Forum Discussion
Helper IIRefresh in PowerBI Service not working due to dynamic data source (File.Contents)
I have a Power BI report that uses a dynamic data source through the File.Contents. I understand that dynamic data sources do not get refreshed from Power BI Service but one can use the RelativePath parameter. However, this didn't work for me and I get the following error message:
Would be great if someone knows if there is a solution to this problem.
Cheers
Shashank
Source = Excel.Workbook(File.Contents(Text.Combine({"H:\My Drive\Work\HFA\HFA - ",Company,".xlsm"})),null, true)There are a couple of things problematic here:
- File connector - not sustainable. Use a folder connector and then filter by your desired filename
- H: drive data source location. This will not work in the service unless you use a Personal Gateway that requires your PC to be on when the refresh is scheduled. - not sustainable. Use a folder in the cloud, ideally a sharepoint/onedrive folder
- .xlsm file - this may or may not work depending on other factors. Definitely better than .xls or .xlsb, but the preferred extension is .xlsx
8 Replies
- lbendlin
Super User
sgupta22Thanks for your reply Ibendlin.
Is there a similar workaround for File.Contents? Or is it simply not possible to have a data refresh through PowerBI service when a dynamic data source is being used in File.Contents?
Regards
Shashank
- lbendlin
Accessing files via File.Contents is considered bad practice. Use the Folder connector or - better yet - the Sharepoint Folder connector. That takes care of the RelativePath part automatically.