Comparing OdataLink vs ODBClink

If you are currently using ODBClink to create reports in Excel or Power BI, we believe you’ll be excited about what OdataLink can do.

OdataLink is the natural successor to ODBClink. It is the next evolutionary step in data access.

At it’s core, we primarily built OdataLink to resolve all the limitations that ODBClink had:

  • The need to download, install and maintain a separate application.
  • The heaviness of waiting for a get data to complete that couldn’t be optimised.
  • The challenge of setting up a scheduled task to run the get data process overnight.
  • The added complexity of trying to integrate the data into Excel or Power BI.

OdataLink does away with all these issues.

On the whole, OdataLink gives access to the same data as ODBClink. Whether it is used for MYOB or Xero, all the endpoints (tables) and all the fields available in ODBClink are available in OdataLink.

But rather than being a database synchronisation tool, OdataLink instead provides a live link to your data in the form of an OData feed. This live link can be used directly within Excel or Power BI.

This approach provides many benefits.

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In most situations, OdataLink is a superior version of ODBClink.

The benefits OdataLink provides can be broken down into three points:

  • OdataLink is entirely cloud-based.
  • OdataLink provides a live link to your data.
  • OdataLink is used directly from within Excel or Power BI.

Being entirely cloud-based means you will never need to download or install an upgrade to OdataLink. Any new enhancements, features or fixes are automatically available.

This completely remove any and all downtime due to upgrades, server maintenance or migration.

More importantly (and timely given today’s world events), it provides access to your data, no matter where in the world you are located. You do not need to be in the office to run your reports. OdataLink is available wherever you are (so long as you have an internet connection).

Rather than the database synchronisation approach that ODBClink used, OdataLink provides a live link to your data.

OData Feed Link

This live link, in the form of an OData Feed, can be used on demand. No longer will you need to wait for the Get Data process to complete successfully before you can run your reports.

The benefits of this live link approach goes much further.

  • Each endpoint (akin to table of data in ODBClink) can be refreshed independently from each other.
  • Each endpoint can be filtered directly within Power Query, allowing you to access the data you want, rather than synchronise everything.
  • Each endpoint can be queried multiple times (using different filters), if required. This is particularly useful when building different suites of reports that might only want to look at specific sets of data.

This fundamental difference cannot be overstated and completely changes the way you can access your data.

By providing your data as an OData Feed (e.g. a url), your data is used directly from within Excel or Power BI without the need for any software. All the technology (e.g. the Power Query engine) is already built into Excel and Power BI.

As stated previously, this removes many IT issues, but it also removes many indirect processing that was once required to access your data.

  • You do not need to create databases or data warehouses when using OdataLink.
  • You do not need to link these databases to Excel or Power BI.
  • You do not need to run a get data synchronisation process.
  • You do not need to schedule complex tasks to run this synchronisation process.

Instead, the Odata Feed can be used directly within Excel and Power BI because the connector (Power Query and OData) is natively available.

Power Query used with OdataLink

This makes OdataLink what we call a “first-level citizen” in the eco-system.

All these benefits do come at a cost and OdataLink may not be suitable in all situations.

For those using MYOB, it does mean that the MYOB data files must be on the cloud. They cannot be hosted on your own local machine or servers.

This is not an issue for those using Xero as all Xero organisations (what we call data files) reside in the cloud.

OdataLink works beautifully in any environment that natively supports OData Feeds.

If you want to access your data within Microsoft Access or My SQL, ODBClink would still be the preferred approach.

As for Microsoft SQL Server, you can use different technology. Our recommended approach is to use the OdataLink CLR. It is a lightweight library that allows you to pull OData Feeds directly within Views and Stored Procedures. Alternatively, you can also use SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) but it does require a higher level of expertise.

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See it in action

You can see it in action using one of the following guides.