Usage Report Not Refreshing

[Trotter]

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However the usage data is now out of date and I have not been able to get it to refresh.

Could someone please give me some pointers on how to refresh this data?

To set up the report I used Get Data-->Semantic Models-->Usage Metrics Report.

I then changed to a combined model by clicking on "make changes to this model" and added data from my own company.

The usage data showing is now very out of date and refreshing in power BI desktop does not update it.

When I view the original "Usage Metrics Report" in the power BI service the data is also out of date and gives me the message:

"The usage data is outdated. Check the refresh histroy and data source credentials in Usage Metrics Report dataset settings"

However I have not been able to find the Usage Metrics Report data settings.

If I click on the 3 dots at the top left and select "View Semantic Model" it gives another error:

"Sorry we could find that semantic model. I t may have been deleted or you may not have access to view it".

Any help greatly appreciated.

[v-venuppu]

HI @Trotter ,

I hope the information provided is helpful.I wanted to check whether you were able to resolve the issue with the provided solutions.Please let us know if you need any further assistance.

Thank you.

[v-venuppu]

Hi @Trotter ,

May I ask if you have resolved this issue? Please let us know if you have any further issues, we are happy to help.

Thank you.

[v-venuppu · Accepted solution]

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Outdated data typically means the service dataset hasn't refreshed, possibly due to credential issues or service limitations - check dataset settings in the Power BI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.

[v-venuppu]

Hi @Trotter ,

I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided and resolve the issue..?Please let us know if you need any further assistance.We are happy to help.

Thank you.

[v-venuppu]

Hi @Trotter ,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Fabric Community.

Thank you @rohit1991 for the prompt response.

In order to update credentials for Usage Metrics Report:

1.Go to Workspace in Power BI Service and find the "Usage Metrics Report" dataset.

2.Click the three dots (...) → Settings.

3.Under Data source credentials, make sure credentials are valid.

4.Check Scheduled refresh and manually trigger a refresh if needed.

5.If the dataset is missing or broken, toggle Usage Metrics off and back on in the workspace settings to regenerate it.

6.For more control, consider using the Power BI Activity Log API or Audit Logs instead.

Thank you.

[Trotter]

Thanks @v-venuppu 

Unfortunately I've not been able to get the Usage Metrics Report semantic model data to rerfresh.

I have been able to locate the Usage Metrics Report semantic mode by typing "Usage Metrics Report" in the search bar at the top.

However it then does not provide 3 dots to click on as an option at that point to adjust my credentials.

Clicking into the sematic model lets me see the data and click on refresh but the dates remain in the past.

The only other place I have been able to see the usage metrics report semantic model is if go into:

• One lake catelog
• Search for my own "Usage report" that uses the "Usage Metrics Report" data
• Click on the this report to look at lineage
• This then shows "Usage Metrics Report" latest refresh on 17/05/25
• Three dots appear against "Usage Metrcis Report" here but "Settings" is not included in the list of options. "Delete" is included.

Do you have any details on how to use the power BI activity log as an alternative? 

Do you think this would be a better option?

Thanks

Regards

Trotter

[rohit1991]

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]

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