Forum Discussion
How to update or replace a data source?
I have setup a PowerBI report based on a excel file. This excel file is an export taken from another piece of software. One a month I would like to be able to do a new export and replace/update the exisitng excel file being used as the data source. Since there is no way to connect PowerBI to the other software, this is the only way I can think of doing this, and keep updating the data every month or so.
I know this can be done in PowerBI Desktop, but I only have access to Service therefore what is the best way to do this? I don't mind redoing everything from scratch if there's a better way, but obviously once setup I would like to keep the report as is and simply update the data every so often.
Hi PowerAutomater ,
Hope your doing well.
My sincere apologies here, above steps i have mentioned is to import new data and directly in Power BI Service create the report.
No, Power BI Service does not allow you to change or update the data source of a published report directly. The ability to modify a data source (e.g., switching to a different file or database) can only be done in Power BI Desktop.
Instead of exporting your Excel file and uploading it to Power BI, store the file in OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online.
- Why? Power BI can automatically sync to the Excel file stored in OneDrive/SharePoint. When you update or replace the file in OneDrive, Power BI will automatically pick up the changes without requiring you to upload it manually.
Steps:
- Save your Excel file to OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online.
- In Power BI Desktop, change the data source to the Excel file stored in OneDrive/SharePoint: Use the SharePoint Folder or Web connection option with the file URL.
- Publish the report to Power BI Service.
- Initiate a refresh in Power BI Service to update your report with the latest data.
- Use an On-premises Data Gateway and data pipelines If Excel file on a network drive, a local system automatically replace data
Thanks,
Prashanth Are
MS Fabric community support.
Did I answer your question? Mark my post as a solution, this will help others!
If my response(s) assisted you in any way, don't forget to drop me a "Kudos"
11 Replies
Hi PowerAutomater,
- Power BI Service can directly connect to Excel files stored in SharePoint Online or OneDrive. This allows you to replace the file each month without breaking the connection.
- In Power BI service :
- Go to Workspaces > Create New Dataset.
- Choose "Get Data" > Files > OneDrive or SharePoint > Locate your Excel file
- Configure your dataset and create the report directly in Power BI Service.
- In Power BI Service, configure a Scheduled Refresh:
- Go to the dataset settings for your report.
- Under "Data source credentials," authenticate to SharePoint or OneDrive.
- Set up a refresh schedule to periodically update the dataset.
Alternately, Use Power Automate for Automation, This eliminates the need for manual uploads or dataset refreshes:
- Automatically upload the Excel export to SharePoint/OneDrive. Trigger a Power BI dataset refresh after the upload.
Thanks,
Prashanth Are
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.
Hi v-prasare I have tried to follow your instructions but unfortunately I cannot find where to create a new data set:
If I click on New item the only dataset is the streaming one for which I get a message that it will become obsolete soon:
If you could please direct me to where I can do this I can try you suggested approach.Hi PowerAutomater ,
Hope your doing well.
My sincere apologies here, above steps i have mentioned is to import new data and directly in Power BI Service create the report.
No, Power BI Service does not allow you to change or update the data source of a published report directly. The ability to modify a data source (e.g., switching to a different file or database) can only be done in Power BI Desktop.
Instead of exporting your Excel file and uploading it to Power BI, store the file in OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online.
- Why? Power BI can automatically sync to the Excel file stored in OneDrive/SharePoint. When you update or replace the file in OneDrive, Power BI will automatically pick up the changes without requiring you to upload it manually.
Steps:
- Save your Excel file to OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online.
- In Power BI Desktop, change the data source to the Excel file stored in OneDrive/SharePoint: Use the SharePoint Folder or Web connection option with the file URL.
- Publish the report to Power BI Service.
- Initiate a refresh in Power BI Service to update your report with the latest data.
- Use an On-premises Data Gateway and data pipelines If Excel file on a network drive, a local system automatically replace data
Thanks,
Prashanth Are
MS Fabric community support.
Did I answer your question? Mark my post as a solution, this will help others!
If my response(s) assisted you in any way, don't forget to drop me a "Kudos"
Upload Excel to OneDrive/SharePoint: Save your exported Excel file to OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online.
Connect in Power BI Service: Import the file in Power BI Service under Datasets.
Monthly Updates: Replace the file in OneDrive/SharePoint with the updated version (keep the same file name and structure).
Refresh the Dataset: Trigger a refresh in Power BI Service to load the new data into your report.
This keeps your reports updated without needing Power BI Desktop.
Did I answer your question? Mark my post as a solution, this will help others!
If my response(s) assisted you in any way, don't forget to drop me a "Kudos" 🙂
Kind Regards,
Poojara
Data Analyst | MSBI Developer | Power BI Consultant
Consider Subscribing my YouTube for Beginners/Advance Concepts: https://youtube.com/@biconcepts?si=04iw9SYI2HN80HKSHi Poojara_D12 I have tried to follow your instructions but unfortunately I cannot find where to import the file under datasets, I can only see upload which doesn't accept excel files:
If I click on New item the only dataset is the streaming one for which I get a message that it will become obsolete soon:
If you could please direct me to where I can do this I can try you suggested approach.Hey there Poojara_D12 , I have a question, if I need to replace the Excel files in Sharepoint online everyday, do I have to change the name into fixed ones? There are two different Excel files that I need to download from a website and the file name contains the date it is downloaded, if I upload into Sharepoint, do I have to think of a fixed name and change the name of the original file to the fixed name before refreshing on PowerBI so it can automatically apply the modifications on Power Query and visualize the data?
The Excel files that will be downloaded have the same structure everytime it is downloaded, I just need to confirm if it can be detected by PowerBI and automatically apply the modifications in Power Query Editor if I change the original name to fixed name. I am using PowerBI Desktop btw.
Hi PowerAutomater,
Hope your doing well.As we haven’t heard back from you, we wanted to kindly follow up to check if the solution i have provided for your issue worked? or let us know if you need any further assistance here?
Your feedback is important to us, Looking forward to your response.
Thanks,
Prashanth Are
MS Fabric community support.
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly and give Kudos if helped you resolve your query.
Hi PowerAutomater
I hope the follwoing tutorials will help you to resolve the issue.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5KngvjPoB4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd2tU-qull8
These are great but all for Power BI desktop, I specifically mentioned I need a solution for PowerBi Service
