Authentication Method "Web API" not supported in Power BI Service

[BjoernLueers]

Currently the authentication method "API Token" does not seem to be supported in the Power BI Service. 

I used the ApiKeyName attribute from the Web.Contents method to declare the name of the header attribute. This worked perfectly in Power BI Desktop, i was asked to authenticate, clicked Web API and entered the API token. 

In the Power BI Service however there is no Web API Authentication method and I found no way to log in using the methods provided. 

Even worse is that i found no way at all to refresh the dataset in the service afterwards. Even hardcoding the API token into the the request URL did not work. The service would always ask for the API token:

"Failed to update data source credentials: A web API key credential is required when a web API key name is provided", even though I removed the ApiKeyName attribute and published the report with a different name in a different workspace. As if the Power BI service remembered that the source required an API token.

Only by using a different Power BI Service user I could finally resolve this. The message did not appear and I could authenticate anonymously.

[BjoernLueers]

No, but I did not try since 2020, so it is definitely worth checking if this is supported now.

[v-diye-msft]

Hi @BjoernLueers 

If my above post helps, could you please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly. thanks!

[v-diye-msft]

Hi @BjoernLueers 

It sounds like you need to specify an API key name in the headers area of Web.Contents using the advanced editor.  See Chris Webb's post on this for a good example: https://blog.crossjoin.co.uk/2014/03/26/working-with-web-services-in-power-query/.  

Here's another post probably helpful for you:

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Desktop/Get-data-from-web-error-A-web-API-key-can-only-be-specified...

If the issue still exist , please kindly raise it to support team: https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/support/

[jcooke]

Both of those approaches appear to involve hard-coding secrets into the PBIX file, which is not good from a security perspective. Anyone who gets the PBIX gets my secret.

I would expect that the PBI Service would manage the API Keys with the same approach as with Basic Auth, where the secret is write-only (only the service can get at it).

Jason

[Fakhruddin]

hey did you got any idea how to not hardcode credentials and use powerbi auth only for POST API call??