API Data Source Refresh Works in Power BI Desktop but Not in Power BI Service

[yamini1993]

Hi Everyone,

I’m running into a frustrating issue with one of my Power BI dashboards that’s connected to an API data source.

The dashboard refreshes perfectly in Power BI Desktop, but once published to the Power BI Service, I can’t get it to refresh there. The option to enter data source credentials is missing, and I’m unable to schedule automatic refreshes as well.

Here’s what I’ve noticed:

• The API connection works without issue in Desktop — manual refresh is successful.
• In the Power BI Service, the credentials section is missing, which prevents me from setting up scheduled refresh.

Has anyone encountered this problem before? Is there a workaround to enable automatic refresh for API-connected datasets once published?

Any help or insights would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

[v-ssriganesh]

Hello @yamini1993,

Following up to see if you were able to look into my previous response. Providing the requested information will help us move forward with resolving your issue. Thank you.

[v-ssriganesh]

Hello @yamini1993,
I am following up to see if you had a chance to review my previous response and provide the requested information. This will enable us to assist you further.

Thank you.

[v-ssriganesh]

Hello @yamini1993,
Just checking in to see if you had a chance to review my earlier message and share the requested details. Once we have that, we’ll be better equipped to help you further.

Thank you.

[v-ssriganesh · Accepted solution]

Hello @yamini1993,
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

To help you further, could you please share a bit more detail about your setup? This will allow us to better diagnose the root cause and provide the most suitable guidance.

1. Are you using Web.Contents() in Power Query, or connecting through a custom connector or another method?
2. What kind of authentication does the API require?
3. Have you set any privacy levels (Organizational/Public/Private) in Power BI Desktop for this data source?
4. Are you open to using Azure Function / Power Automate or pushing the API response to a supported source like SharePoint/Blob Storage if direct refresh proves unsupported?

Once we have this information, we’ll be in a much better position to suggest the right solution.

Looking forward to your response.

Best Regards,
Ganesh singamshetty.

[v-pagayam-msft]

Hi @yamini1993 ,
Thank you for your question! Could you please share a few more details to help us better understand the issue?

Regards,
Pallavi.

[lbendlin]

Please provide more details. What is that API source and does it come with documentation?