How to synchronise your BIMcollab space with the BIMcollab Power BI Dashboard Template

How to synchronise your BIMcollab space with the BIMcollab Power BI Dashboard Template

This article explains how to connect our Power BI Dashboard template file to your BIMcollab Cloud space. The template is an example. Once you have connected the template, you can adjust it to your needs and customise it any way you want.
You can find the Power BI template file, as well as example List sets, as an attachment at the bottom of this article.
Download and save them to your computer before you get started.

First of all, you need to have the Power BI connector installed.
To know more about how to install the connector, you can access the article:  Installation Guide for Power BI connector.

Setting up the data to create graphs from ZOOM Dashboard Data Lists

In order to be able to connect information from Lists data with the “BIMcollab PBI Dashboard Template” file, first you need to run the specific Lists sets that are added as an attachment to this article, in ZOOM as a Dashboard Data List.

BIMcollab ZOOM

  1. Download the Lists sets that are added as an attachment at the bottom of this article
  2. In BIMcollab ZOOM, connect to the project you want to add the Lists to
  3. Go to the Lists tab, and import the downloaded file through the hamburgermenu
  4. Drag the “Power BI Template” set from your local folder to your Shared folder
  5. Edit the two lists present in the set (Rooms and Doors), and change the list type from Property table to Dashboard data
  6. Double click the list for which you want to share the results
  7. Make sure Active model results is chosen in the dropdown menu at the top left of the list results panel (1)
  8. Click Share results (2)

Dashboard Data cannot be viewed in BIMcollab Cloud. These results are meant to be used in Dashboard software like Power BI.
You can check  How to publish BIM data to PowerBI and  The different types of Lists to learn more about how to share the lists results with Cloud.

Connect the template File to your BIMcollab project

To connect the Template file to your own BIMcollab space, follow the following steps:
  1. Open Power BI
  2. Select File > Open Report > Browse reports
  3. Look for the path where you saved the BIMcollab PBI Dashboard Template file, download from our website
  4. Open the BIMcollab PBI Dashboard Template file
Once you have the file open, you must connect it to the specific project you want to get the data from. To do so, follow the following steps:
  1. Click on the Get data button, on the top menu



  2. Select Bimcollab as your source of information, and choose 'Connect'



  3. Type: "https://" followed by your BIMcollab space web address, e.g. company.bimcollab.com
    If you are not authenticated within your space yet, you'll have to sign in with your credentials, allow BIMcollab Power BI Connector access, and connect.
    It is not possible to connect with join.bimcollab.com. Only private BIMcollab Cloud spaces run the services needed to connect.
  4. On the left side of the Navigator dialog window, select the project you want to connect the template to
  5. Open the Lists folder, and s elect the Doors and Rooms Lists
  6. Select the Activity and Issues data of your project, and then click load
If you don't want to use data from Lists in your graphs, you only need to select the Activity and Issues data.
Lists data is only available for Connected and Enterprise plans.

Create Activity / Issues graphs

Now that you have synchronized the data from BIMcollab to Power BI, we have to structure the data into graphs. Let's start with the first tab 'Activity/Issues' which you can find in the bottom tab.


  1. On the right side of the window, you'll find the Fields tab with all the loaded information. Open the Activity and the Issues (Project name) sets.



  2. Select the first graph (top left), and drag and drop the following info from the Fields tab into the Visualization tab fields:
    1. Issues-Area > Axis
    2. Issues-Owner > Legend
    3. Activity-IssueAction > Values



  3. Select the second graph (top right), and drag and drop the following info from the Fields tab into the Visualization tab fields:
    1. Activity-IssueAction > Axis
    2. Issues-Creator Company > Axis
    3. Issues-Creator Company > Legend
    4. Activity-IssueAction > Values
  4. Select the third graph (bottom left), and drag and drop the following info from the Fields tab into the Visualization tab fields:
    1. Issues-Creator > Axis
    2. Issues-Area > Legend
    3. Activity-IssueAction > Values
  5. Select the fourth graph (bottom right), and drag and drop the following info from the Fields tab into the Visualization tab fields:
    1. Issues-Priority > Legend
    2. Activity-IssueAction > Values
After setting all this up, you should be able to see your first graphs

If at any time setting up the values you get this message:


just select “Fix this”
All the data is received directly from your specific project, that's why the values shown will be different than the ones in our example images.
Every time your project has any data update, click on the 'Refresh' button, to import the most recent data. The changes will be reflected in your graphs.



