How to update freshly created tables in the Big Query data source in Power BI?

[Anonymous]

Hi!

I needed to set up a connection between Google Analytics 4 and Power BI. I chose to link Google Analytics 4 account to the Big Query account and then connect it to Power BI. So I managed to do it successfully.

One issue I'm worried about is that the tables in the Big Query database appear every day as Google Analytics events are refreshed on the daily basis. E.g. today is 24.01.2022 and you'll see the data in a separate table in Big Query for 23.01.2022. So by the end of the week, I'll have 6 tables in the data source.

So it makes kind of a problem when connecting it to Power BI, as at first, you choose the tables in the data source you want to manipulate with. Let's say I chose the event table for 23.01.2022. But how will I see the next day and the day after freshly created Big Query tables in Power BI? Is it possible to automate this process?

[V-lianl-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous ,

Power BI is a "read only" system so it doesn't have the ability to store data beyond a refresh. 

You will either have to put in an intermediate process in place to store a previous day snapshot of data, then have Power BI read in the source data and the snapshot, then do the comparison.

You can try to keep existing data in the power Bi dataset and add new data to it using incremental refresh:

https://blog.crossjoin.co.uk/2020/04/13/keep-the-existing-data-in-your-power-bi-dataset-and-add-new-data-to-it-using-incremental-refresh/ 

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