Lost in the Jargon... How to Move Away from Personal Gateway?

[KEWahl]

Currently, I have multiple BI reports, workspaces, and an app running via personal gateway.  It works great while I'm in the office, but without someone to babysit my computer, vacations and any longterm absences mean all scheduled refreshes stop.

I need to move away from personal gateway so that the office doesn't skip a beat (or cease altogether) when I'm not at my computer.  The answer is probably out there, but I quickly get lost in the technical jargon.

Set-Up Info: Personal gateway, all data sources are Excel, PowerBI Pro account (ability to go to Premium, but not Enterprise)

Goal: to set up a gateway that will allow for uninterrupted data refreshes without my constant involvement

What kind of gateway do I need to set up?  My IT manager has set up a Service Principal in Azure and has the IDs... but how do I finish setting up in PowerBI.... and is that even the correct path to take?

[Greg_Deckler]

@KEWahl 

You need to do the following:

1. Install a Standard data gateway: Install an on-premises data gateway | Microsoft Learn
2. Configure the data gateway: Use the on-premises data gateway app | Microsoft Learn
3. Create a connection on that data gateway that is for the data source you are using in your PBIX file: Add or remove a gateway data source - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
4. Map your data source in the PBIX to the data connection on the gateway

[KEWahl]

Thanks, @Greg_Deckler!  I've added a Standard data gateway and have moved one report over for testing.  It refreshes successfully on a refresh schedule if my computer is on, logged-on, and online.

The next step I need help with is setting up refreshes apart from my computer's involvement.  When my computer is off, I need it to still refresh.  Can you give direction on what steps to take next?

[Greg_Deckler]

@KEWahl Well, you need to install a gateway on a different computer than yours. You can add the gateway to the same cluster as your gateway during install/configuration. You will need the Recovery Key you entered to do that. This way both gateways can be used by your refreshes.

Or, move your data to the cloud where you don't need a gateway.

[v-jianpeng-msft · Accepted solution]

Thank you @Greg_Deckler 

Hi, @KEWahl 

If your data sources are stored on a local computer and you have a local data gateway installed on your computer, you need to make sure that the computer stays on or in standby mode and is connected to the network so that Power BI Service can refresh your reports properly.
Given that you mentioned that you may be away from your computer for an extended period of time, the query requests that Power BI Service sends to the gateway will fail if the computer is turned off. To resolve this issue, you can consider the following options:
1. Use a cloud database or cloud server. Migrate the data to a cloud server and install a local data gateway on the server with updated connection credentials. Since cloud servers are usually not down, Power BI Service refresh requests can successfully reach the data source and complete the refresh.
2. Use cloud storage services. Integrate data sources into a cloud storage product such as OneDrive and establish a gateway cloud connection in Power BI Service. Since these services are hosted by the cloud provider, scheduled refreshes will work even if you turn off your computer.

The data sources in the picture are all available for you to consider, but you need to understand the portability of merging them with Power BI.

Best Regards

Jianpeng Li

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.