Create graphs from Lists data

Rooms List

  1. Go to the second tab 'Rooms' that you can find in the bottom tab



  2. On the right side of the window, you'll find the Fields tab with all the information loaded. Open the 'Rooms' set.



  3. Select the first graph (top left), and drag and drop the following info from the Fields tab into the Visualization tab fields:
    1. Identity Data.ZoneObjectType > Details
    2. BaseQuantities.NetFloorArea > Values



  4. Select the second graph (bottom left), and drag and drop the following info from the Fields tab into the Visualization tab fields:
    1. Location.BuildingStory > Rows
    2. Identity Data.ZoneObjectType > Rows
    3. Identity Data.ZoneName > Columns
    4. BaseQuantities.NetFloorArea > Values
  5. Select the third graph (right side), and drag and drop the following info from the Fields tab into the Visualization tab fields:
    1. Location.BuildingStory > Axis
    2. Identity Data.ZoneObjectType > Legend
    3. Summary.GUID > Values
After setting all this up, you should be able to see graphs from your model´s Rooms List



All the data is received directly from your specific project, that's why the values shown will be different than the ones in our example images.
If some of the info used to create this template is not present in the IFC model that you use to run the Lists, the graphs will not work properly.

Doors List

  1. Go to the third tab 'Doors' that you can find in the bottom tab



  2. On the right side of the window, you'll find the Fields tab with all the information loaded. Open the 'Doors' set



  3. Select the first graph (top left), and drag and drop the following info from the Fields tab into the Visualization tab fields:
    1. Location.BuildingStory > Legend
    2. Location.BuildingStory > Values



  4. Select the second graph (bottom left), and drag and drop the following info from the Fields tab into the Visualization tab fields:
    1. Location.BuildingStory > Rows
    2. Summary.Type > Rows
    3. BaseQuantities.Height > Values
    4. BaseQuantities.Width > Values
    5. Summary.Is External > Values
    6. Material.Name > Values
  5. Select the third graph (right side), and drag and drop the following info from the Fields tab into the Visualization tab fields:
    1. Location.BuildingStory > Axis
    2. Summary.Type > Legend
    3. Summary.Type > Values
After setting all this up, you should be able to see graphs from your model´s Doors List



All the data is received directly from your specific project, that's why the values shown will be different than the ones in our example images.
If some of the info used to create this template is not present in the IFC model that you use to run the Lists, the graphs will not work properly.

Updating your Lists data

BIMcollab ZOOM

When a model has been updated, added or removed in BIMcollab ZOOM, the data on the Power BI dashboard can be updated according to the new situation.
  1. Update the models in BIMcollab ZOOM
  2. Go to the Lists panel
  3. Right-click on the preferred dashboard data list and choose 'Run'
  4. The data will be updated
  5. Hit the 'Share results' button
    The results will be synchronized to BIMcollab Cloud

Power BI (desktop)

  1. Go back to Power BI
  2. Open the associated dashboard and make sure you are connected to the correct BIMcollab space
  3. Press the 'Refresh' button on the home screen


    The updated data will be loaded. 
In Power BI Pro, the updating can be set to happen automatically according to a schedule.
If the Lists don't show up in Power BI, make sure the following is correct:
  1. The latest version of the Power BI connector is installed. The Lists Feature isn't available in earlier versions of the connector
  2. The type of List you synchronize from BIMcollab ZOOM is Dashboard Data
  3. You have a Connected or Enterprise plan

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