Connect Claude AI to Power BI Desktop | NEW Microsoft Power BI Modeling MCP Server Tutorial

YOUTUBE DESCRIPTION:
🚀 Connect Claude AI to Power BI Desktop | NEW Microsoft Power BI Modeling MCP Server Tutorial
Discover how to integrate Claude AI directly with Power BI Desktop using Microsoft's brand new Power BI Modeling MCP Server! In this video, I show you the exact steps to connect Claude to your semantic models and create DAX measures using natural language.
🔗 Essential Links:
VS Code Download:
https://code.visualstudio.com
Claude Desktop Download:
https://claude.ai/download
Power BI Modeling MCP Server (GitHub):
https://github.com/microsoft/PowerBI-...
MCP Documentation:
https://modelcontextprotocol.io/intro...
⚙️ Step-by-Step Setup (Exact Steps From Video):
STEP 1: INSTALL VS CODE

Go to code.visualstudio.com
Download and install
Check "Add to PATH" during install
Launch it

STEP 2: INSTALL THE MCP EXTENSION
[In VS Code]

Click Extensions (left sidebar)
Search: "Power BI Modeling MCP Server"
Publisher: Analysis Services
Click Install

STEP 3: GET THE FILE PATH

Open File Explorer (Windows Key + E)
Click in the address bar at the top
Type or paste: %USERPROFILE%.vscode\extensions
Press Enter
Scroll down and look for a folder that starts with: analysis-services.powerbi-modeling-mcp
Double-click to open that folder
Open the server folder
You'll see powerbi-modeling-mcp.exe - that's what we need!
Right-click on powerbi-modeling-mcp.exe
Select Copy as path

STEP 4: INSTALL CLAUDE DESKTOP

Go to claude.ai/download
Download and install
Launch Claude Desktop

STEP 5: CONFIGURE
[In Claude Desktop]

File → Settings → Developer → Edit Config
Paste this configuration:

json{
"mcpServers": {
"powerbi-modeling-mcp": {
"command": "YOUR_PATH_HERE",
"args": ["--start"],
"type": "stdio"
}
}
}

Replace YOUR_PATH_HERE with your path from earlier
Use double backslashes: C:\\Users\\...
Save and close
Fully quit Claude Desktop (check system tray)
Reopen Claude Desktop

STEP 6: TEST IT

Open any saved .pbix file in Power BI Desktop
In Claude Desktop, type:
"Connect to open Power BI report in desktop"
Then create measures with natural language:
"Create a time intelligence DAX measure for year to date on total revenue. Put it in the metrics folder"

📋 Prerequisites:

Windows OS
VS Code
Claude Desktop (free tier works!)
Power BI Desktop installed

💡 What You Can Do:
✅ Create DAX measures using natural language
✅ List and explore tables, columns, and measures
✅ Query your data model conversationally
✅ Build time intelligence calculations automatically
✅ Update and modify existing measures
✅ Export model metadata (TMDL format)
✅ Troubleshoot DAX with AI assistance
🎯 Perfect For:

Power BI developers and analysts
DAX learners looking for AI assistance
Data professionals wanting to boost productivity
Teams building semantic models

📚 My Power BI Training & Resources:
Website: https://datatale.com.au

#PowerBI #ClaudeAI #DAX #MicrosoftFabric #DataAnalytics #AI #MachineLearning #BusinessIntelligence #MCP #SemanticModel #PowerBIDesktop #TimeIntelligence

💬 If you appreciate this content, please LIKE and COMMENT below! It helps me know what tutorials to create next for the community.
Questions? Drop them in the comments and I'll help you get set up!

⚠️ Note: This is bleeding-edge technology just released by Microsoft. Some features may evolve as the MCP server matures.