Is it possible to set up incremental refresh on an excel file in sharepoint with a pro licence?

[osabhaois]

Hi
Just a quick question. Is it possible to set up incremental refresh on an excel file in sharepoint with a pro licence?
My research tells me excel doesn’t support Query folding so incremental refresh doesn’t work on excel files.

Some of the articles I am reading are old so wondering if you guys know what the current situation is?

thanks
James

[AlexisOlson]

"Incremental refresh is supported for Power BI Premium, Premium per user, Power BI Pro, and Power BI Embedded datasets."

-- From here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/connect-data/incremental-refresh-overview

The licensing aspect is covered, at least.

Now you do need to connect to something that does support query folding but that doesn't mean incremental refresh from Excel isn't possible. Check out Gilbert's blog post here:
https://www.fourmoo.com/2020/06/10/how-you-can-incrementally-refresh-any-power-bi-data-source-this-e...

[osabhaois]

Hi Alexis and thanks for the response.

Yes incremental refresh is available to Pro users. My question is specifically about using it for excel/.csv files stored in sharepoint. Although technically excel is included it appears that incremental refresh does not work in this scenario so effectively this ability is not available. 

From the docs; MS is classifying using incremental refresh as a "unique scenario" and "advanced scenarios".

I have tried to set up incremental refresh with parameters following this videeo from Curbal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQahH53ayKU

(#Curbal excellent as always. Ruth has helped me out with a ton of insight over the years 🙂 )

MS Docs say -> Other data source types (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/connect-data/incremental-refresh-overview)

"By using additional custom query functions and query logic, incremental refresh can be used with other types of data sources provided filters based on RangeStart and RangeEnd can be passed in a single query. For example, Excel workbook files stored in a folder, files in SharePoint, or RSS feeds. Keep in mind these are advanced scenarios that require additional customization and testing beyond what is described here. Be sure to check the Community section later in this article for suggestions on how you can find more info about using incremental refresh for unique scenarios like these."

[AlexisOlson · Accepted solution]

It's certainly not straightforward with Excel/CSV but the blog I linked to explains how it's still possible.

For SharePoint in particular, see if this article helps:
https://www.thepoweruser.com/2020/01/19/incremental-refresh-for-files-in-a-folder-or-sharepoint-powe...