Automated Snapshot / Bookmark

[NovaBI]

Hi everyone,

I am looking for a solution for the following issue: 

I have an report that is refreshed on a daily basis from SAP. Everything is fine.

But as the data implies one month and is dynamically imported from SAP, a month change creates the issue that the last working day is missing (as the friday data is created saturday as an endpoint for the month to be fully correct).

If the report is now updated on Monday, it shows the new data from current month, so there is no way for the user to see the "end status" of the last month.

As the query is automated in SAP I do not have the opportunity to work with Slicers/Logics to make it visable via a month cut for example. I'd need a automated bookmark or snapshot for the last working day of month (i have this in my query), or an daily snapshot. Both ways would be okay.

Any hint? No premium available right now. Just Pro everywhere.

[amitchandak]

@NovaBI ,The information you have provided is not making the problem clear to me. Can you please explain with an example.

Appreciate your Kudos.

[NovaBI]

Hi @amitchandak ,

okay I will try to clarify it in a better way. I will put it simpler and just explain it on one visual.

We have a progression visual (clustered column chart) showing data until workday 19. Now lets say the last friday in a month is workday 20 and is created on the last saturday in a month. All calculations are done in SAP itself, nothing to do with BI.

But the data output is always centred around the current month. So if its now June, the refresh will "kill" the may data and show June, starting with Workday 1 again. And that is why i need a snapshot/bookmark of the data form the last month. Because people want to see the final numbers in BI.  I don't have the chance to get a period pearameter right now, so no slicers are   reasonable.

Last week:

current update:

So I need a automated snapshot in the last week of the month on the weekend or a bookmark people can refer to.

Otherwise they will say "where is my final data?"

[amitchandak]

@NovaBI , I think you want to keep last month's data. Refer if this can help

https://www.thebiccountant.com/2017/01/11/incremental-load-in-powerbi-using-dax-union/

[NovaBI]

Hi @amitchandak ,

thanks for the link, I already found that. I'm afraid that there is too much shortfall with that workaround, and as it is written there it does not work in PBI Service what is mandatory for my users.

If there's an premium capacity that I could use, the incremental refresh with a data snapshot is makable?

[V-lianl-msft]

Hi @NovaBI ,

It is worth mentioning that incremental refresh is generally available and supported in Pro.

You can try what @amitchandak  said before.

You can also try to learn more about: how to save historical data using power BI data flow

Best Regards,
Liang
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

[NovaBI]

Hi @V-lianl-msft ,

thanks for the input.

I checked the incremental refresh, it is a nice feature but has precondition that makes it hard for me to use it.

As we need a StartRange and EndRange formatted as Date-typ, my data does not imply that. I could create a "fake" date column with the SAP output that is in a weekly logic but not a true date.  But it is not worth the effort right now. Was just a sidequest I tried to solve.

Thanks for the help anyways!