Microsoft Advertising Data Connectors: Complete Setup Guide
Microsoft Advertising often gets left out of reporting setups. It's the "other" search platform. Included in media plans but forgotten when building dashboards.
That's a mistake. Microsoft's network reaches over a billion monthly users across Bing, Yahoo, AOL, and the Microsoft Audience Network. For B2B advertisers especially, Microsoft often delivers lower CPCs than Google with comparable intent.
A Microsoft Advertising connector brings this data into your unified reporting stack. Same dashboard. Same analysis workflow. Same AI queries. Now including your Microsoft campaigns.
This guide covers how to connect Microsoft Advertising data and build cross-platform search reporting.
Why Microsoft Advertising Data Matters
Ignoring Microsoft data creates blind spots.
Incomplete search coverage. Google dominates, but Microsoft holds 10-15% of search market share. Higher in certain demographics. Older users, B2B, enterprise. That's meaningful volume you're not seeing.
Hidden efficiency. Microsoft CPCs often run 20-40% lower than Google for the same keywords. Without unified reporting, you can't identify and exploit this advantage.
Cross-platform optimization. When Google CPCs spike during competitive periods, Microsoft might stay stable. Seeing both platforms together reveals opportunities to shift budget.
Attribution gaps. If conversions come through Microsoft but you're only looking at Google reports, you're misattributing performance.
The fix is simple. Include Microsoft in every report where Google appears.
Microsoft Advertising API Overview
Microsoft's Reporting API provides comprehensive campaign data.
Available Data:
Campaign hierarchy: Campaigns, Ad Groups, Ads, Keywords
Performance metrics: Impressions, clicks, spend, conversions
Search data: Search query reports, keyword performance
Audience data: Demographics, device breakdown, geographic performance
Competitive data: Impression share, auction insights (limited)
The data mirrors Google Ads closely. Makes cross-platform reporting straightforward.
API Access: For managed connector tools, you typically just authorize via OAuth. No manual token generation needed. For direct API access, you'll need a developer token and Azure AD registration.
Microsoft Advertising Connector Options
Fivetran
Enterprise-grade connector with automatic maintenance and schema handling.
Best for teams already using Fivetran for other sources. Adding Microsoft is straightforward.
Pricing: Part of overall Fivetran usage-based pricing.
Supermetrics
Marketing-friendly connector with direct Google Sheets and Looker Studio integration.
Best for teams who want Microsoft data in the same Sheets/Looker reports as their Google data.
Pricing: Microsoft included in standard packages. Starts around $99/month.
Airbyte
Open-source connector you can self-host.
Best for technical teams wanting full control without vendor lock-in.
Pricing: Free (self-hosted) or cloud pricing.
Power BI (Native)
Microsoft's own BI tool has native Microsoft Advertising integration.
Best for organizations already in the Microsoft ecosystem. Azure, Power BI, etc. The integration is tight and free with Power BI.
Pricing: Free with Power BI Pro ($10/user/month) or Premium.
InsightfulPipe MCP
Connects Microsoft Advertising to Claude for natural language queries.
Best for AI-powered analysis alongside other connected platforms.
Pricing: Included with InsightfulPipe subscription.
Setting Up Microsoft Ads Data Pipelines
Step 1: Gather Access
For managed connectors (Fivetran, Supermetrics): Just need your Microsoft Advertising login. OAuth handles authorization during setup.
For direct API or self-hosted: Register an application in Azure AD. Generate developer token in Microsoft Advertising. Configure OAuth client credentials.
Most teams should use managed connectors. The setup is significantly simpler.
Step 2: Choose Your Destination
Quick spreadsheet reports: Google Sheets via Supermetrics Visual dashboards: Looker Studio, Power BI Long-term storage + analysis: BigQuery, Snowflake AI-powered queries: Claude via MCP
Step 3: Configure the Sync
Add Microsoft Advertising as a source. Authorize via OAuth. Select accounts to sync (supports multi-account). Choose metrics and dimensions. Set sync frequency (daily recommended).
Step 4: Validate Data
After first sync, compare metrics against Microsoft Advertising UI. Check date range alignment. Verify all campaigns appear. Test a few specific numbers for accuracy.
Step 5: Monitor for Issues
Set up sync failure alerts. Microsoft occasionally changes API behavior. Managed tools usually handle this quickly, but you want to know if data stops flowing.
Cross-Platform Reporting with Google Ads
The real value of Microsoft connectors is unified search reporting.
Building Combined Dashboards
Create reports that show Google and Microsoft side by side:
Google Ads: $45,000 spend, 12,500 clicks, 450 conversions, $100 CPA Microsoft Ads: $8,000 spend, 3,200 clicks, 125 conversions, $64 CPA Total: $53,000 spend, 15,700 clicks, 575 conversions, $92 CPA
This immediately surfaces that Microsoft CPA is 36% lower. Worth reallocating budget.
Normalizing Metrics
Google and Microsoft use similar terminology, but watch for differences:
Conversion windows: Default attribution may differ. Metric names: Mostly aligned, but verify mappings. Reporting delays: Microsoft data may lag slightly behind Google.
Set consistent attribution windows when possible for accurate comparison.
Key Cross-Platform Reports
Spend allocation: Where is budget going, and is it efficient?
CPA comparison: Which platform is more efficient per keyword/audience?
Impression share: Are you capturing available demand on both platforms?
Keyword overlap: Which keywords work on both platforms, and how does performance compare?
Using Microsoft Data with AI
Connect Microsoft Advertising to Claude via MCP for conversational analysis.
Comparison queries:
"Compare Microsoft Ads CPC to Google Ads for our top keywords"
"Which platform has better conversion rates this month?"
"Show me spend breakdown between Google and Microsoft"
Microsoft-specific queries:
"Which Microsoft campaigns are underspending their budget?"
"What's our impression share on Microsoft for brand keywords?"
"Show me Microsoft search query report for the last 7 days"
Optimization queries:
"Based on CPA, should we shift budget from Google to Microsoft?"
"Which Microsoft keywords have high impressions but low conversions?"
Explore MCP servers to connect Microsoft and other platforms.
Common Questions
Is Microsoft Ads data compatible with Google Ads in reports?
Mostly yes. Metrics are similar enough to report together. Watch for attribution window differences and normalize where needed.
How do I connect multiple Microsoft Ads accounts?
Most connectors support multi-account via manager accounts (MCCs) or individual account authorization. Check your tool's documentation.
Does Microsoft have a free export option?
Yes. You can schedule automated reports via email in the Microsoft Advertising UI, or manually download CSVs. Works for basic needs but doesn't scale.
Should I use Power BI if I'm a Microsoft shop?
If your organization already uses Power BI, the native integration is excellent and free. For teams using Looker Studio or other BI tools, use a general connector instead.
How does Microsoft Audience Network data work?
Audience Network (display/native) data is included in standard API exports. You can filter by network type to separate search from audience network performance.
Connect Microsoft Advertising Today
Microsoft Advertising deserves the same reporting attention as Google. The data is there. You just need to connect it.
For Microsoft-centric organizations, Power BI's native integration is hard to beat. For unified marketing dashboards, Supermetrics or Fivetran bring Microsoft into your existing reports. For AI-powered analysis, MCP lets you query alongside all your other platforms.
Ready to unify your search advertising data? Explore MCP servers for Microsoft and other platforms.
