Issues with PBIX files stored in SharePoint Online

[conor_boyland]

We're storing our PBIX files created by Power BI Desktop within a SharePoint Online document library.

The document library has version control enabled and users check-out/check-in their changes for version control.

The PBIX files for both Semantic Models and Reports are then imported into Power BI and configured with Automatic Updates using the OneDrive refresh capability.

We're experiencing 2 issues:

• Files can take between a few hours to days to sync into the Power BI Service after they have been modified in SharePoint Online. Forcing a sync of the Semantic Model within the Power BI Service does not always force a OneDrive refresh?
• Older cached versions of files often open when using the "Open in app" functionality, but users do not realise. Causing users to overwrite changes?

[conor_boyland]

Hi Shravan133, thank you for your quick response.

Please see my comments with regards to your feedback:

1. Delay in Syncing Files

   • Workaround: We are already manually refreshing the Semantic Model within the Power BI Service after any amendments are made to the file within SharePoint Online. However, this does not always force a sync?
   • Power Automate Flow: We could leverage an automated process using Power Automate or Logic Apps if the "manual" refresh workaround was working as we expected

2. Older Cached Versions in "Open in App"

   • Clear Local Cache: When using "Open in app" from SharePoint Online, the files are cached into the "C:\Users\<user>\OneDriveCloudTemp" directory. When clearing out files manually in this directory, it seems that the latest version is always fetched (this is not a user friendly process and just used for testing). We were unaware that the Power BI Desktop cache was related to PBIX files as it states data load cache?
   • Check-out Process: We already have "Require documents to be checked out before they can be edited?" toggled on within the document library in SharePoint Online, but this makes no difference to the caching issue?
   • Naming Conventions: Version numbers, created by, modified by, modified date and created date fields are all visible within the document library in SharePoint Online, so I don't believe any changes to the file naming conventions would resolve the issue?

[Shravan133]

The issues you're encountering with OneDrive refresh delays and cached versions of PBIX files are common challenges when integrating SharePoint Online with Power BI Service. Here are some approaches to help mitigate these issues:

1. Delay in Syncing Files

• OneDrive Refresh Interval: The OneDrive for Business/SharePoint Online refresh is set by Power BI to check for changes approximately every hour. However, there can be additional delays due to throttling or service performance. Unfortunately, there is no way to force an immediate refresh consistently within the Power BI Service itself.
• Workaround: Instead of relying solely on OneDrive auto-refresh, consider manually refreshing the dataset after the PBIX file is updated. This ensures that the changes are reflected more quickly. Users can trigger this from the Datasets section of the Power BI Service.
• Power Automate Flow: Automate the process with Power Automate to trigger a dataset refresh in Power BI whenever a PBIX file is checked in or updated in SharePoint Online. This could reduce manual effort and enforce timely updates.

2. Older Cached Versions in "Open in App"

• Version Mismatch: Cached versions of the PBIX file may open because Power BI caches files locally for performance. When opening a file through "Open in App" in Power BI, it might pull from this cache rather than the most current version.
• Clear Local Cache: Encourage users to clear their local Power BI Desktop cache or close and reopen the app when opening a file from SharePoint Online to ensure they’re working with the latest version. This can be done via File > Options and Settings > Options > Data Load > Clear Cache in Power BI Desktop.
• Check-out Process: Enforce a check-out/check-in policy with clear communication so that users understand they must always check the file’s latest version in SharePoint before making changes.
• Naming Conventions: Consider adding version numbers or timestamps in the file names to make it more apparent when a file is the latest version.