Connecting to SQL Server via SSMS

Using File > Connect Object Explorer

This is the direct way to connect SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) to a server so you can browse databases, check a new dbo/schema, or verify permissions — separate from anything happening on the Power BI gateway side.

Step 1 — Open Connect Object Explorer

If SSMS opens with a connection dialog already showing, you can skip to Step 2. If it opened straight to a blank workspace (or you closed the dialog by mistake), bring it back manually:

  1. Click File in the top menu bar.

  2. Select Connect Object Explorer... from the dropdown.

Figure 1. File menu → Connect Object Explorer.

Step 2 — Fill in the Connect to Server dialog

A dialog box pops up asking for connection details.

  1. Server type: leave this as Database Engine.

  2. Server name: type the instance name, e.g. jxe-db02.

  3. Authentication: choose Windows Authentication to connect with your logged-in account, or SQL Server Authentication if you're using a specific login (like a service account).

  4. If you chose SQL Server Authentication, enter the Login and Password.

  5. Click Connect.

Figure 2. The Connect to Server dialog, filled in for a SQL login.

Windows vs. SQL Server Authentication

Windows Authentication uses your domain login and needs no password entry — it's the default for most internal analysts.

SQL Server Authentication is its own login stored inside SQL Server itself — this is what's usually used for service accounts (like the one the Power BI gateway connects with), since it doesn't depend on someone's personal Windows account.

Step 3 — Browse the new dbo in Object Explorer

Once connected, Object Explorer (the tree on the left side of SSMS) populates with the server's contents.

  1. Expand Databases.

  2. Expand the specific database (e.g. SalesDataWarehouse).

  3. Expand Tables (or Views) to find the new dbo/schema object you're looking for.

Figure 3. Object Explorer expanded down to the new table under its schema.

Why this is separate from the Power BI gateway

This SSMS connection is you, personally, querying the server directly — useful for checking that a table exists, confirming column names, or testing permissions. It has nothing to do with the gateway's own connection, which uses its own stored service-account credentials to let Power BI Service refresh reports automatically. Both can point at the same server and database, but they're set up and authenticated independently of each other.

If you can't see the new dbo here

Confirm you expanded the correct database — a dbo can sit under a database you don't normally browse.

If it's genuinely missing, the account you connected with may not have permission on that schema yet — worth checking with whoever manages SQL Server access.