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Trotter's avatar
Trotter
Helper I
1 year ago
Solved

Usage Report Not Refreshing

Hi   I have built a usage report in power BI desktop that combines usage data with my own organisation data. However the usage data is now out of date and I have not been able to get it to refresh...
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  • v-venuppu's avatar
    v-venuppu
    1 year ago

    Hi Trotter ,

    Built-in usage metrics reports use shared semantic models that are controlled by the Power BI service, not by individual users or Power BI Desktop.
    Refreshing in Power BI Desktop does not update usage data because the usage metrics data comes from a managed service dataset that cannot be manually refreshed locally.
    Outdated data typically means the service dataset hasn't refreshed, possibly due to credential issues or service limitations - check dataset settings in the Power BI Service.
    You may not see or access the dataset if you don’t have the required permissions or if the semantic model has been deleted or hidden by admins.
    To check refresh and credentials, go to Power BI Service → Workspace → Find "Usage Metrics Report" dataset → Settings → Review data source credentials and refresh history.
    For more control and current data, use Power BI Activity Logs or Office 365 Audit Logs, which require admin access but provide full data extraction and refresh capabilities.

    Thank you.

rohit1991's avatar
rohit1991
Super User
1 year ago

Hi Trotter ,

Here’s what’s likely happening and how you can address it:

 

1. Usage metrics data in Power BI Service only refreshes if the underlying Usage Metrics Report dataset is refreshed. If the original Usage Metrics Report in the Service is showing old data and cannot be refreshed (or you get credential errors), then your combined report in Power BI Desktop will always show outdated usage data—even if you refresh your local report.

 

2. You can’t control or manually refresh the built-in Usage Metrics semantic model from your own workspace or dataset settings. The Usage Metrics Report is managed by Power BI, and refresh is controlled by the Power BI Service backend. If you see "could not find that semantic model" or credential errors, you likely don’t have admin access or the dataset may have been deleted/disabled.

 

3. What you can try:

  • Ask your Power BI Service admin to check the Usage Metrics Report dataset in the Service. Only admins can see and refresh the underlying semantic model. They may need to enable usage metrics, update credentials, or reset the dataset.

  • Check tenant settings: If your organization has disabled or restricted usage metrics, new data may not be collected.

  • Alternative: For more control, consider enabling and using the Power BI Activity Log or exporting usage data via the Power BI REST API, which gives you up-to-date and customizable activity data.

 

  • Trotter's avatar
    Trotter
    Helper I
    1 year ago

    Thanks Rohit

     

    I am the admin for our company and I have checked that the usage metrics were already enabled in the tenant settings.

     

    Do you have any details on how I would update credentials for the usage report as I cannot seem to find where to do this?

    Alternatively you mentioned resetting the data set.

    Again I'm not sure how I would go about this.

     

    Thanks

     

    Regards

     

    Matthew

     

     

     

    Regards

     

    Matthew