Power BI begins moving data connections beyond ODBC
Reviewed by Helen Jones
Microsoft is moving supported Power BI and Fabric connections from embedded ODBC drivers to Apache Arrow Database Connectivity, known as ADBC. Tenant controls begin broad rollout in July, Microsoft plans phased default enablement from August, and later service changes may require gateways for teams that must remain on ODBC.
A working report can conceal a connection dependency until a driver or tenant setting changes. Teams that rely on older ODBC behaviour may discover refresh or connector differences during a busy reporting cycle rather than in a controlled test.\n\nThe key decision is not whether ADBC is universally better. It is whether each critical source, query and refresh path behaves as expected before the default setting reaches the tenant.
Analysis
Choose one non-critical workspace and test its key datasets with ADBC now. Record any connector, refresh or gateway differences before August rollout phases reach production.
Source note
Pulse published by Collab365 Spaces, reviewed by Helen Jones on . Cite as "Power BI begins moving data connections beyond ODBC", Collab365 Spaces.