Onedrive automatic update does not work

[ricardoCB]

Good morning everyone,

I have an Excel file as my data source saved in SharePoint, along with my Power BI file. I imported the Excel file directly in the Power BI Service, configured the connection properly, and enabled the automatic hourly refresh via OneDrive settings. However, the refresh is not happening at all. Nothing shows up in the refresh history—it doesn't even attempt to run.

The refresh only works if I trigger it manually on the semantic model. I've double-checked all configurations, and everything seems correct, but still no luck.

Has anyone experienced this or have any ideas on what could be causing the issue?

[rohit1991]

Hi @ricardoCB ,

This issue comes up more often than it should! Here’s what I’ve seen work (and what’s tripped people up) with OneDrive/SharePoint automatic refresh in Power BI:

1. For hourly refresh to work, Power BI must be connected to your Excel file via “Get Data” > “OneDrive – SharePoint Online” from the Power BI Service (not from Desktop). If you just upload or publish from Desktop even if it’s the same file Power BI can’t set up that live OneDrive link for auto-refresh.

2. Make sure you (the dataset owner) have edit access to the file, and that the Excel stays in the same location and with the same name in OneDrive/SharePoint. If it moves or gets renamed, the refresh will silently break.

3. Head to the Power BI Service, open your dataset’s settings, and double-check your data source credentials. They need to be set with OAuth2 and still be valid.

4. File format: Just to be safe, make sure you’re using .xlsx or .xlsm, older formats can cause headaches.

5. If you’re using all the right steps and it’s still not working (especially if manual refresh works but automatic never runs), try deleting and re-connecting the Excel in Power BI Service via “Get Data” as above. Sometimes a fresh connection kicks things into gear. Also, check the refresh history sometimes there’s a hidden credential or permission error that’s easy to miss.

6. If you’ve done all of the above, it’s possible something weird is happening on the backend (seen this a couple times). In that case, open a Microsoft support ticket and include your step-by-step, screenshots, and error messages, they can check the logs behind the scenes.

If your Excel gets really big or updates super frequently, SharePoint Lists or even Dataverse can work better for reliable refresh (worth looking into if this keeps being a headache).

[ricardoCB]

Thank you so much for your help!!!

I tried to follow your instructions: first, I created a new report in Power BI Desktop using the SharePoint folder (step 1 in the screenshot). I did this in Power BI Desktop because I couldn’t find an option to change the "Get Data" source in the already imported file in Power BI Online.

Then (step 2), after selecting the SharePoint folder, I chose the Excel file as shown in step 3.
Once the report was created, I went to Power BI Online and uploaded the file using the SharePoint option (step 4 in the image).
After that, I checked all access settings, credentials, and so on.

Now, not even the manual refresh works anymore — as you can see in step 5 of the screenshot. It keeps trying to refresh for over 10 minutes and never finishes.

Did I do something wrong in the process?

Thanks again for your support!

[ricardoCB]

This is the error message from manual update :

• Data source errorDataSource.NotFound: Excel Workbook: The 'Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0' provider is not registered on the local machine. The 64-bit version of the Access Database Engine OLEDB provider may be required to read this type of file. To download the client software, visit the following site: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=285987.. Microsoft.Data.Mashup.ErrorCode = 10478. . The exception was raised by the IDataReader interface. Please review the error message and provider documentation for further information and corrective action. Table: Query1.

[lbendlin]

Oh noes ! You are using a .xls or .xlsb file. Don't do that.  Use .xlsx or .xlsm 

[ricardoCB]

Hello ! It is a xlsx file !!!

thanks

[lbendlin]

That's what the extension says, but what's inside? Can be a .xls in disguise.  Open it in Excel, make a change, and then re-save as .xlsx 

[ricardoCB]

Unfortunely does not work. I did with a brand new xlsx file. 

PBIonline connects to sharepoint folder but does not refresh :

[Anonymous]

Hi @ricardoCB ,
Thank you @lbendlin  and @rohit1991  for the helpful response!
Thanks for the update. It sounds like the issue might be with how the Excel file is connected through the SharePoint Folder connector. Double check your data source credentials in the Power BI Service and ensure you are signed in using OAuth2. If the manual refresh still hangs, try using the Web connector with the direct file URL from SharePoint instead. 

Hope this resolve your query.If so,consider accepting it as solution.

Thank you.

Regards,
Pallavi.

[ricardoCB]

Thank you all for the support, but unfortunately, this setup definitely doesn’t work.
The automatic refresh does not work for Power BI files connected to an Excel file stored in SharePoint.

Here are the steps I followed:

1. Created the .xlsx file in SharePoint

2. Copied the file path

3. Built the Power BI report using the Web connection

4. Published the Power BI file to the workspace

5. Configured the credentials

6. Set up the automatic refresh

7. Manual refresh works, but scheduled refresh does not

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi  @ricardoCB  ,
Thanks so much for the detailed update!
I really appreciate you walking us through the exact steps you followed. Given that manual refresh works but scheduled refresh still doesn’t trigger even with the Web connector and direct SharePoint file URL, it looks like everything on your end has been configured correctly.At this point, the issue likely requires deeper investigation from the Power BI support team.

I recommend raising a support ticket so the engineering team can review backend logs and assist further.
To raise a support ticket for Fabric and Power BI, kindly follow the steps outlined in the following guide:
How to create a Fabric and Power BI Support ticket - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Hope this helps.If so,consider accepting it as solution.

[ricardoCB]

configuration : 

[Anonymous]

Hi @ricardoCB ,
Thank you @rohit1991 for the prompt response!


Upon reviwing the screenshot, this may happens when the Power BI file was originally uploaded from Desktop rather than being connected through the "Get data" option in the Power BI Service. Even if the OneDrive setting is enabled, Power BI does automatic hourly syncs when the file is natively connected through OneDrive or SharePoint Online. To fix this, I would recommend you to reupload your PBIX file to the SharePoint or OneDrive folder and then connecting to it via Power BI Service using "Get data" -> "OneDrive – SharePoint Online". That might establish the proper link and get the automatic refresh working as expected.

Hope this resolve your query.If so,consider accepting it as solution.

Thank you for being a valued member in Microsoft Fabric Community Forum!

Regards,
Pallavi.