Write back to a PowerBi Source (PBI Report) using Power Apps

[aquintana]

Hi there,

Sorry if this question is not new. I haven't been able to find a similar case in the forums. Maybe is more of a Power Apps issue.

I want to use Power Apps to write back to a Power Bi Report (the report must be the source). Specifically, I want to have the ability to add notes and comments to single cell values in my report. Normally this would be done easily using the source of the PBI report, but the aforementioned source is a Ms Dynamics 365 (Dataverse) which I do not own and therefore I can't write back to it with Power Apps.

To bypass this limitation, I've added a couple of null filled columns (using Power Query) to the main table in PBI (Revised by (single line of text) and Comments (Multiple lines of text)). Both columns are directly linked to the GUID value of each record in the table. The PBI report is published in my organization’s PBI service (Pro account).

I’m able to create a Power App from Power BI and assign some fields from the report (including the newly created columns) to the Gallery. It works just fine. But when I try to insert an Edit Form and add the Data Source, although Power Bi is a valid source option, I can’t select a specific report and much less any of the report’s fields.

A workaround could be to use a proxy SharePoint table that include just GUID, Revised by and Comments, that could be added to the PBI report, but it will require a periodic (daily or even hourly) update of the SharePoint table from the Dynamics 365 source (to get the newly created GUIDs), which is simply not viable.

Am I doing something wrong? It 'is possible to write back to a PBI source?

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[djacobson1]

I am new to Power Apps and I have a similar issue. I have a Power BI report. In one of the SQL tables, I created a Custom_Key as well as a Notes column. The Custom_Key is populated via a dax formula.  The Notes column is empty. I want to "write back" to the Notes column using Power Apps. 

In the Semantic Model, I used the Power Apps Visualization to select fields from the SQL table to appear in a Power Apps Gallery. I can then enter Power Apps, attach the SQL table using a custom connector to a SQL database, and create a Gallery with the fields I selected in the Semantic model including the Custom_Key and Notes fields.

However, when I add a Form in Power Apps to enable "write back" and attach the SQL datasource from the step above, I see the original fields in the SQL table but I do not see the columns I added to the table, i.e. I do not see Custom_Key or Notes. I have published both the Semantic Model and the Power App I created. 

Any thoughts?

[aj1973 · Accepted solution]

Hi @aquintana 

Power BI is a read only SaaS, therefore nothing can help you write back to the source.

However the work around you thought about is not bad and you can even build a Power App on top of the SharePoint list or table.

I have to ask though, can you not connect the pbix file directly to Dynamic 365 on DQ mode? It would be much easier.

[aquintana]

Thanks @aj1973 for the confirmation that it won't work. I'll just implement the workaround.

As for your question: Yes, I can. but since I don't own the CRM Dynamics I think DQ mode won't work either, because I can't add new fields to the correspondent entity. Besides, our Dynamics is some kind of behemoth of a system, with hundreds of intertwined very large entities. Any previous attempt to use Direct Query in PBI has resulted in frustration without results.

Regards, 

[Anonymous]

Power BI is not designed to write back to any data source. No matter what way (Power Apps, Data Factory, Synapse Pipeline, new Fabric Data Flow v2,etc.), the logic would not be in a Power BI report.