Load files from Azure Blob Storage into your data warehouse and Power BI
Files from Azure Blob Storage
Yres reads CSV, Excel and Parquet files straight from a container in Azure Blob Storage. You provide the storage account name, the container and a SAS token with at least Read and List rights. For each file or file pattern you create a table and choose how it is loaded. Yres derives the structure from the files themselves. The content ends up in an Azure SQL database in your own tenant, where it is available to Power BI alongside your other sources.
At a glance
- Connection
- Directly on the blob container, with a single SAS token. No user name or password
- File formats
- CSV, Excel and Parquet
- Required rights
- A SAS token with at least Read and List on the container; an expiry date is recommended
- Tables
- One table per file or file pattern. There is no database catalogue: you define the files and the parsing options when adding them
- Load types
- FULL, OVERWRITE or IMAGE; RELOAD and ADDITIONAL are available for maintenance afterwards. Delta on a change column does not exist for files
- Recent files only
- Per table you set a look-back window on the file's modified date, for example 7 days. Without a window every file qualifies
- Where it runs
- On the Azure Data Factory cloud runtime. No self-hosted integration runtime is needed. The SAS URL is stored as a secret in the Key Vault of your own environment
What you arrange yourself
- 1Make sure there is a storage account with a blob container where the source files are stored or delivered.
- 2Create a SAS token under Security + networking → Shared access signature: choose Blob as the service, at least Read and List, and an expiry date. A token for a single container can be created under Container → Shared access tokens.
- 3Save the token straight away (the part after the question mark); Azure shows it only once.
- 4Add the Azure Blob Storage source in Yres with the account name, container name and SAS token, and enter the expiry date in the credentials expiry field.
- 5Add a table per file or file pattern and choose the load type.
When you need this — and when you don't
A standalone connector is enough if…
If a container holds one file that feeds one report, Power BI can read it from Blob Storage itself. That is simpler and cheaper.
Yres adds value if…
Yres earns its place when a supplier or another system drops files into the container on a regular basis and you want a dependable, scheduled table out of them: picking up only new files, keeping the state of each delivery and joining the figures to your other sources.
Frequently asked questions: Azure Blob Storage
Which rights does the SAS token need?
At least Read and List on the container. Read to read the files, List to see which files are there. Write access is not needed for loading. You can use an account-level token (with Blob as the allowed service) or a token that applies to that one container only.
What happens when the SAS token expires?
Yres can no longer read the container and loads fail until you enter a new token. That is why you enter the token's expiry date when adding the source. Yres then warns you in good time before it runs out.
Can Yres pick up only the new files in the container?
Yes. Files have no change column, so Yres looks at the file's modified date. Per table you set a look-back window with a number and a unit, for example 7 and DAY. Mind the unit: an unknown value is read as seconds without an error. If you leave the window empty, all files are included.
Is this the same storage account Yres uses for itself?
No. Yres has its own storage for intermediate steps and for your environment's Data Lake. The account you connect here is a source account of your own choosing and is separate from that. If in doubt, check that you are entering the right account and container.
Full technical description in the knowledge base →·Last reviewed:
Data warehouse automation that runs in your own Azure
Built for organisations on Azure and Power BI. Yres connects your sources, keeps the history and promotes changes in a controlled way, without manual work.