Azure Blob Storage

[RickW]

I am trying to find a way to store an excel file on Azure Blob Storage and keep it in sync with the PowerBI service.  I have the desktop version and some dashboards online.  When I try to setup the Blob data source in the desktop I see nothing in my container.  I can successfully connect with credentials and see my container but it has nothing in it. 

I can get the desktop to work if I use the web url for the file as a generic web source but the online service can't refresh the web source.  It claims that it can't do it as anonymous and requires credentials.  I'm not really sure what credentials I could give it to successfully refresh.  Has anyone else had any luck with this? 

I tried to connect to the blob storage on the service but it doesn't seem to be an option.  I may just be out of luck with that one.  I also considered onedrive but I don't see the option on my desktop software.  I don't know if I need the onedrive software installed on my system first.  I'm rather limited on what I can install. 

Thanks,

Rick

[RickW]

Ok, so I was able to get the generic web source to refresh with anonymous access.  It may be a bug.  I tried to change it to other auth methods and then changed it back to anonymous and it decided it was ok with that.  I would still be interested in knowing what is working for others when it comes to hosting an excel file online for refresh by the PowerBI service.  I would think the Azure blob storage should work using that functionality instead of the generic web source.

Thanks,

Rick

[tomv]

Hi Rick,   I've also found that Power BI won't list my container items, within the "get data" interface. I did find however that I could load the entire container (or even the next level up - what it calls the account name) as a data source. I was then able to see my individual blobs as a binary data source in the tabular view. Editing the query then allowed expanding this bringing the file content into view.