Programatically Refresh Power Bi Desktop file and save it

[PunitPrabhu89]

i have multiple clients from whom i get data , and i have compute engine to process and get aggregated KPI file . I use that file to create Power bi report and i upload it to blob and expose it to front end and client logs in and uses it similarly its done for multiple clients , how do i automate power bi file creation to change the data , refresh and save it in local using powershell .  i dont want to user power bi service or rest api or power automate no licensing.

I tried with Powershell and python it didnt work

Kindly help

[v-tejrama]

Hi @PunitPrabhu89 ,

Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.

I see you're looking to automate data updates for various clients by refreshing and saving a Power BI Desktop file locally using PowerShell or Python, without relying on Power BI Service, APIs, Power Automate, or licensing.

However, this isn't supported by Power BI Desktop, as it lacks a command line interface, SDK, PowerShell module, or Python functionality to programmatically open, refresh, and save PBIX files. Refreshing is only possible at the dataset level within the Desktop engine, and Microsoft supports automation through the Service, XMLA, or REST APIs not directly with PBIX files.

That's why PowerShell or Python attempts don't work, and mouse click automation isn't reliable for production. For license free local automation, the recommended method is to use a parameterized PBIT template to create client-specific PBIX files, rather than refreshing an existing PBIX.

Best Regards,
Tejaswi.
Community Support

[kushanNa]

Hi @PunitPrabhu89 

Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HSK_-1ULro . I think he is using mouse clicks to refresh a PBIX file locally. Maybe this is an old video and the current version has changed, so I’m not sure how valid it is, but you should be able to write your own Python code for mouse clicks and movements, for example : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZQDO0ktnrw 

[danextian]

Hi @PunitPrabhu89 

I'm not sure if there is a software that can even do that. You can try Power Automate Desktop. 

[PunitPrabhu89]

Thank you @danextian for quick reply  , i wanted to check if its possible with power shell or python , without using power automate, power bi service or api . because using them we need license