Refresh data monthly and add new rows to original table

[kellyylx]

Hi my original table is data about product information and the countries they are sold to. 

Then I created this table below that shows the number of products sold in each country as of 29 November. 

Year	Month	Day	Country	Count of Products
2024	11	29	A	2789
2024	11	29	B	625
2024	11	29	C	941

I want to keep track of the values every month to track how sales are going. 

Is there a way where I can schedule a monthly refresh and retreive the table below:

Year	Month	Day	Country	Count of Products
2024	11	1	A	2789
2024	11	1	B	625
2024	11	1	C	941
2024	12	1	A	2890
2024	12	1	B	627
2024	12	1	C	3711

such that the new rows are added to the original table. I want to do this so that plot some line graphs so track the sales monthly. 

[FarhanJeelani]

Hi @kellyylx ,

Yes, you can achieve this by combining Power BI with Power Automate or using a SQL-based solution if your data is stored in a database. Here's a straightforward way:

1. Using Power Automate with Power BI:

• Set Up Your Power BI Dataset: Ensure the original data is connected to Power BI and includes a refresh mechanism (e.g., through DirectQuery or scheduled refresh).

• Export Data on a Monthly Basis: Use Power Automate to export your Power BI table to a storage location (e.g., Excel, SharePoint, or SQL) on the 1st of every month.

  Steps:

  1. Create a Power Automate flow to trigger monthly.
  2. Use the "Export to File for Power BI Reports" connector to export the table.
  3. Append the exported data to an external file (e.g., Excel or SharePoint).

• Re-Import Appended Data: Connect the external file back to Power BI, ensuring all appended data (historical + current) is loaded.

2. SQL-Based Solution:

If your data is stored in a database:

1. Create a history table in the database to store monthly snapshots.
2. Set up a scheduled query in the database (e.g., using SQL Server Agent) to:
   • Run on the 1st of every month.
   • Insert the current month's data into the history table using:

     INSERT INTO SalesHistory (Year, Month, Day, Country, CountOfProducts)
     SELECT Year, Month, Day, Country, COUNT(ProductID) AS CountOfProducts
     FROM OriginalTable
     WHERE Date = GETDATE()
     GROUP BY Year, Month, Day, Country;

3. Connect the history table to Power BI for visualizations.

3. Power BI Only (Manual Workaround):

• Use Power Query to load historical data from a static source (e.g., Excel or a CSV).
• Refresh the data monthly, adding new rows to the static file manually.

For automation and scalability, Power Automate or SQL-based solutions are recommended.

Please accept this as solution, if it helps. Appreciate Kudos.

[kellyylx]

for Power Automate, is there any way such that i can power automate to the same excel file instead of creating a new file every time the refresh is scheduled?

[v-rzhou-msft]

Hi @kellyylx ,

I think you may try to trigger the refresh by Power Automate when your data source update .

For refernece:
Refresh your Power BI dataset using Microsoft Flow | Microsoft Power BI Blog | Microsoft Power BI

Solved: How to automatically refresh power bi report once ... - Microsoft Fabric Community

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.

[danextian]

Hi @kellyylx 

Power BI doesn't have an option for a monthly refresh, only weekly and daily. But this can be done using a Power Automate flow. For your other question, if you're meaning to keep a historical version of your data with each refresh. Power BI can't do that. Power BI does not retain historical versions of the data; it replaces the stored data with the current state of the source during each refresh. If you want the historical version, this data must also be available. You can use Power Automate to run a query against a dataset, store that as a flat file in a sharepoint folder and and use that as a data source along with the most recent data.

[kellyylx]

for Power Automate, is there any way such that i can power automate to the same excel file instead of creating a new file?

[Jihwan_Kim]

Hi,

I am not sure if I understood your question correctly, but please check the link down below.

Configure scheduled refresh - Power BI | Microsoft Learn