Scheduling Data Refresh in Power BI: A Comprehensive Guide
Power BI allows users to schedule automatic data refreshes to ensure their reports and dashboards stay up to date with the latest data. This guide provides an in-depth walkthrough of scheduling data refresh in Power BI, covering all necessary steps, requirements, and best practices.
1. Understanding Data Refresh in Power BI
Power BI reports and dashboards rely on data sources, and it is essential to keep them updated with the latest data. Power BI provides different data refresh methods:
- On-Demand Refresh – Users can manually refresh the dataset at any time.
- Scheduled Refresh – Users can set up an automatic schedule for Power BI to refresh the data at specified intervals.
- Live Connection – Data remains updated in real-time as Power BI connects directly to the data source.
- DirectQuery Mode – Queries are executed live against the data source without storing data in Power BI.
For scheduled refresh, Power BI extracts data from the source and updates the dataset in the Power BI Service at pre-defined times.
2. Prerequisites for Scheduling Data Refresh
Before configuring the scheduled refresh, ensure the following:
✔ Data Source Compatibility: Ensure the data source supports scheduled refresh. Cloud-based sources (e.g., Azure SQL, SharePoint Online) typically support refresh without additional configurations, while on-premises sources may require a gateway.
✔ Power BI Gateway (if applicable): If you are using on-premises data sources, install and configure an On-premises Data Gateway to enable data refresh.
✔ Power BI Pro or Premium License: Scheduled refresh is available in Power BI Pro and Power BI Premium. Free-tier users cannot schedule refresh in the Power BI Service.
✔ Published Dataset: Ensure the report is published to the Power BI Service (app.powerbi.com).
3. Steps to Schedule Data Refresh in Power BI
Step 1: Publish Your Report to Power BI Service
Before scheduling the refresh, the report must be published to the Power BI Service.
- Open your Power BI Desktop (.pbix) file.
- Click on File → Publish → Power BI Service.
- Select the appropriate workspace (e.g., My Workspace, Shared Workspace).
- Click Publish and wait for the upload to complete.
- Once uploaded, open Power BI Service (app.powerbi.com) and navigate to your dataset.
Step 2: Configure Scheduled Refresh
- Go to the Power BI Service:
- Open your web browser and go to https://app.powerbi.com/.
- Sign in with your Power BI credentials.
- Locate the Dataset:
- Click on Workspaces in the left pane.
- Navigate to the workspace where your report was published.
- Click on Datasets + dataflows.
- Find your dataset and click on the three dots (⋮) next to it.
- Select Settings.
- Expand “Scheduled Refresh” Section:
- In the dataset settings page, scroll down to the Scheduled Refresh section.
- Expand it by clicking on the arrow.
- Enable Scheduled Refresh:
- Toggle “Keep your data updated” to On.
- Set the Refresh frequency:
- Daily
- Weekly
- Set the Time Zone according to your location.
- Set Refresh Times:
- Add multiple refresh times if needed.
- Power BI Pro allows up to 8 refreshes per day.
- Power BI Premium allows up to 48 refreshes per day.
Step 3: Configure Data Source Credentials
- Go to Data Source Credentials Section:
- Scroll to the Data Source Credentials section in the dataset settings.
- Edit Authentication Details:
- Click Edit Credentials next to the data source.
- Choose the correct Authentication Method (e.g., OAuth, Windows, API Key).
- If using an On-Premises Data Gateway, select the correct gateway.
- Enter your credentials and click Sign In.
- Verify Gateway Connection (If Using On-Premises Data Source):
- Scroll to the Gateway Connection section.
- Ensure the correct On-Premises Data Gateway is selected.
- Click Apply to save settings.
Step 4: Save and Apply Settings
- Click Apply to save the scheduled refresh settings.
- A confirmation message will appear, indicating that the schedule has been successfully updated.
4. Testing the Data Refresh
To ensure that the scheduled refresh is working correctly, perform a manual test:
- Go to the Datasets section in Power BI Service.
- Click on the three dots (⋮) next to the dataset.
- Select Refresh now.
- Wait for the refresh to complete. You can check the refresh status under the Refresh history section.
- If successful, the dataset will update with the latest data. If it fails, review the error message and adjust configurations accordingly.
5. Monitoring and Managing Refresh History
- Go to Dataset Settings → Refresh History.
- Check the status of previous refreshes (Success/Failure).
- If failures occur, troubleshoot based on the error messages.
Common Errors & Solutions:
| Error | Possible Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| “Invalid Credentials” | Expired or incorrect authentication details | Re-enter credentials in Data Source Settings |
| “Gateway Not Found” | Gateway is offline or misconfigured | Restart the gateway and check configuration |
| “Query Timeout” | Data source is too slow | Optimize queries or increase timeout limits |
6. Best Practices for Scheduled Refresh in Power BI
✅ Limit Dataset Size: Large datasets take longer to refresh; optimize by reducing unnecessary columns.
✅ Optimize Query Performance: Use query folding, indexing, and filtering to improve refresh speed.
✅ Use Incremental Refresh (Premium Feature): Refresh only new data instead of reloading the entire dataset.
✅ Set Refresh Times Wisely: Schedule refreshes during non-peak hours to avoid performance issues.
✅ Monitor Refresh Failures: Regularly check refresh history to ensure data updates smoothly.
✅ Use Dataflows for Large Datasets: Instead of refreshing multiple datasets separately, use dataflows to centralize data refresh.
7. Summary
- Scheduled refresh ensures Power BI reports stay updated automatically.
- Requires publishing reports to the Power BI Service.
- On-premises data sources need a Data Gateway for refresh.
- Users can set refresh frequency and multiple time slots per day.
- Power BI Pro supports 8 refreshes per day, while Power BI Premium allows up to 48 refreshes per day.
- Regular monitoring of refresh history helps prevent failures.
- Optimizing datasets and queries improves refresh performance.
By following these steps and best practices, you can ensure that your Power BI reports always reflect the latest data, enabling better decision-making and reporting accuracy.