Integrating Power BI with Power Automate – Step-by-Step Guide

Power BI and Power Automate integration allows you to automate tasks such as refreshing datasets, sending alerts based on data changes, exporting reports, and more. This guide will provide a detailed, step-by-step walkthrough on how to integrate Power BI with Power Automate.

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🔹 Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following:

✅ Power BI Pro or Power BI Premium License
✅ Power Automate License (included in Microsoft 365 and Power Platform plans)
✅ Access to Power BI Service (app.powerbi.com)
✅ Reports and datasets published in Power BI workspace
✅ Permissions to use Power BI API in Power Automate

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🔹 Step 1: Understanding Power BI Actions in Power Automate

Power Automate provides several Power BI connectors that allow automation. Some key actions include:

• Trigger a dataset refresh (refresh your data automatically).
• Run a query against a dataset (retrieve data from Power BI).
• Export a Power BI report (generate a PDF/PPTX file from a report).
• Send an alert based on Power BI data (e.g., notify users when a metric crosses a threshold).
• Add rows to a dataset (insert new data into a Power BI dataset).

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🔹 Step 2: Access Power Automate

1️⃣ Go to Power Automate
2️⃣ Click Sign in with your Microsoft 365 credentials
3️⃣ Click Create → Choose Automated cloud flow

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🔹 Step 3: Automating Power BI Dataset Refresh

One of the most common use cases is automating a Power BI dataset refresh after data changes.

1️⃣ Create a Flow to Refresh Dataset

1. Open Power Automate → Click Create
2. Select Automated Cloud Flow
3. Enter Flow Name (e.g., “Auto Refresh Power BI Dataset”)
4. Select a Trigger (e.g., “When a new file is created in OneDrive”)
5. Click Create

2️⃣ Add Power BI “Refresh Dataset” Action

1. Click New Step → Search Power BI
2. Select Refresh a dataset action
3. Choose Workspace → Select Dataset
4. Click Save

3️⃣ Test the Flow

1. Click Test → Select Manually
2. Run the flow → Check if dataset refreshes
3. Open Power BI Service → Verify dataset refresh status

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🔹 Step 4: Send Email Alerts When Data Exceeds a Threshold

You can trigger an email notification when Power BI data reaches a certain value.

1️⃣ Create an Automated Flow

1. Open Power Automate → Click Create
2. Select Automated Cloud Flow
3. Choose Trigger → Select Power BI Data Alert

2️⃣ Configure Alert Action

1. Select Power BI Alert ID (from existing alerts in Power BI)
2. Click New Step → Choose Send an Email (Outlook)
3. Enter email subject & message:
   • Subject: “Power BI Alert – Threshold Exceeded”
   • Body: “The sales value has exceeded $50,000!”
4. Click Save

3️⃣ Test the Flow

1. Trigger a Power BI alert by modifying data.
2. Check if an email is received.

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🔹 Step 5: Export a Power BI Report and Email as PDF

Another useful integration is exporting a Power BI report as a PDF/PPTX and emailing it.

1️⃣ Create Flow

1. Open Power Automate → Click Create
2. Select Automated Cloud Flow
3. Choose Trigger (e.g., “Recurrence” to schedule daily exports)

2️⃣ Add Power BI Export Action

1. Click New Step → Choose Export Report
2. Select Workspace → Choose Report
3. Choose Export Format (PDF or PPTX)
4. Click Save

3️⃣ Send Email with Attachment

1. Click New Step → Select Send an Email (Outlook)
2. Attach Power BI Exported File
3. Click Save

4️⃣ Test the Flow

1. Click Run Flow → Check if report is emailed.

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🔹 Step 6: Add Data to Power BI Dataset from Power Automate

You can use Power Automate to insert data into a Power BI dataset dynamically.

1️⃣ Create a Flow

1. Open Power Automate → Click Create
2. Select Automated Cloud Flow
3. Choose a Trigger (e.g., “When a new response is submitted in Microsoft Forms”)

2️⃣ Add Power BI “Add Rows to a Dataset” Action

1. Click New Step → Choose Add Rows to Dataset
2. Select Workspace → Dataset → Table
3. Map Form Responses to Power BI Dataset Columns
4. Click Save

3️⃣ Test the Flow

1. Submit a test response in Forms.
2. Check if data is inserted into Power BI.

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🔹 Step 7: Run Power BI Queries from Power Automate

You can query a Power BI dataset from Power Automate and use results in other apps.

1️⃣ Create Flow

1. Open Power Automate → Click Create
2. Select Instant Cloud Flow
3. Choose Trigger (e.g., “When an HTTP request is received”)

2️⃣ Add Power BI “Run a Query Against Dataset” Action

1. Click New Step → Select Run a Query Against a Dataset
2. Select Workspace → Dataset
3. Enter DAX Query
4. Click Save

3️⃣ Use Query Result in Other Apps

• Send results to Teams
• Store in SharePoint List
• Save in Excel File

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🔹 Power BI and Power Automate Best Practices

✅ Use Scheduled Triggers – For dataset refresh and report export.
✅ Monitor API Limits – Power BI API has rate limits (100 requests/min).
✅ Secure Permissions – Ensure Power BI workspace permissions are correctly set.
✅ Use Retry Logic – Handle API failures with retry policies.
✅ Optimize Queries – Avoid large queries to improve performance.

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🔹 Common Errors and Troubleshooting

Error	Solution
401 Unauthorized	Ensure user has Power BI Pro license and API access.
403 Forbidden	Check workspace permissions.
429 Too Many Requests	Reduce API calls per minute.
Export Report Failed	Verify report exists and is in the correct workspace.

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🔹 Conclusion

Integrating Power BI with Power Automate enables automation of tasks like dataset refreshes, report exports, alerts, and data insertion. This improves efficiency, reduces manual work, and enhances data-driven decision-making.

Start automating your Power BI workflows today!