Power BI Service Refresh

[eli_dylan]

Good morning, Power BI users

I am writing to understand how scheduled refresh works in Power BI.  I have data coming into the Power BI desktop App from excel sheets that live in a Sharepoint file.   I need to use the app for DAX calculations and I need to publish the report to Power BI Service to provide digital displays for executives.  So far it seems as if I need to go into the App and refresh the data for it to eventually appear in the Power BI service.  If I set up a Gateway to refresh the report in Power BI service, will the published report show the updates based on changes made in the source (i.e., Sharepoint Excle)?  This data needs to be updated daily so executives get the most recent information.  There will be times when I won't be in the office to open the file and refresh and will need this process to work when I am away from the desk for extended periods of time.  To add, my company uses a dual authenticator to sign in to anything microsoft related.  If I do use the data gateway, will (dual authenticator) this impact the scheduled refresh and how do I get around this issue? Thank you for your time and assistance.  Best regards.  

[Greg_Deckler · Accepted solution]

@eli_dylan 

You need to do the following:

1. Install a data gateway: Install an on-premises data gateway | Microsoft Learn
2. Configure the data gateway: Use the on-premises data gateway app | Microsoft Learn
3. Create a connection on that data gateway that is for the data source you are using in your PBIX file: Add or remove a gateway data source - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
4. Map your data source in the PBIX to the data connection on the gateway

So, yes, a data gateway is what you need to automated refreshes of data on local systems. When you configure the data gateway you can authenticate via multi-factor. Multi-factor should not come into play when accessing your Excel files. If you do have some kind of issue with this, you will likely need to use some sort of service account and exempt that account from MFA.

[Kaviraj11 · Accepted solution]

Hi,

If you have a data gateway setup and running, you can schedule a refresh. Under the semantic model settings, you will find the refresh section. You can set it up to run daily

Data refresh in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Did I answer your question? Mark my post as a solution! Appreciate your Kudos !!

[Greg_Deckler · Accepted solution]

@eli_dylan 

You need to do the following:

1. Install a data gateway: Install an on-premises data gateway | Microsoft Learn
2. Configure the data gateway: Use the on-premises data gateway app | Microsoft Learn
3. Create a connection on that data gateway that is for the data source you are using in your PBIX file: Add or remove a gateway data source - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
4. Map your data source in the PBIX to the data connection on the gateway

So, yes, a data gateway is what you need to automated refreshes of data on local systems. When you configure the data gateway you can authenticate via multi-factor. Multi-factor should not come into play when accessing your Excel files. If you do have some kind of issue with this, you will likely need to use some sort of service account and exempt that account from MFA.