PowerBIIntegration in Power Apps - Does Not Work For Existing Apps

[FAY2020]

When adding a Power Apps visual and dragging some columns into it, I am then trying to add an existing app.

If I select the app, Edge then opens up and displays the app and the PowerBIIntegration object is visible in the tree view. However there is no data there (there definitely is data in the Power BI model). I can try a couple of tests:

• Add a gallery and set PowerBIIntegration.Data as the Items property
• Add a button and set it's OnSelect to ClearCollect(Test, PowerBIIntegration.Data)

Neither produces any result (the test collection is empty, no rows or columns).

If I go abck to my visual and choose Create New, it created a new Power App (mobile dimensions) and the data displays in the gallery that is created.

I'm aware that I could edit the msapp file but I have a complex app that has multiple screens and needs to be displayed multiple times in the PBI report, so recreating it from scratch is not an option. Has anyone encountered this or has a work-around? I just need the integration to work as advertised.

[Talha02]

Hey, 
I created a Power App from inside the Power Apps visual in Power BI. The integration worked fine. After I saved and later wanted to make changes, it would not show any data in Power Apps, even if I edit the App through the Power BI visual. 

So here is the solution, that worked for me: 
First publish your Power BI Dashboard

- Open it in PowerBi.com 

- Go to edit

- Go to the Power Apps visual in your Power BI Dashboard

- Click on three dots and now edit

Now when your App opens in Power Apps the integration should work perfectly and all data which you had passed in to your Power Apps visiual should be accessable.

[FAY2020]

---

@Talha02 wrote:

I created a Power App from inside the Power Apps visual in Power BI. 

---

So that is a different scenario to the one in my original post. I am talking about existing apps (authored in Power Apps) that then do not integrate properly into the Power BI model.

See my reply here: Re: PowerBIIntegration in Power Apps - Does Not Wo... - Microsoft Fabric Community where there is conflicting info over whethere this is actually possible. I now believe it is not possible, as stated in this blog: Power BI integration with Power Apps (telstra.com) which was originally linked by @v-rzhou-msft.

For those still reading, if you have an existing app created outside of Power BI, you will need to create a new app from within Power BI and copy across all your content and code.

[andrejmfreitas]

Any updateS? Same issue here.2023.

[Talha02]

Hey, please read my post. That worked for few people, hope will help you aswell.

[andrejmfreitas]

Never mind, it worked now. Thank you very much.

[andrejmfreitas]

The hack for editing and power apps appearing is very useful

What I feel is like that changes are not immediately, so once I've opened the power app, the PowerBIIntegration is still referring to the old data, and now liking to new one, maybe that's a matter of waiting, not sure.

[shuhn1229]

Any resolution here? same issue

[v-rzhou-msft]

Hi @FAY2020 

I found some offical blogs and I hope they could help you.

Blogs:

Power Apps visual for Power BI

Power BI integration with Power Apps

Video:

Power BI Integration with PowerApps V2

Best Regards,

Rico Zhou

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

[FAY2020]

So from the Microsoft documentation (first link):

But from the second link:

"An existing app works only if it were previously created from the Power BI service. If you want to use existing app, you may need to make some changes to get the data integration part work properly, PowerBIIntegration is key for data integration between Power BI and PowerApps. "

The official docs only mention that using an app not created in Power BI will prevent the use of Refresh() on the connection, but the second blog seems to suggest apps created outside of Power BI will not integrate at all. Can you clarify what is correct?

[FAY2020]

@v-rzhou-msft do you have any update on this? It's potentially an issue with the official documentation. I'd also like to know if I've been going the wrong route on integrating apps as this could save a lot of time and frustration.

[kirstend]

This is still an issue, almost two years later.

[Talha02]

Hey, please read my post. That worked for few people, hope will help you aswell.

[kirstend]

This is still an issue, almost two years later.