How to Connect CDM Folders from Azure Blob to Power BI: Step-by-Step Guide

Connecting your business data to Power BI becomes easier when the files are well-structured. If your data is already in Azure Blob Storage and organized as a CDM folder, you’re halfway there. This guide will help you finish the job.

Here, I’ll walk you through how to link that CDM folder directly to Power BI Desktop. No advanced setup is needed. Even if you’re new to the tools, this guide will show you how to go from storage to reporting in a few clear steps.

Before You Begin: Understand the Basics

If you’re not familiar with CDM folders, it helps to know what they are before you connect anything. A CDM folder is a structured way to store data so that Power BI can understand it — including table names, column types, and relationships.

To learn what CDM folders are and how they work with Azure Blob, check out this detailed blog.

Pre-Setup Checklist

Before starting, make sure you have the following:

• A working Azure Storage account with a CDM folder inside
• A valid manifest file (manifest.cdm.json) in that folder
• Either the storage account key or a SAS token
• Power BI Desktop is installed on your system

These are the basic tools you need to complete the setup.

Step 1: Verify Your Folder in Azure Blob

Before connecting anything, you need to confirm that the folder in Azure Blob Storage is correctly structured as a CDM folder. A valid CDM folder helps Power BI understand your data without needing extra setup.

Here’s how to check it:

1. Go to the Azure Portal and open your storage account.

2. Click on Containers under “Data Storage” to view your folders.

3. Open the container that holds your data.

4. Look for a file named manifest.cdm.json. This is required — it tells Power BI how to read your data.

5. Make sure there are one or more folders next to the manifest file. These folders usually represent entities or tables, like “Customer”, “Product”, or “Sales”.
6. Open each entity folder and check that there are data files inside, usually in CSV or Parquet format.

You can also use Azure Storage Explorer (a free desktop tool from Microsoft) to browse your folders more easily and verify files without logging into the web portal.

Step 2: Get the Folder URL and Access Info

To connect from Power BI, you’ll need two things:

• The URL of your CDM folder in Azure Blob
• A secure access key or SAS token to authenticate

Follow these steps:

1. In the Azure Portal, navigate to the same container where your CDM folder is stored.
2. Click on the CDM folder (where the manifest file is located).
3. Copy the folder URL from the top-right panel. 

4. It should look something like: https://youraccount.blob.core.windows.net/container-name/newtest 

Now get the access credentials:

• Go to your storage account and click Access Keys under “Security + networking”.

• Copy the Key under “key1” or “key2”. This is your full access key.

OR

Store this information safely. You’ll use it in Power BI.

Step 3: Open Power BI and Connect

Once your folder is ready and the access info is copied, switch to Power BI Desktop.

Here’s how to connect:

1. Open Power BI Desktop on your system.

2. Click on Get Data (you’ll find it on the Home tab).

3. In the data source list, search for Common Data Model.
4. Click on it and press Connect.

Now Power BI will ask for a path:

• Paste the URL of your CDM folder (where the manifest is stored).
• Choose the authentication method:
  • For access key: select Account key and paste the key.

Once done, click Connect.

If everything is set up properly, Power BI will read the manifest and display a list of available entities.

Step 4: Select Entities and Load

After connecting successfully, Power BI shows a Navigator window. This window lists all the tables (called “entities”) defined in your CDM folder.

Follow these steps:

1. Browse through the list of entities.
2. Check the boxes for the tables you want to load. You can select one or many.
3. Click Load to bring the data into your report, or click Transform if you want to clean or preview the data first.

Power BI now imports the selected tables and shows them in the Fields pane on the right side of your screen.

If it shows any errors:

• Go back and check the folder path and manifest file.

Step 5: Create a Simple Report

Once your data is loaded, you can start building a basic report to verify everything works.

Here’s how:

1. On the Report view screen, click on a visual, such as a bar chart or table.

2. Drag a field (like “Customer Name” or “Sales Amount”) into the Values or Axis area.
3. Add a second field to filter or break down the data.
4. Adjust the chart titles or formatting using the Visualizations panel.
5. Save your report by clicking File > Save and choosing a file name.

Even a simple report helps confirm that your connection and data are working correctly.

Final Thoughts

You’ve now connected a CDM folder from Azure Blob to Power BI, loaded your data, and built a basic report. Once this setup is done, you can reuse it for other folders with the same structure.

CDM makes working with structured cloud data much easier. As you continue, you can explore more advanced options like automation, dataflows, or even linking multiple folders.