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Fern_21's avatar
Fern_21
Icon for Helper V rankHelper V
4 months ago
Solved

How to refresh a Power BI dataset using a flow from a Power App when the user only has Viewer grant

Hi all!
I've a user who needs to refresh a Power BI dataset through a Power Automate flow triggered from a Power App. This user only has Viewer permissions on the workspace, so they cannot refresh the Power BI dataset and the flow fails with an error.

 

They need to be able to trigger the refresh without changing their workspace role (they must remain a Viewer). How can I achieve this?

 

Thanks

 
 
 
Need Help

5 Replies

    • Fern_21's avatar
      Fern_21
      Icon for Helper V rankHelper V
      4 months ago

      Hi rajendraongole1 !

      Sharing a cloud flow with run-only permissions

      Instant flows (i.e., flows that use a manual trigger such as a button or item selection) can be shared using run-only permissions. Any user added as a run-only user does not have access to modify or change the flow in any way; they only have permissions to trigger the flow.

       

      To add a run-only user:

       

      On the flow details page, in the Run-only users section, select Edit.

      In the Manage run-only permissions panel, specify the users and groups you want to provide run-only access to.

      As the owner, you can specify whether run-only users must provide their own connections or can use a connection already defined in the flow.


      In this way, the user can run the flow, but what permissions do they need in Power BI? I can only give them the Viewer role.

      Thanks

       

  • Natarajan_M's avatar
    Natarajan_M
    Icon for Super User rankSuper User
    4 months ago

    Hi Fern_21 

    You can use a Service Principal for this. Create an App Registration in Entra ID, grant it Contributor (or Member) role on the workspace, and configure the Power Automate flow to authenticate using the Service Principal's credentials instead of the user's.

    This way, the actual refresh runs under the SP's identity (which has the required permissions), while the user stays as a Viewer and simply triggers the flow from the Power App. The user never needs elevated workspace access.

    https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/refresh-your-power-bi-dataset-using-microsoft-flow/

    https://www.nickyvv.com/2020/06/refresh-a-power-bi-dataset-with-powershell-and-a-service-principal.html

    Thanks!

    Natarajan Manivasagan

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  • v-saisrao-msft's avatar
    v-saisrao-msft
    Icon for Community Support rankCommunity Support
    3 months ago

    Hi Fern_21,

    Checking in to see if your issue has been resolved. let us know if you still need any assistance.

     

    Thank you.