Getting Started with Data Hub

Data Hub is BigTime’s next leap in data access, built to support advanced AI capabilities launching later in 2025. This guide walks you through how to connect to Data Hub and export your data, with setup steps for Power BI, Excel, and other analytics tools.

Key benefits include:

• Access to product datasets from BigTime and Resource Management
• Easier discovery with enhanced data descriptions
• Reliable, frequent data refreshes
• Seamless multi-instance support for firms using multiple BigTime environments

Data Hub provides access to all of your data without built-in permissioning or gating, so anyone with credentials will have full visibility. We recommend sharing access thoughtfully, especially if your data includes sensitive or confidential information.

Data Hub Activation

BigTime Data Hub is a powerful add-on module that extends your BigTime subscription with advanced reporting, analytics, and upcoming AI capabilities. To get started, connect with your Customer Success Manager or BigTime Support to add Data Hub to your plan. Once the module is activated, you'll receive your access credentials and can use them with Power BI, Excel, and other analytics platforms.

Step 1: Download Your Credential File

Start by clicking the ‘Download Credential File’ button in the email from BigTime. If you didn’t receive the email, contact us at product@bigtime.net.

Important: This file can only be downloaded once and will have a '.share' extension. Store it securely, as you will need it to access Data Hub.

Note for setup with Apple/macOS: After downloading the file, rename the file from 'config.share' to 'config.share.txt' in order to be able to open the file with the native Notes application. If asked to confirm that you want to change the extension, confirm that you do want to use .txt.

Step 2: Connect Data Hub to Power BI

If Power BI is your primary analytics tool, follow these steps to configure your connection:

Option 1: Use Power BI's Native Delta Sharing Connector

This method is recommended if your version of Power BI supports the Delta Sharing connector (released in late 2023).

 

1. Open Power BI
2. Go to Home > Get Data
   
3. Search for "Delta Sharing"
4. Select the Delta Sharing connector, then click Connect
   
5. Navigate to the .share credential file you downloaded earlier
6. When prompted, enter the endpoint URL found in your credential file into the Delta Sharing Server URL field, then click OK.
   If this is the first time setting up the data source, it will prompt you to enter your "bearer token" which can also be found in your credential file
   
7. Power BI will automatically load available tables in Data Hub
8. Select the table(s) you want to use and click Load
   
    

Option 2: Use Python to Export CSV and Load into Power BI 

Use this if your Power BI version does not yet support Delta Sharing.

1. Export your data to CSV (see next section)
2. Open Power BI
3. Click Get Data > Text/CSV
4. Select the CSV file
5. Click Load

Step 3: Exporting Data to CSV or Excel

If you're not using a BI tool yet, you can still export data to Excel or CSV.

1. Install Delta Sharing Python Package. Open your terminal or command prompt and run:

pip install delta-sharing

2. Use Python to Export Data

Use the example below and replace values with your actual file path and table names:

3. After running the script, you'll see:

• exported_data.csv: Ready to open in Excel or import elsewhere
• exported_data.xlsx: Opens directly in Excel with formatting preserved

Step 4: Connect to Other Analytics Tools

Data Hub also supports other modern analytics tools, including:

• Python with pandas
• Apache Spark
• Java
• Databricks
• Power BI

General Setup Steps:

1. Download your credential profile
2. Open your preferred analytics tool
3. Use the Delta Sharing connector or API
4. Specify the path to your credential profile OR build the table referencing using the format:
   <profile_file_path>#<share_name>.<schema_name>.<table_name>
5. Load the dataset into your tool
6. Analyze, transform, or export the data

Related Articles

• Data Hub Data Dictionary