Updated report in workspace isn't in app

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,

I hope someone can help me understand what is going on with my app. It is really confusing and we are hoping there is a simple explanation or fix that will help us.

We are updating our reports by re-uploading a new report over the top of an existing one in our workspace (this is what we have to do based on our organisations tenancy set up). We also have an app that packages the reports for a wider audience.

When we update a report, we are noticing that it is not updating in the app. I did some research and saw that it should refresh in about 30 minutes however we have found

- A datacard that contains a version number refreshed in about 5 minutes

- Everything else remains unchanged

For e.g. I have a tree map that has a title from three uploads ago (4 days total) that has not been updated in the app, although the report in the workspace has the new title. 

We have refreshed the app, cleared browser cache etc.

Can anyone help us understand the updating process for an app to get the newest version of the report? Do we have to republish every update?

Thank you

[Burningsuit]

Hi @Anonymous 

From your message it is unclear if you are Updating the App each time you make a Visualisation change.

Creating or Updating an App copies the Visualisations (Reports) into the App, but connects them to the Data (Dataset) in the App Workspace.

If you change the Report you need to update the App each time so they the App consumers can see the change.

Are you doing that ?

And if you are doing that, the next question is which App type do you have the "New" App UI with "(1) Setup (2) Content (3) Audience" at the top, or the "Old" App UI with "Setup, Navigation, Permissions" at the top.

If this doesn't solve your problem you can let us know a bit more detail.

Hope this helps

Stuart

[Anonymous]

Hi there,

I am using a "New" app - with the three stages at the top.

We were not updating the app with each report change, as we have about 12 reports in the app and its quite unruly to have to go into the app each time. We also have to log in with an alt account to update the app since Microsoft auto sets the "updater" to the app owner - which in our case, us developers are not the app owner.

I was under the impression that the app gets a live copy of the reports - not an embedded one. Changes made to the linked report should be flowed through to the app without having to actually update the app. Is there a Microsoft Idea that someone has raised so we can get this looked at being implemeneted?

Also - why is it that a data card will updated without updating the app, but the visualisations remain unchanged. What is it about a simple data card that doesn't require the app to update, but table names, datacard titles, colours etc. all require the app to be updated.

This doesn't make sense.

This is a bit disheartening.

Thanks.

[Burningsuit · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous 

Don't get disheartened, understanding how and why Apps work may help.

Apps enable Developers to change and edit Reports without the Consumers seeing the work in progress.

As you know, when an App is constructed from a Workspace, the Visualisations (Reports) are copied into the App, but the Data (Dataset) is linked into the App. (Call that Version 1 of the App)

The App can then be shared with the Consumers (User population), they see copies of the Visuals but working with the up to date Data from the Datasets in the Workspace.

This means the Developers can make changes to the Visuals in the Workspace but the App Consumers won't see the changes. So the developers have a free hand to make changes, test, add new features etc. without the consumers seeing the work in progress. Of course this development may take some time, and if the Data is changing rapidly, say hourly, the App linking into the Data in the Workspace means that the App will always show up to date Data. 

Then when the new Visualisations are ready, have been tested and approved, the App can be updated and the App users then get to see the new versions of visualisations (Call that Version 2 of the App). 

Then the cycle can begin again, the developers can begin work on Version 3 of the visualisations and only update the App when they have it just right, tested and approved, and so on.

So this explains what is going on in your Workspace. When you publish the Reports into the Workspace, the Visualisations(Report) and the Data(Dataset) get updated. Until you update the App your consumers see the old Visualisation (card font, colour positioning etc. ) but with the new Data from the Dataset (card value). Then when you update the App they see the new Visualisations.

One of the most powerful concepts in Power BI is this separation of Data (The Data in the Dataset, the numbers and data you want to analyse) and Visualisations (The Reports, Line Graphs, Pie Charts, Cards etc. that get the insights out of the Data in the Dataset). Once you've understood this concept many other areas of Power BI become clearer, and Apps are just one of these.

Once you've got your head around Apps, you can move on to "Deployment Pipelines" a Premium feature that allows you to have a "Development", "Test" and "Production" environment for your Reports to further separate the Developers from the Testers and the Consumers.

Hope this helps

Stuart