Connect directly does not appear for Google Analytics

[marcorusso]

I have a PBIX file that connects to Google Analytics and gets data from a web page.

Once I publish the PBIX on powerbi.com, the refresh requires a personal gateway, not using the entrprise one and not allowing me to use the Connect Directly for Google Analytics

If I create a PBIX that has only the connection to a web page, the on-premises gateway is an available option (I configured a connection in the gateway for that data source).

If I create a PBIX file that has only the connection to Google Analytics, it refreshes using the "Connect Directly" option.

However, when both data sources are using within the same PBIX file, then the only option available for Data Refresh is the Personal Gateway, and I'm no longer able to use the on-premises one.

It seems that the Connect Directly is not used for individual data sources, and because Google Analytics is not supported in the on-premises data gateway, I'm completely out of luck with such a configuration.

Questions: is this by design? Do I have any workaround to use the on-premises gateway? (the personal one runs on a PC that could be offline at scheduled refresh time).

Thanks!

Marco Russo - SQLBI

[GilbertQ · Accepted solution]

Hi @marcorusso

From my understanding there currently is a limitation on the On-Premise (Enterprise) gateway, where currently all the data has to come from one source, with that either being all cloud or all on-premise.

If your PBIX has data that is combined from say Cloud or On-Premise (Where the Google Analytics Connector is sources from Get Data, which is considered On-Premise) then your current option is to only use the Personal Gateway.

With that being said the Power BI Team are working on combining the two different sources using the On-Premise Gateway, but as you can see below the first release is scheduled for the end of September with a limitation being that it will not be able to Mash-Up data between the different data sources.

https://ideas.powerbi.com/forums/265200-power-bi-ideas/suggestions/13405644-combine-enterprise-gatew...

So currently what I have been doing with Customers to use the Personal Gateway installed on a server until such time the On-Premise Gateway has the new features.

[marcorusso]

Thanks for the link, it's good to know they are already working on enabling the scenario where you have both online and on-premises data sources. 

[GilbertQ]

Thanks @marcorusso, glad you found it useful. I do hope that they get it released soon.

[Greg_Deckler]

Can you clarify, you say that the only option is available for Data Refesh is the Personal Gateway but that you can't use the on-premises one. But the Personal Gateway is on-premises, so ?

That being said, there are definitely combinations of data sources that are problematic to automatically refresh. Generally when you run into those issues, the Personal Mode of the Data Gateway resolves most of those issues.

[marcorusso]

I know, but the Personal Gateway does not guarantee it's always on, for this reason I would like to use the on-premises data gateway installed on a server available 24x7.