Forum Discussion
Missing Parameter section in PowerBI Report Server report
Hi pasquale_ceglie,
Thank you for the clarification. Since you're using a Power Query parameter to define the file path dynamically and plan to change it after publishing the report to Power BI Report Server, note that PBIRS does not expose Power Query parameters in the "Manage > Parameters" pane. These parameters are fixed during report publishing and cannot be modified from the server UI. Given your scenario requires dynamic path control post-publish and What-If parameters are not suitable, here are a few alternatives:
Create a config source (Excel, CSV, or SQL table) with the file path. Load it into Power Query and reference it in your logic. This way, you can change the path externally without republishing the report.
Maintain separate PBIX files with hardcoded path values and publish them individually. This supports different paths when direct interactivity isn't possible.
If none of the above workarounds meet your needs, we recommend opening a Microsoft support ticket. This will allow the engineering team to investigate the issue in detail and provide a resolution or guidance.
To raise a support ticket for Fabric and Power BI, kindly follow the steps outlined in the following guide:
How to create a Fabric and Power BI Support ticket - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Problem solved? Hit “Accept as Solution” and high-five me with a Kudos! Others will thank you later!Thank you,
Sahasra
Community Support Team.
Thanks for your support but in my real case a whatif parameter in not the solution.
In my real case I'm using a power query parameter to define dynamically the path of the source file (in my case csv file) and so I need a parameter that could be modified on published report. Look at following example
but the Parameters section (in Manage menu) does't appear.
Hi pasquale_ceglie,
Thank you for the clarification. Since you're using a Power Query parameter to define the file path dynamically and plan to change it after publishing the report to Power BI Report Server, note that PBIRS does not expose Power Query parameters in the "Manage > Parameters" pane. These parameters are fixed during report publishing and cannot be modified from the server UI. Given your scenario requires dynamic path control post-publish and What-If parameters are not suitable, here are a few alternatives:
Create a config source (Excel, CSV, or SQL table) with the file path. Load it into Power Query and reference it in your logic. This way, you can change the path externally without republishing the report.
Maintain separate PBIX files with hardcoded path values and publish them individually. This supports different paths when direct interactivity isn't possible.
If none of the above workarounds meet your needs, we recommend opening a Microsoft support ticket. This will allow the engineering team to investigate the issue in detail and provide a resolution or guidance.
To raise a support ticket for Fabric and Power BI, kindly follow the steps outlined in the following guide:
How to create a Fabric and Power BI Support ticket - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Problem solved? Hit “Accept as Solution” and high-five me with a Kudos! Others will thank you later!
Thank you,
Sahasra
Community Support Team.
Hi v-sgandrathi , I thank you infinitely, but all this in my opinion makes no sense.
What's the point of allowing you to enter a parameter and not being able to change it once it's published?
I have opened a support request to Microsoft and I hope they give me a solution
Regards
--P.
HI pasquale_ceglie,
It does seem inconsistent to allow parameter creation but not support modifying them after publishing. This is a known limitation in Power BI Report Server, and it's a concern that many users have raised as well.
Your feedback is appreciated. I suggest submitting it to the Power BI Ideas forum and raising a support ticket to inform the product team.Thank you.
Hi pasquale_ceglie,
We are following up once again regarding your query. Could you please confirm if the issue has been resolved through the support ticket with Microsoft?
If the issue has been resolved, we kindly request you to share the resolution or key insights here to help others in the community. If we don’t hear back, we’ll go ahead and close this thread.
Should you need further assistance in the future, we encourage you to reach out via the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum and create a new thread. We’ll be happy to help.
Thank you for your understanding and participation.
I am looking for a solution using parameters to change between sql servers in the data source e.g. when moving a report development from dev to test and then to prod where the SQL server used is changing whilst everything else remains the same.
In PBI service (cloud) version of desktop it works well but not for power bi report server . Any solutions , work around or ideas ?
It seems we can not publish a power bi desktop report to the report server and then switch the sql server connection string to point to prod .Hi aki723,
You’re correct, Power BI Report Server (PBIRS) doesn’t currently support changing Power Query parameters or connection strings after publishing. These values are fixed at publish time, unlike in the Power BI Service where they remain editable.
A few workarounds you can try include using a configuration table (SQL, Excel, or CSV) that stores the server name and referencing it in Power Query so you can update it externally, or maintaining separate PBIX files for each environment (Dev, Test, Prod) with the correct connection settings. Some teams also use a stored procedure or view that dynamically switches the data source based on an environment flag.
This limitation is known and has been raised by multiple users. I recommend voting for it on the
Fabric Ideas - Microsoft Fabric Community so the product team can consider it for future updates.
Thank you.
