Prevent auto refresh for linked Dataflows in the same workspace

[AdrielMoro]

Hi friends, 

Is it possible to prevent the default behavior described below?? 

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-query/dataflows/linked-tables

Here's my scenario: I have three dataflows that load data, and a fourth dataflow that combines data from the previous three. However, I'm experiencing an issue with auto-refresh. Whenever I refresh one of the first three dataflows, it triggers the fourth one to refresh. Ideally, I want to perform a refresh (manually or via Power Automate) only after the three dataflows have completed loading

[rajendraongole1 · Accepted solution]

Hi @AdrielMoro - Unfortunately, Power BI doesn’t provide a direct option to disable this cascading refresh feature for linked dataflows. However, you could avoid linking dataflows directly by exporting the data from the first three dataflows into separate storage, such as an Azure Data Lake or OneDrive, and then configuring the fourth dataflow to pull from those storage locations. This can help prevent the automatic refresh trigger.

In Power BI Dataflows, the default behavior of cascading refreshes occurs when a dataflow references another dataflow. This means that whenever you refresh any of the first three dataflows, the fourth dataflow, which depends on them, will automatically refresh as well.

alternatively, 

Use Power Automate to orchestrate the refresh process. You can set up a flow that:

Monitors the completion of refreshes for the first three dataflows.
Once all three are refreshed, triggers the refresh of the fourth dataflow manually.
This approach ensures that the fourth dataflow refreshes only after the three upstream dataflows are updated.