The short answer
Sync the authorised Xero organisation in Datplan, choose the Basic or Advanced BI package, export it to a stable folder and connect Power BI to the prepared fact and dimension files. Build only the relationships supported by the documented grain and validate totals before designing visuals.
Choose one fact table for the business question
| Question | Starting grain | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| P&L or balance sheet by period | Financial Summary | Deriving statutory statements from invoice totals |
| Invoice totals, due dates or outstanding value | Invoice Summary | Summing invoice headers after a one-to-many line join |
| Product, item, tax or tracking analysis | Invoice Lines | Using line rows for debtor ageing |
| Receipt or supplier-payment timing | Payments | Treating cash settlement as recognised revenue |
| Official ledger analysis where available | Official Ledger Lines | Claiming journal coverage without the required access |
Dimensions provide the grouping context
Date, account, contact, item and tracking dimensions can describe fact rows without storing the same descriptive values repeatedly. Use dimension keys and documented one-to-many relationships so filters flow into facts predictably.
Protect totals before adding DAX
- Confirm that the dimension key is unique.
- Do not join facts directly merely because they share an identifier.
- Avoid bidirectional filters unless the model requires and validates them.
- Check headline totals against a detailed table.
- Keep finance, invoice, line and payment measures separate.
Start with Basic; use Advanced deliberately
The Basic package focuses on curated business areas and reduces model clutter. Advanced exposes all transformed tables for users who need deeper modelling control and understand extra joins, bridge tables and grain interactions.
Datplan refreshes first, then Power BI
Run or schedule the Datplan pull and export, confirm that it succeeded, and only then refresh Power BI. Power BI Desktop can read the stable local files. A Power BI Service refresh needs a separately configured Microsoft-supported file-access or gateway route.
Frequently asked questions
Does Datplan prepare a Xero star schema for Power BI?
Datplan exports supported Xero fact-and-dimension tables, a machine-readable semantic description and relationship guidance. The first Power BI model, measures and report layout remain user-controlled.
Why should invoice totals and invoice lines be separate?
They have different grains. One invoice can contain many lines, so repeating an invoice total across line rows can inflate a SUM. Choose the fact table that matches the question before creating relationships.
Can the star-schema files refresh on a schedule?
Yes on supported plans. Keep the export folder, paths and names stable, verify the Datplan execution and then refresh Power BI as a separate stage.