Case Study: Connecting Google Sheets to Power BI

Context

The client’s team was heavily using Google Sheets for collaborative work — budgets, trackers, and project logs.

They wanted this data live in Power BI, so updates in Google Sheets reflected automatically in their dashboards.

The Problem

Teams initially tried:

• Exporting Google Sheets as Excel and re-uploading every week.

• Using manual CSV downloads.

• Copy-pasting data into Power BI.

This caused version control issues, manual overhead, and delayed insights.

The Smart Fix: Web Connector + Published Link

We used Google Sheets’ Publish to Web option to generate a stable CSV link, which Power BI could read directly.

Step-by-Step Process to Connect to Google Sheets

Step 1 – Prepare the Google Sheet

• Ensure the sheet is cleaned and well-structured (headers in first row, no merged cells).

• Go to File → Share → Publish to Web.
  

  

• Publish as CSV for the specific sheet/tab.

Step 2 – Get the CSV Link

• Google generates a link ending with &output=csv.

• Copy this link.
  

  

Step 3 – Connect in Power BI

• In Power BI → Get Data → Web.
  

  

• Paste the CSV link.
  

  

• Anonymous →Connect
  

  

Step 4 – Transform Data

• Power BI loads the sheet as a table.
  

  

  
  

• Save as a query like Z Source
  

  

• Reference this Z Source to build multiple desired queries.
  

  

• Apply transformations as needed.
  

  

• Once you have the desired queries click - Close & Apply.
  

  

Step 5 – Refresh Behaviour

• Since it’s a published CSV link, Power BI refreshes whenever the Google Sheet is updated.

• No more manual downloads.

  
  

Takeaway

Google Sheets and Power BI work perfectly together when set up the right way:

• Publish the sheet as a CSV (you can also choose Excel).

• Use the Web connector in Power BI.

• Organize with reference queries.

This gives your team a collaborative, always-live dashboard — without messy downloads or copy-paste.