Monitoring source refresh

[nagyzoran]

Hi All!

Is there any solution to monitor when, who and how many times refresh source dataset from excel?

The report is in excel. The user refresh datasource what makes a connection to Dataflow. After this data is refreshed.

Can I see somewhere any logging information of this connection what logs interactions between excel and Dataflow?

I need to find a way to check users use the excel file instead of the old method.

Thank you for your help!

[nagyzoran]

Hi Poojara!

Thank you very much for this amazing reply! I am going to check solutions one-by-one.

Have a nice day,

Zorán

[Poojara_D12 · Accepted solution]

Hi @nagyzoran 

To monitor when, who, and how many times an Excel file refreshes data from a Dataflow, you can use the following methods:

1. Power BI Audit Logs: Track Dataflow refreshes in Power BI Admin Portal or Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal (audit logs), but this won’t track Excel refreshes directly.

2. Excel VBA Macros: Implement custom VBA macros in the Excel file to log the user and timestamp whenever the data is refreshed. This could save logs to a file or database.

3. Power Query Diagnostics: Use Power Query’s built-in diagnostics in Excel to monitor connection refreshes, although it provides limited logging.

4. Power Automate: Create flows to log refresh events triggered by Excel or Dataflows, storing logs in SharePoint, a database, or similar.

5. File Access Logs: Track when the Excel file is accessed via SharePoint, OneDrive, or on-premises file servers (e.g., using file access logs).

Combining these methods will give you visibility into who is refreshing the data and when.

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Poojara
Data Analyst | MSBI Developer | Power BI Consultant
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