Overview
Managing multiple construction projects across various locations represents a unique challenge. Project managers typically leverage multiple applications to follow their projects, making obtaining a clear overview particularly difficult. By creating our Power BI connector, which is available for self-service to all of our API users on Business and Business Plus, our objective is to offer a solution. A few examples of what you'll be able to do:
- Track one person's schedule across multiple projects in Fieldwire
- Integrate multiple project management applications into a single dashboard
- Track tasks checklist completion in Fieldwire
In short, the Power BI Connector program allows you to easily pull data from Fieldwire into your Power BI desktop application and combine it with your own custom data for further analysis.
Note: Basic questions and bug troubleshooting for Power BI should be directed to the Microsoft team, as our connector will be approved and shared via Microsoft. The Fieldwire Support team is available to troubleshoot installation issues for the connector, but this feature should be regarded as primarily self-service (with the exception of our Troubleshooting section below).
Table of Contents
- Requirements to Use the Power BI Integration
- Getting Started
- Updating Security Settings
- Using the Connector
- Using the Default Template
- Video Tutorials
- Frequently Asked Questions
-
Troubleshooting
Requirements to Use the Power BI Integration
In order to use the Fieldwire Power BI connector, you will need the following:
- Admin access to a Fieldwire account (see Introduction to Account Permission Levels: Managers, Account Users, and Project Users for more information)
- A Fieldwire API key, or the ability to generate an API key (more information here: Introduction to the Fieldwire API)
- Power BI desktop for Windows (minimum version: April 2024 - 2.128.1177.0 32-bit)
Note: we strongly recommend the desktop version of Power BI. Apps from the Microsoft store are not officially supported, but may still work for your purposes.
Getting Started
In your Fieldwire account, navigate to the Integrations tab and click on Microsoft Power BI.
If the Fieldwire API is already enabled for your account, you can proceed to download our Power BI connector from the link in the Power BI integration tab. The zip package contains:
- The Fieldwire custom connector
- Fieldwire-connector.pqx
- A sample Power BI template
- Fieldwire-Dashboard-Template.pbit
- A PowerShell script to register the connector (optional)
From here, unzip the file package and copy the Fieldwire-connector.pqx file into the folder Custom Connectors.
This folder can be found here:
C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Power BI Desktop\Custom Connectors
If this step does not work, you are probably using Microsoft Store app, which is not fully supported by Fieldwire (the desktop version is strongly recommended). If you do use the Store app, you'll need to modify the folder name accordingly:
C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Microsoft Power BI Desktop\Custom Connectors
Updating Security Settings
Because the connector is currently in Beta, it has not yet been certified by Microsoft. You will need to authorize the install in your Power BI settings.
Authorization Process
Open Power BI desktop and follow these steps:
1. Go to File → Options and Settings → Options → Security
2. Under the section Data Extensions, select
"(Not Recommended) Allow any extension to load without validation or warning".
3. Select OK
4. Close Power BI desktop and reopen
Using the Connector
Now that the initial setup has been completed, you can begin using the connector to pull data from your Fieldwire account. Here's how:
1. Select Get Data -> More...
2. Type Fieldwire into the search bar. Select Fieldwire -> Connect.
3. Accept the Microsoft prompt informing you that this plugin is still under development.
4. A new prompt will ask you for the Fieldwire URL and project ID.
a. For the Fieldwire URL, choose Production.
b. For the project ID, follow these steps:
- Log into Fieldwire and open the relevant project
- Copy your project ID from the URL in the navigation bar:
In this example, the project ID is "fccd93a5-ba9d-4cb5-91c3-7249994dbe1e".
5. The connector will then prompt you to enter your API key. (See this article for more info: Introduction to the Fieldwire API).
6. Click OK. The connector should now begin pulling data from your selected Fieldwire project.
Once the data has been retrieved, you can begin your analysis. All your data is located at the right of your screen. You can also click on "Refresh" to obtain the most up-to-date information. Here's what the interface should look like:
Using the Default Template
We have provided a pre-made template with an initial set of queries and visualization to get you started. To use it, you'll need to follow these steps:
1. In the top bar of the Power BI interface, select File -> Import -> Import template.
2. Select the template that was unzipped from the Fieldwire zip package. The template is named Fieldwire-Dashboard-Template.pbit.
3. Once the template is loaded, follow the previous steps to enter your project ID and API key. If this is successful, you will see the template begin to load with your project data, creating a dashboard.
The dashboard contains 4 pages by default:
1. Tasks - Project overview. This view is project-focused, allowing you to identify projects and tasks that are behind schedule.
2. Tasks - People overview. This view is people-focused, with the intent of ensuring that work is divided equally and nobody has too much to do on the same day. It also helps managers to clearly see when people are working across multiple job sites.
3. Tasks - Checklist items. This view is dedicated to task checklist items. It is flexible to accommodate various use cases.
4. Forms overview. This view allows you to track Form completion in your projects.
Congratulations, you should now have access to your Fieldwire data inside Power BI! Please note that not all data fields from Fieldwire are currently available via Power BI; to help us prioritize which data fields should be brought to Power BI first, please share your insights with us. You can do so by reaching out to our Support team: How to contact Fieldwire Support.
Video Tutorials
Installation:
Dashboard tour:
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of data can I access with the Fieldwire connector?
Here's a list of the current data fields from your Fieldwire project that you can work with in Power BI. (Please note that task messages, task attachments, custom attributes, and form content are not available).
If there are more fields that you wish to access, please send that information to us at support@fieldwire.com.
Does the Fieldwire Power BI connector work with the free basic version of Power BI?
Yes! The connector works with all tiers of Power BI. However, to publish dashboards online to your teammates, you'll need a Pro license. Here is Microsoft's pricing structure.
How frequently is data refreshed in Power BI?
Data is only refreshed when you click directly on the "Refresh" button in the Power BI app.
Can I create more dashboards?
Yes, via the Power BI desktop app. They can be published online with a Power BI Pro license to enable visualization of your project data for other team members.
What if I really need some specific data that is not available via Fieldwire's Power BI connector?
We would recommend using our API to add this information directly to Power BI. (You will likely need to have a developer/Power BI expert on your team facilitate this). Please also let us know at support@fieldwire.com so that your feedback can be recorded as a feature request.
More information
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