Automatic App Refresh upon Dashboard Refresh

[slimbensalah]

Hi all,

I created a new App in my Premium workspace with content from 3 separate dashboards.

However it turns out that if the dashboard refreshes, it is not automatically reflected in the app and you need to manually update it.

Is this the normal behavior or am I missing something? If yes, what other possibilities/turnarounds so that I get the app to mirror the latest data from the 3 dashboards.
Or if there’s something else that can help here instead of an App.

Thanks

[v-ssriganesh]

Hi @slimbensalah,
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum, and thank you, @slimbensalah for the insightful response.

As @rohit1991 noted, the behaviour you’re seeing where dashboard refreshes don’t automatically update the app is expected in Power BI and Microsoft Fabric. Apps require a manual update to reflect changes, including refreshed data, to ensure publishers control what end users see.

To address your need for the app to mirror the latest data from your three dashboards in a Premium workspace, the most effective solution is to combine scheduled refreshes with a one-time app update. Since your dashboards likely rely on semantic models, you can set up frequent scheduled refreshes to keep the data current in the workspace. After updating the app once, it will reflect these refreshes for your users without further manual updates, assuming no structural changes to the dashboards.

If manually updating the app (even once) is a significant hurdle, consider sharing the dashboards directly with users instead of using an app, as @rohit1991 suggested. This ensures users see the latest data as soon as the dashboards refresh in the workspace, bypassing the app’s publish cycle.

If this information is helpful, please “Accept as solution” and give a "kudos" to assist other community members in resolving similar issues more efficiently.

Thank you.

[rohit1991]

Hi @slimbensalah ,
Yes, what you're experiencing is the expected behavior in Power BI. When you publish an app from a workspace, any changes to the dashboards or reports—such as data refreshes or visual updates—do not automatically appear in the app until you manually update or republish it. This design is intentional to give report publishers control over when updates are pushed to end users, which is especially important in production environments. 

However, this can be inconvenient if you want your app to always reflect the latest data. One workaround is to encourage users to access the reports directly in the workspace if they have the necessary permissions, as those will always show the most up-to-date data after a scheduled or manual refresh. Alternatively, consider using Power BI's deployment pipelines or explore third-party automation tools or Power Automate flows that can trigger app updates post-refresh, although these may require more setup and permissions.

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