Can you use UNC pathing with Power BI data sources?

[Dan_at_TWE]

The network drive letter may not be guaranteed to be consistant across all of the workstations on our local network.  Is it possible to use UNC pathing for data sources?   I want to provide a general template for our users to get their feet wet with using Power BI with data sources provided from a central location on the network.

[AnalyticsWizard]

@Dan_at_TWE 

Absolutely, UNC (Universal Naming Convention) paths are a great solution for pointing to shared network resources in a consistent way, especially when drive letters might differ between user workstations. Power BI supports UNC paths for connecting to data sources.

Here’s how you can use a UNC path in Power BI:

1. Connect to a Data Source:
- When you go to "Get Data" and select the data source type, if it's a file type (like Excel, Text/CSV, XML, JSON, etc.), instead of browsing to a network drive letter, you can enter the UNC path directly into the File path field.
- The format of a UNC path is `\\ServerName\SharedFolder\Resource`, where you replace `ServerName`, `SharedFolder`, and `Resource` with your network server and folder names.

2. Edit Queries:
- If you've already connected to a data source using a mapped drive, you can convert it to a UNC path by editing the source step in Power Query.
- In the Power Query Editor, select the source step, and in the formula bar, you can replace the file path with the UNC path.

3. Data Refresh:
- For scheduled refreshes in the Power BI service, using a UNC path is actually necessary because the Power BI service won't recognize mapped drives on your local machine.
- Ensure that the Gateway used for refreshing the data has access to the UNC path and the necessary permissions.

4. Parameterization:
- You can parameterize your data source paths in Power BI, which makes it easier to change the path later without editing the M code directly.
- Create a parameter with the UNC path and use it in your data source settings. Users can then change the parameter value if needed.

5. Security Consideration:
- Ensure that all intended users have the necessary permissions to access the UNC path you provide. Permissions issues are common pitfalls when accessing network locations.

6. Creating a Template:
- You can save your Power BI report as a template (.pbit) file after setting up your connections using UNC paths.
- When users open the template, they can connect to the same central data sources without worrying about drive letter mappings.

By using UNC paths, you create a more robust and transportable solution for Power BI reports that can be used across different machines without the need to worry about local drive mappings.

[Dan_at_TWE]

Darn. IO error 67.   Using the drive letters works fine.   

[sevenhills]

Yes you can. Make sure it starts with \\

optional: go to command prompt and type "net use" and copy from here to begin with

[Dan_at_TWE]

I did.

I read about this error a bit before I posted.   It's a permissions thing I think. I think Windows mapping has permissions set up when the mapping is made, so it all works when you use it.  UNC paths (using IP addresses) can be somewhat different.

[v-yiruan-msft]

@sevenhills ,@AnalyticsWizard Thanks for your contribution on this thread.

Hi @Dan_at_TWE ,

As @sevenhills  and @AnalyticsWizard said, you can use UNC (Universal Naming Convention) paths with Power BI data sources. UNC paths are a great solution for pointing to shared network resources in a consistent way, especially when drive letters might differ between user workstations. However, please ensure that the user account running Power BI has appropriate permissions to access the network share first...

Solved: Personal Gateway: On-Prem File Refresh and UNC Pa... - Microsoft Fabric Community

Best Regard

[Dan_at_TWE]

The problem with that is, more and more business environments are managed networks. Usually by a third party. As such users don't have admin accounts. The one saving grace of Power BI desktop is that you don't need admin permissions to install it. The rest, is not a problem with Power BI specifically, but with Windows in general. It was never designed for the user for the workstation to run as anything other than an admin account, IMHO.

[v-yiruan-msft]

Hi @Dan_at_TWE ,

As a report creator, you must provide the necessary credentials to ensure that the data source can be loaded into Power BI with adequate permissions. Upon publishing the report to Service, it’s essential to configure the gateway appropriately. This step is vital for maintaining seamless data connectivity and ensuring the report’s functionality.

Solved: Personal Gateway: On-Prem File Refresh and UNC Pa... - Microsoft Fabric Community

Best Regards

[Dan_at_TWE · Accepted solution]

There are corporate security concerns with using a third party service for sharing the data. Granted, no more so than using Office 365, but I would need buy in from management to use the service.