Forum Discussion
Power BI data sources
I'm relatively new and I'm trying to connect connect an excel sheet from my sharepoint to PBI Service and schedule an automatic update of the PBI dashboard but it won't let me because the gateway needs to be installed.
IT says they are not sure if this could bring additional costs to those already paid for my M365 license.
My questions are:
1. Can installing this gateway incur additional costs?
2. Is there any other way to connect my data from SharePoint to PBI Service?
Thank you for your answers, I will be attentive.
Syndicate_Admin For 1. Installing and using the on-premises data gateway itself does not incur additional costs beyond what is already covered by your Power BI and M365 licenses. However, there could be indirect costs associated with the resources needed to manage and maintain the gateway, such as IT support and infrastructure.
Yes, there are other ways to connect your data from SharePoint to Power BI Service without using the on-premises data gateway. One common method is to use the SharePoint Online connector in Power BI. Here’s how you can do it:
Open Power BI Desktop.
Click on "Get Data" and select "SharePoint Online List" or "SharePoint Folder" depending on where your Excel file is stored.
Enter the URL of your SharePoint site and authenticate with your credentials.
Select the list or file you want to import and load it into Power BI Desktop.
Once you have your data in Power BI Desktop, you can publish the report to Power BI Service.
In Power BI Service, you can schedule refreshes directly from the dataset settings without needing the on-premises data gateway, as long as the data source is SharePoint Online.Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.
We understand you’re trying to connect an Excel sheet stored in SharePoint Online to Power BI Service, schedule automatic dashboard updates, and are encountering a prompt requiring an on-premises data gateway.
1. Can installing this gateway incur additional costs?
The on-premises data gateway is free to download,If you have a Power BI Pro license (included in Microsoft 365 E5 or available for $10/user/month), you can use the on-premises data gateway for free. If you already have Microsoft 365 E5, you likely have Power BI Pro, so no extra costs.
While there might be IT costs to maintain the gateway as mentioned by bhanu_gautam , you don't need it for connecting Power BI Service to Excel files in SharePoint Online. Power BI Service can connect directly to SharePoint Online without a gateway.
2. Is there any other way to connect my data from SharePoint to Power BI Service?
Yes, you can connect your SharePoint Online Excel sheet to Power BI Service without a gateway using the SharePoint Online Folder connector.
For Excel files in a SharePoint document library, SharePoint Online Folder is the correct connector . This can be achieved by using dataflows. Consider the following steps:
In Power BI Service, Navigate your workspace > Create > Dataflow.
Select SharePoint Online Folder, enter the root SharePoint site URL, and authenticate with OAuth2.
Choose the Excel file and table, then save the dataflow.
In Power BI Desktop, connect to the dataflow (Get Data > Power BI Dataflows), build your report, and publish.
Schedule the dataflow to refresh daily in Power BI Service. The dataset will use the dataflow as its source, requiring no gateway.
If this response resolves your query, kindly mark it as Accepted Solution to help other community members. A Kudos is also appreciated if you found the response helpful.
Thank You!
5 Replies
- bhanu_gautamSuper User
Syndicate_Admin For 1. Installing and using the on-premises data gateway itself does not incur additional costs beyond what is already covered by your Power BI and M365 licenses. However, there could be indirect costs associated with the resources needed to manage and maintain the gateway, such as IT support and infrastructure.
Yes, there are other ways to connect your data from SharePoint to Power BI Service without using the on-premises data gateway. One common method is to use the SharePoint Online connector in Power BI. Here’s how you can do it:
Open Power BI Desktop.
Click on "Get Data" and select "SharePoint Online List" or "SharePoint Folder" depending on where your Excel file is stored.
Enter the URL of your SharePoint site and authenticate with your credentials.
Select the list or file you want to import and load it into Power BI Desktop.
Once you have your data in Power BI Desktop, you can publish the report to Power BI Service.
In Power BI Service, you can schedule refreshes directly from the dataset settings without needing the on-premises data gateway, as long as the data source is SharePoint Online. - v-karpurapudCommunity Support
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.
We understand you’re trying to connect an Excel sheet stored in SharePoint Online to Power BI Service, schedule automatic dashboard updates, and are encountering a prompt requiring an on-premises data gateway.
1. Can installing this gateway incur additional costs?
The on-premises data gateway is free to download,If you have a Power BI Pro license (included in Microsoft 365 E5 or available for $10/user/month), you can use the on-premises data gateway for free. If you already have Microsoft 365 E5, you likely have Power BI Pro, so no extra costs.
While there might be IT costs to maintain the gateway as mentioned by bhanu_gautam , you don't need it for connecting Power BI Service to Excel files in SharePoint Online. Power BI Service can connect directly to SharePoint Online without a gateway.
2. Is there any other way to connect my data from SharePoint to Power BI Service?
Yes, you can connect your SharePoint Online Excel sheet to Power BI Service without a gateway using the SharePoint Online Folder connector.
For Excel files in a SharePoint document library, SharePoint Online Folder is the correct connector . This can be achieved by using dataflows. Consider the following steps:
In Power BI Service, Navigate your workspace > Create > Dataflow.
Select SharePoint Online Folder, enter the root SharePoint site URL, and authenticate with OAuth2.
Choose the Excel file and table, then save the dataflow.
In Power BI Desktop, connect to the dataflow (Get Data > Power BI Dataflows), build your report, and publish.
Schedule the dataflow to refresh daily in Power BI Service. The dataset will use the dataflow as its source, requiring no gateway.
If this response resolves your query, kindly mark it as Accepted Solution to help other community members. A Kudos is also appreciated if you found the response helpful.
Thank You!
- v-karpurapudCommunity Support
May I ask if you have resolved this issue? If so, please mark the helpful reply and accept it as the solution. This will be helpful for other community members who have similar problems to solve it faster.
Thank you.
- v-karpurapudCommunity Support
I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. If my response has addressed your query, please accept it as a solution and give a 'Kudos' so other members can easily find it.
Thank you. - v-karpurapudCommunity Support
Hi Syndicate_Admin
I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any further questions or if you'd like to discuss this further. If this answers your question, please Accept it as a solution and give it a 'Kudos' so others can find it easily.
Thank you.