What is a Power BI on-premises data gateway?

The Power BI gateway for on-premises data is a piece of software that enables secure data transfer between on-premises data sources and Power BI, as well as other Microsoft cloud services (PowerApps, Power Automate, Azure Analysis Services, Azure Logic Apps, etc.). This makes it possible to keep the data at an organization’s location while using it securely in the cloud.

It works as an intermediary connecting the on-premises data sources and PowerBI. That is, it retrieves data from on-premises sources and then channels the same to the Power BI cloud service whenever a dataset or report needs to be refreshed. Most importantly, Gateway ensures that data is transmitted securely and access is restricted.

Types of on-premise data gateways

There are three types of on-premise data gateway:

• On-premises data gateway: This gateway is designed for scenarios when multiple users have to, or can, connect to the same data source in complex scenarios. Each individual might in turn need to connect to numerous data sources.
• On-premises data gateway (personal mode): This gateway is meant for a single user and can connect to multiple on-premises data sources. This is best when you are the only person creating reports and do not share data sources with others.
• Virtual network data gateway: A managed service that allows many users to connect to various data sources that are secured by virtual networks. This is appropriate in a complex scenario where many users have to access data sources protected by virtual networks.