Forum Discussion
Helper IAbility to open Excel sheet based on graph click
Is there a way to open an Excel sheet based on a result in a graph? For instance, below, if I click on the 4/13 bar, be able to open a corresponding Excel sheet on a shared drive that will reference the data on 4/13.
I hope this explains the request appropriately. If no, please reply
Thankyou, mh2587, for your response.
Hi bdherh,
We appreciate your inquiry posted on the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.
Based on my understanding, it is not natively supported in Power BI Service or Power BI Desktop to open a local Excel file (for example, from the E:\ drive or a shared network location) directly via a visual or button using a Web URL action. This limitation arises due to security sandboxing and browser restrictions, especially within the Power BI Service (online environment). The Web URL action only functions for http/https links and does not support local paths such as file:// or UNC paths like \server\folder\file.xlsx, even if they are formatted correctly.
Although the file may open when its path is pasted directly into the Edge browser, Power BI reports hosted online operate within a secure browser environment, where access to local or network drives is restricted.
Kindly consider implementing the following workaround, which may help resolve the issue:
- Upload all Excel files to a SharePoint Document Library or OneDrive for Business.
- Update the ServerURL column in your SQL table to include the web-based sharing links (e.g., https://yourcompany.sharepoint.com/sites/Reports/SharedDocs/abc.xlsx).
- In Power BI, navigate to the Modeling tab and set the data category of the ServerURL column to Web URL.
- Use a Table visual or a Button with the Action property set to "Web URL" so that users can click and open the file directly in the browser.
If you find our response helpful, please mark it as the accepted solution and provide kudos. This will assist other community members encountering similar issues.
Thank you.
7 Replies
- mh2587
Super User
I am afraid that there is no such thing available from a visual interaction.
But yes, you can get very close by using buttons or dynamic hyperlinks. 
bdherhThanks. I have a column in the reference table above that has the path of the file to open (example e:\temp\abc.xlsx).
I created a button and turned on Actions. I pointed the Web URL to reference this column. But when I click on the button, the file does not open (or download). If I hardcode it in the Web URL, still nothing. But if I put an actual Web site (google.com) in, it works.
Is what I want to do possible and if so, what am I missing?
- mh2587
Did you change the data type of that column to web url? if not, Kinndly change that.
- bdherh
I narrowed this down more. The functionality is working if I put 'google.com' in the ServerFile in my table (below). But if I have the file:// it does nothing. You can see it is recognizing it as a link, but if I click it, the file does not download or open. If I paste this same link in Edge, it will download the file.
v-pnaroju-msftCommunity Support
Thankyou, mh2587, for your response.
Hi bdherh,
We appreciate your inquiry posted on the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.
Based on my understanding, it is not natively supported in Power BI Service or Power BI Desktop to open a local Excel file (for example, from the E:\ drive or a shared network location) directly via a visual or button using a Web URL action. This limitation arises due to security sandboxing and browser restrictions, especially within the Power BI Service (online environment). The Web URL action only functions for http/https links and does not support local paths such as file:// or UNC paths like \server\folder\file.xlsx, even if they are formatted correctly.
Although the file may open when its path is pasted directly into the Edge browser, Power BI reports hosted online operate within a secure browser environment, where access to local or network drives is restricted.
Kindly consider implementing the following workaround, which may help resolve the issue:
- Upload all Excel files to a SharePoint Document Library or OneDrive for Business.
- Update the ServerURL column in your SQL table to include the web-based sharing links (e.g., https://yourcompany.sharepoint.com/sites/Reports/SharedDocs/abc.xlsx).
- In Power BI, navigate to the Modeling tab and set the data category of the ServerURL column to Web URL.
- Use a Table visual or a Button with the Action property set to "Web URL" so that users can click and open the file directly in the browser.
If you find our response helpful, please mark it as the accepted solution and provide kudos. This will assist other community members encountering similar issues.
Thank you.
