Report subscriptions on Power BI

[DinaSims1998]

Hello,

We're encountering an issue with Power BI paginated report subscriptions. When setting up a subscription, the parameters default to "Keep previous subscription values". However, we need the report to refresh dynamically each month based on the rendered values at the time of delivery.

We attempt to select "Use current (rendered report) values", and while the parameter (e.g., start date) briefly updates, it reverts back to "Keep previous subscription values" after navigating away from the page. This results in the subscription retaining a static value rather than updating as expected each month.

This behavior is new to us and appears to have started recently.

Has anyone else experienced this issue, or is there an acknowledged bug or workaround?

Thank you in advance.

[GilbertQ · Accepted solution]

Hi @DinaSims1998 

This appears to be a new setting for paginated reports. What I would suggest doing is, instead of having the value coded to a month's name, like April 2025 I would recommend defaulting the value to something like current month or previous month. So that value does not change. But as time changes, the value will change to reflect the data. This should help overcome your current challenge.

[v-hashadapu]

Hi @DinaSims1998 , Just checking in—were you able to resolve the issue?
If one of the replies helped, please consider marking it as "Accept as Solution" and giving a 'Kudos'. Doing so can assist other community members in finding answers more quickly.
Thank you!

[v-hashadapu]

Hi @DinaSims1998 ,
I wanted to follow up and see if you’ve had a chance to review the information provided here.
If any of the responses helped solve your issue, please consider marking it "Accept as Solution" and giving it a 'Kudos' to help others easily find it.
Let me know if you have any further questions!

[v-hashadapu · Accepted solution]

Hi @DinaSims1998 , Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community Forum.

The issue you're facing is a known limitation in the Power BI Service. It causes parameter values to remain static, even if you intend for them to refresh each time the report runs. Define dynamic default values directly in the report using Power BI Report Builder. For example, set the parameter default to an expression like =DateSerial(Year(Today()), Month(Today()), 1) for the first day of the current month or =DateAdd("m", -1, DateSerial(Year(Today()), Month(Today()), 1)) for the previous month. Then, when creating the subscription in Power BI Service, choose “Default” for the parameter. This ensures the subscription always uses the fresh, calculated value at runtime.

If the default-setting workaround doesn't work in your environment or you need more control, Power Automate is a solid alternative. With it, you can schedule and trigger report exports using the "Export to File for Paginated Reports" action, passing dynamic parameters programmatically.

If this helped solve the issue, please consider marking it “Accept as Solution” and giving a ‘Kudos’ so others with similar queries may find it more easily. If not, please share the details, always happy to help.
Thank you.

[v-hashadapu]

Hi @DinaSims1998 , I wanted to follow up and see if you’ve had a chance to review the information provided here.
If any of the responses helped solve your issue, please consider marking it "Accept as Solution" and giving it a 'Kudos' to help others easily find it.
Let me know if you have any further questions!

[GilbertQ · Accepted solution]

Hi @DinaSims1998 

This appears to be a new setting for paginated reports. What I would suggest doing is, instead of having the value coded to a month's name, like April 2025 I would recommend defaulting the value to something like current month or previous month. So that value does not change. But as time changes, the value will change to reflect the data. This should help overcome your current challenge.