Refresh Excel Data Connection without open file

[HoangHugo]

Hi, I found some topics about my issue, tried some ways, but did not work. Could you suggest me an effective solution?

Btw, I have a question about Connect Table to Power Bi Dataset, if my Dataset refreshs update data, Does connected table also refresh even file close?

Any ideas are apprecieated. Thank you.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi,@HoangHugo 

Regarding the issue you raised, my solution is as follows:

1.First of all regarding your first question, how to update the contents of the pbix without opening the pbix that reads the excel data. There is no way to do it now. Because the default storage mode for reading excel file is import, import mode will not actively refresh the content of the file without configuring scheduled refresh.

Here is the related content documentation:
Data refresh in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Get data from Excel workbook files - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Here it is recommended that you have a license such as pro, you can choose to upload the file to the service, in the service on the contents of the file to configure the schedule refresh, so that it can achieve automatic refresh data, the following is the relevant documents link:
Configure scheduled refresh - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
2. Regarding your second question, pbix will automatically refresh the data when pbix is opened if it reads the semantic model of power bi (formerly called dataset), here is how I tested it:
First I read a semantic model configured with a gateway connection:

Then I updated the data source data of the semantic model:

Below is when I opened pbix and it data refreshed properly:

But if I don't open the pbix file, it still keeps the data from the last read.

Best Regards,

Leroy Lu

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