowns on a date column (like sys_created_on) to filter for a specific time range. Performing this filter early tells Power BI to only request that subset of data from ServiceNow, reducing load times.
  • Rename Columns for Clarity: ServiceNow uses technical names like sys_created_on or u_custom_field. Double-click any column header to rename it to something more human-friendly, like "Created Date" or "Severity Level."
  • Check Data Types: Power Query is smart, but sometimes it guesses wrong. Scan your columns and make sure numbers are formatted as numbers, dates as dates, and text as text. You can change this using the icon next to the column name.

Once you are done shaping your data, click Close & Apply in the top-left corner. Power BI will now load the trimmed-down, cleaned-up data into your model.

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Troubleshooting Common Connection Problems

Even with careful steps, you can run into issues. Here are a few common problems and how to fix them:

  • Error: "The credentials provided for the source are invalid." This is usually a simple username or password typo. Go back to your DSN configuration and carefully re-enter your credentials. Also, confirm that your ServiceNow user has the required odbc role.
  • Error: "The specified DSN contains an architecture mismatch..." You've run into the classic 32-bit vs. 64-bit issue. The bit version of your ODBC driver must match the bit version of your Power BI application. You'll likely need to uninstall one and reinstall the correct version.
  • The Connection is Extremely Slow: If your queries are taking forever, it’s almost certainly because you’re trying to pull too much data. Go back into the Power Query Editor ("Transform Data") and be more aggressive with your column and row filtering.
  • Connection Works but Table is Empty: This usually points to a permissions issue in ServiceNow. Your user account can connect, but it doesn't have the necessary read permissions (ACLs) for the specific table you are trying to query. You'll need to check with your ServiceNow admin.

Final Thoughts

Connecting ServiceNow and Power BI using an ODBC driver takes a few setup steps, but it unlocks a completely new level of customized reporting. By installing the correct driver, configuring a DSN, and rigorously cleaning your data in Power Query, you can move beyond static list views and build the dynamic, interactive dashboards your team needs to make better decisions.

While the ODBC method provides incredible control, mastering drivers, DSNs, and Power Query still takes time and effort. We built Graphed to eliminate these manual steps and make data analysis feel as easy as a conversation. Instead of configuring connections, you simply connect your business apps with a few clicks. Then, you can ask questions like, "Create a dashboard showing open ServiceNow incidents by priority and assignment group for the last 30 days," and instantly get an interactive, real-time dashboard. If you'd like to spend less time on setup and more time on insights, give Graphed a look.

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