Is it possible to share a dataset across reports/dashboards?

[olimilo]

I have a global dataset that I use on dashboards for several clients and several purposes, each with their own client-specific datasets. Is it possible for these client-centric dashboards to point to and use the global dataset so that there's only one global dataset to maintain (to keep data consistency as well and avoid duplication).

[v-jiascu-msft]

Hi @olimilo,

Could you please mark the proper answer as solution or share the solution if it's convenient for you? That will be a big help to the others.

Best Regards!
Dale

[v-jiascu-msft]

Hi @olimilo,

I found a solution today. It looks prefect and is the exact what you want. It's the data connector Power BI Service. You can create a global dataset and publish it to a workspace. Then other clients will connect to the dataset through this connector. They can build their own reports and publish to the same workspace for now. So one global dataset, many reports and many dashboards. Please reference this documentation for details: powerbi-desktop-report-lifecycle-datasets.

>>>

Starting with the April 2017 release of Power BI Desktop, you can establish a live connection to a shared dataset in the Power BI service, and create many different reports from the same dataset. 

Best Regards!

Dale

[Anonymous]

The short answer is Yes but a longer answer entirely depends on the different factors of your scenario.

When you create a data set, you can build multiple reports from there.  You can also make multiple dashboards that come from many reports.

Of course, how you issue these, how you want to store these, and a number of other questions need to be answered because its possible to say that it will work in scenario you have in mind.

[olimilo]

Hi Ross!

We're currently using an Excel file to contain the global dataset. That global dataset has already been used in a report (report A) that was published online. I'm wondering, if I used the same sheet for other reports, will they automatically know that the global dataset I've used in report A is the same one I'm trying to use in report B so that the second report will no longer have to reupload the global data it was trying to use online (and using twice the amount of space.

Or can I have to create a separate report for the global dataset and just point to that whenever I need them for client-specific reports?

[v-jiascu-msft]

Hi @olimilo,

It's still possible though it will lose some flexibility. 

1. We can create a dataset in the Desktop or the Service. We only create reports in the Service from the single global dataset. There can be only one dataset. But there are many inconvenience.

2. Create reports in a single Desktop file. If there are some changes of the dataset, such as new measures and calculated columns, republish it. Any improper changes in the dataset could crash the reports that already exist. And there are some limitations. Please reference: https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/powerbi-desktop-upload-desktop-files/

Edit: you can vote this idea or create a new idea: https://ideas.powerbi.com/forums/265200-power-bi-ideas/suggestions/13478433-dataset-desktop

Best Regards!

Dale

[Anonymous]

In that specific instance, no.  Think of the layers like this:

You have Data Sources which you pull into Projects.  Projects build Reports.  Dashboards come from Reports.

1 Project can contain many data sources.  1 Project can make many reports, but these reports can only see 1 Project.  Dashboards can see all reports in their workspace.

When a refresh is done, it is done at the Project level (Called Dataset in Power BI Service).

[olimilo]

Wait, so does that mean that if I have a Report B which uses the same exact "Global" dataset (using an Excel file as data source) that a published Report A uses, when I publish Report B it will upload a separate instance of the "Global" dataset instead of just using the one that Report A has?

[Anonymous]

Correct. Each project stores a cached version of the tables it needs.  When you refresh a project, that project contacts its data source and performs the transformations you set up.