Hi @A111462 , Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community Forum.
There is no official method to update paths, as the REST API cannot modify embedded data sources. The recommended workaround is to use the PowerShell script Develop with the REST APIs for Power BI Report Server to download .pbix files, update their Connections file and re-upload them.
Yes, it is possible without manual edits. The script automates updates by editing .pbix files’ internal JSON, eliminating the need to open each in Power BI Desktop.
Yes, converting to shared data sources (.rsds) simplifies future updates by centralizing path management. Create .rsds and update reports to reference them, enabling REST API changes. Plan this migration after the immediate update.
Create, Modify, and Delete Shared Data Sources (SSRS)
Example PowerShell script:
$server = "http://hostname"
$apiBase = "$server/reports/api/v2.0"
$oldHost = "\\hostnameA"
$newHost = "\\hostnameB"
$tempFolder = "C:\Temp\PBIX_Processing"
$logFile = "C:\Temp\PBIX_Update_Log.txt"
$backupFolder = "C:\Temp\PBIX_Backups"
function Write-Log {
param($Message, $Color = "White")
$timestamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss"
"$timestamp - $Message" | Out-File -FilePath $logFile -Append
Write-Host "$timestamp - $Message" -ForegroundColor $Color
}
if (-not (Test-Path $tempFolder)) { New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $tempFolder | Out-Null }
if (-not (Test-Path $backupFolder)) { New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $backupFolder | Out-Null }
Write-Log "Starting .pbix update process" "Green"
try {
$reports = (Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "$apiBase/PowerBIReports" -UseDefaultCredentials).value
Write-Log "Retrieved $($reports.Count) reports"
} catch {
Write-Log "Error retrieving reports: $_" "Red"
exit
}
foreach ($report in $reports) {
$reportId = $report.Id
$reportName = $report.Name
Write-Log "Processing report: $reportName" "Cyan"
$backupPath = Join-Path $backupFolder "$reportName`_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd_HHmmss').pbix"
$pbixPath = Join-Path $tempFolder "$reportName.pbix"
try {
$downloadUrl = "$apiBase/PowerBIReports($reportId)/Content/`$value"
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $downloadUrl -UseDefaultCredentials -OutFile $pbixPath
Copy-Item -Path $pbixPath -Destination $backupPath
Write-Log "Backed up $reportName to $backupPath"
$extractPath = Join-Path $tempFolder "$reportName"
Expand-Archive -Path $pbixPath -DestinationPath $extractPath -Force
$connectionsFile = Join-Path $extractPath "Connections"
if (Test-Path $connectionsFile) {
$connections = Get-Content $connectionsFile | ConvertFrom-Json
$updated = $false
foreach ($conn in $connections.Connections) {
if ($conn.ConnectionString -like "*$oldHost*") {
$newConnStr = $conn.ConnectionString -replace [regex]::Escape($oldHost), $newHost
Write-Log "Updating: $($conn.ConnectionString) -> $newConnStr" "Yellow"
$conn.ConnectionString = $newConnStr
$updated = $true
}
}
if ($updated) {
$connections | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 | Set-Content $connectionsFile
$newPbixPath = Join-Path $tempFolder "$reportName`_updated.pbix"
Compress-Archive -Path "$extractPath\*" -DestinationPath $newPbixPath -Force
$uploadUrl = "$apiBase/PowerBIReports($reportId)/Content"
$headers = @{ "Content-Type" = "application/octet-stream" }
$pbixContent = [System.IO.File]::ReadAllBytes($newPbixPath)
Invoke-RestMethod -Method Put -Uri $uploadUrl -UseDefaultCredentials -Headers $headers -Body $pbixContent
Write-Log "✔ Report [$reportName] updated and uploaded" "Green"
} else {
Write-Log "No changes needed for [$reportName]" "Gray"
}
} else {
Write-Log "Connections file not found for [$reportName]" "Red"
}
} catch {
Write-Log "Error processing [$reportName]: $_" "Red"
} finally {
Remove-Item -Path $pbixPath, $extractPath, $newPbixPath -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
Write-Log "Processing complete!" "Green"
If this helped solve the issue, please consider marking it 'Accept as Solution' so others with similar queries may find it more easily. If not, please share the details, always happy to help.
Thank you.
