Power BI Gateways and Refreshes with Fabric Capacity turned off on weekends

[jbaz]

We recently switched to using Fabric Capacity for our Power BI service. As Microsoft suggests, we would like to turn it off on weekends to reduce costs when not in use. However, because of it being shut off, all of the dashboard schedule refreshes fail, and then after a few failures the refreshes are disabled and have to be manually turned back on when Fabric is turned back on. Is anyone else turning off Fabric duing low times and how do you deal with the disabled refreshes?

[v-jialongy-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @jbaz 

As mentioned in this post: Solved: Re: Usage Metric Report Scheduled refresh has been... - Microsoft Fabric CommunityYou can enable back the schedule refresh through API with desired schedule.

For more information on how to use the API, you can refer to the following documentation:

Datasets - Get Refresh Schedule - REST API (Power BI Power BI REST APIs) | Microsoft Learn

Best Regards,

Jayleny

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

[johnbasha33]

@jbaz 

Disabling Fabric during low times to reduce costs is a common practice, but it can indeed lead to issues with scheduled refreshes if not managed properly. Here are some strategies to deal with disabled refreshes when Fabric is turned off:

1. **Adjust Scheduled Refresh Settings**: Review the scheduled refresh settings for your datasets and reports in Power BI Service. Ensure that the refresh schedule is aligned with the availability of Fabric. You may need to adjust the refresh times to avoid overlap with periods when Fabric is turned off.

2. **Use Alternate Refresh Methods**: Consider using alternate methods for data refresh during periods when Fabric is turned off. For example, you can schedule data refreshes using Power BI Dataflows or Azure Data Factory. These options can provide more flexibility in scheduling refreshes independent of Fabric availability.

3. **Automate Refresh Enablement**: Explore options to automate the re-enabling of refreshes once Fabric is turned back on. This can be achieved using Power BI REST APIs or PowerShell scripts to programmatically enable refreshes based on a predefined schedule or trigger.

4. **Monitor Refresh Status**: Implement monitoring and alerting mechanisms to track the status of scheduled refreshes. This can include setting up email notifications or using Power BI Service alerts to notify administrators when refresh failures occur or when refreshes are disabled.

5. **Document Refresh Procedures**: Document standard operating procedures (SOPs) for managing scheduled refreshes, including steps to re-enable refreshes after Fabric is turned back on. Ensure that relevant team members are aware of these procedures and have access to documentation for reference.

6. **Regular Review and Optimization**: Regularly review and optimize scheduled refresh settings to ensure efficiency and minimize disruptions. This may involve adjusting refresh frequencies, optimizing queries, and refining data loading processes to reduce refresh times and resource consumption.

By implementing these strategies, you can better manage scheduled refreshes and minimize disruptions caused by disabling Fabric during low usage periods. Additionally, staying informed about updates and improvements to Power BI Service and Fabric capacity management features can help you optimize your refresh workflows further.


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