Forum Discussion

sophie63's avatar
sophie63
Helper I
9 years ago

Switch a data source from SQL database to Power BI Service (live connection) on existing dashboard?

Hi,   Is is possible to switch a data source from an SQL database to Power BI Service (live connection) on an existing dashboard? I want to use the same data set but switch to live connection witho...
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dscott73's avatar
dscott73
Resolver I
3 years ago

This is the easiest way I have found.  This assumes you have a SQL DB Connection of some type.

 

  1. Load the original .pbix file with the SQL DB Connection.
  2. I strip out the pages, and remove all visuals, leaving a blank page titled "Sales Dataset". Save this file as "Sales Dataset" and publish to the Power BI service. Close this file after publishing.
  3. Re-load the original report .pbix file
  4. Click on the Model view Icon to the left of the designer
  5. Highlight all the tables and delete them.
  6. Click on Get Data > Power BI Datasets
  7. Select the "Sales Dataset" you uploaded earlier. The report should connect. Click over to report view, and viola! Your visuals are working again.
  8. Publish this new report to your desired workspace
  9. Remove the old report
  10. Save file as .pbit (or as a .pbix but at this point .pbit is a better option)

 

  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    Not applicable
    3 years ago

    Thanks For your Comment - But Its not Working and Giving Error Like " The Connect Live Option is Disabled Because It already Contains Data From Another Source . But My File Is not having Any Data .

    • dscott73's avatar
      dscott73
      Resolver I
      3 years ago

      Then you are doing something wrong. I just followed my own directions, and it worked fine. I just downloaded the latest version of Power BI as of today (June 30, 2023). That error sounds like you might be working with an older version of PowerBI Desktop that did not allow mixed datasets.