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henry_gonsalves's avatar
henry_gonsalves
Frequent Visitor
1 year ago
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Refresh Excel based Reports of Semantic Model - Viewer/ Read Access Permissions

I have a premium capacity workspace to which I am planning to deploy a semantic model (dataset) and reports based on this data. I intend to give certain SMEs the ability to connect to the data to bui...
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  • v-kathullac's avatar
    v-kathullac
    1 year ago

    Hi henry_gonsalves ,

    Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

     

    In Power BI, when using import mode and Excel reports connected to a Power BI dataset, there are a few key things to note regarding Viewer access and refresh ability:

    • Viewers cannot refresh imported data in Excel unless they have Build permission on the dataset.

    • Even if a scheduled refresh is set up in the Power BI Service, Excel files connected via import mode do not auto-refresh; they contain a static snapshot unless refreshed manually.

    • In Excel, the Refresh button works only if the user has permission to access the data source i.e Power BI dataset.

    • Without Build permissions, Excel will throw an error when a Viewer tries to refresh the connection.

    • To allow users to refresh the dataset in Excel, ensure they are granted Build permissions on the dataset. This is required whether they are connecting through Analyze in Excel or through a live connection

    Regards,

    Chaithanya.

v-kathullac's avatar
v-kathullac
Icon for Community Support rankCommunity Support
1 year ago

Hi henry_gonsalves ,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

 

In Power BI, when using import mode and Excel reports connected to a Power BI dataset, there are a few key things to note regarding Viewer access and refresh ability:

  • Viewers cannot refresh imported data in Excel unless they have Build permission on the dataset.

  • Even if a scheduled refresh is set up in the Power BI Service, Excel files connected via import mode do not auto-refresh; they contain a static snapshot unless refreshed manually.

  • In Excel, the Refresh button works only if the user has permission to access the data source i.e Power BI dataset.

  • Without Build permissions, Excel will throw an error when a Viewer tries to refresh the connection.

  • To allow users to refresh the dataset in Excel, ensure they are granted Build permissions on the dataset. This is required whether they are connecting through Analyze in Excel or through a live connection

Regards,

Chaithanya.

redchucks's avatar
redchucks
Icon for Microsoft Employee rankMicrosoft Employee
1 year ago

Hi v-kathullac ,

 

If I create an Excel Pivot table from a composite model that is made from import + directlake mode tables, are the directlake fields referenced in the Excel Pivot table refreshed/have a live connection to the data, or is that also a snapshot as well until refreshed manually?