Skip to main content
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Compete to become Power BI Data Viz World Champion! First round ends August 18th. Get started.

Reply
technologyLMM
Frequent Visitor

Best practices for connecting multiple data sources

Hello team!

I am having multiples data sources (.xlsx, Web source API, Oracle Database) and I have load them all directly to the PowerBi desktop. I have made a lot of data preparation, thus making finally one table which is used for the reports.

 

However, the above configuration resulted to the following issues after some time:

  • I need to create additional reports, using the same final table, thus i need to load again all data sources and make again the data preparation to a new pbix PowerBi deskop file.
  • When published reports are updated, I understand the the whole data source is downloaded from scratch (not only the new/edited data) for each published pbix file.

 

Further to the above, I studied several guides and I understood that i need to rebuild the data model in a better way. Thus, I am considering to follow the following logic:

  • Load each data source to one datalflow
  • Create a new dataflow, having as input the above dataflows and prepare the data at this dataflow in the Web (non in PowerBi Desktop)
  • Then, for each PowerBi Desktop report, I will have to load only one data source (dataflow), which will be already prepared.

 

The new configuration, is going to save me time (for each new report), and also i think that it has additional features for data refresh at the published reports.

 

Please advise if the above way (dataflow) is the best way to be followed or datamarts is more convenient.

Using datamarts, i noticed that it is not possible to have the data view available in PowerBi Desktop, but only the model and the report views. Since, i need  to look many times at the data (table), datamart will not work for me - or there is an option that i am not aware.

 

Therefore, I would highly appreciate to receive your valuable feedback, whether dataflow, as proposed above, is the best option for my problem or additional steps (datamart or anything else) or alternative ways are proposed for working more efficiently.

 

Thank you 🙂

 

1 REPLY 1
djurecicK2
Super User
Super User

Hi @technologyLMM ,

 It seems like dataflows are a good solution to the scenario you have described.

 

Helpful resources

Announcements
July PBI25 Carousel

Power BI Monthly Update - July 2025

Check out the July 2025 Power BI update to learn about new features.

August 2025 community update carousel

Fabric Community Update - August 2025

Find out what's new and trending in the Fabric community.