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PJ_86's avatar
PJ_86
Regular Visitor
6 months ago
Solved

Embedded Public snapshot refresh in PPT

Hello,

Is there anyway to automate data refresh for powerbi report pages that are embedded in ppt as public snapshot?

Deck is consumed by Business stakeholders and non-tech users thats would not have access to PowerBI env and has multiple slides(30+) for different categories and metrics. Live connection for embedded visuals is not an option. Workaround as of now is to switch to live manually to refresh latest data and revert back to Public snapshots for each slide. Looking for  recommendations or solutions to do this programmatically using macro/power automate, etc? 

TIA

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  • v-prasare's avatar
    v-prasare
    5 months ago

    We would like to confirm if our community members answer resolves your query or if you need further help. If you still have any questions or need more support, please feel free to let us know. We are happy to help you.

     

     

     

    Thank you for your patience and look forward to hearing from you.
    Best Regards,
    Prashanth Are
    MS Fabric community support

7 Replies

  • bariscihan's avatar
    bariscihan
    Resolver II
    6 months ago

    From what I understand, the current limitation is related to how Public Snapshots work when Power BI content is embedded into PowerPoint.

    Public Snapshots are essentially static representations of report pages. Even if the underlying dataset or report is refreshed in Power BI, the snapshot embedded in PowerPoint does not automatically update. Because of this design, there is currently no native API or automation hook (Power Automate, Macro, etc.) that can programmatically trigger a refresh of Public Snapshot content inside an existing PPT deck.

    If Live embedding is not an option due to licensing or access constraints for business users, the only reliable approaches today are typically:

    • Re-generate snapshots after dataset refresh (manual or semi-automated outside PPT)
    • Use Export APIs (PPT/PDF/Image) to rebuild the deck after refresh
    • Maintain a template PPT and replace visuals programmatically after export

    If automation is critical, I would personally lean toward an Export API–driven pipeline (for example: dataset refresh → export report pages → rebuild PPT → distribute), instead of trying to automate snapshot switching inside PowerPoint itself.

    If Microsoft introduces programmatic snapshot refresh or snapshot lifecycle APIs in the future, that would change the architecture significantly, but as of today this looks like a product limitation rather than a configuration gap.

    Happy to discuss architecture options if you can share:
    • Tenant / licensing model (Pro / PPU / Embedded / F SKU / Fabric capacity)
    • How frequently the deck needs to be refreshed
    • Whether rebuilding PPT is acceptable vs updating in-place

  • PJ_86's avatar
    PJ_86
    Regular Visitor
    6 months ago

    Hello bariscihan ,Thanks for your response.

    • Can check on infra details with platfrom team, but I believe we are currently using Pro workspace which is shared F16 instance.
    • The deck is expected for monthly refresh for multiple Products(1 deck/product). 
    • PBI visuals are one of the element on the slide, there are additional commentary and details that end users will update before distribution.
    • Can you share more details on Export API approach? If that help with in-place refreshing or inside fixed ppt template.
    • bariscihan's avatar
      bariscihan
      Resolver II
      6 months ago

      Hi PJ_86,

      Short answer — Export API does not support true in-place refresh inside an existing PPT or Public Snapshot.

      The practical approach today is:
      Refresh dataset → Export report pages → Rebuild PPT (or update a template) → Distribute.

      If preserving commentary is important, using a fixed template and replacing visuals programmatically is usually the most reliable option.

      Hope this helps!

  • v-prasare's avatar
    v-prasare
    Community Support
    6 months ago

    We would like to confirm if our community members answer resolves your query or if you need further help. If you still have any questions or need more support, please feel free to let us know. We are happy to help you.

     

     

     

    Thank you for your patience and look forward to hearing from you.
    Best Regards,
    Prashanth Are
    MS Fabric community support

  • v-prasare's avatar
    v-prasare
    Community Support
    5 months ago

    We would like to confirm if our community members answer resolves your query or if you need further help. If you still have any questions or need more support, please feel free to let us know. We are happy to help you.

     

     

     

    Thank you for your patience and look forward to hearing from you.
    Best Regards,
    Prashanth Are
    MS Fabric community support

  • v-prasare's avatar
    v-prasare
    Community Support
    5 months ago

    Hi bmontoni,

    We would like to confirm if our community members answer resolves your query or if you need further help. If you still have any questions or need more support, please feel free to let us know. We are happy to help you.

     

     

     

    Thank you for your patience and look forward to hearing from you.
    Best Regards,
    Prashanth Are
    MS Fabric community support