GET DATA FROM THE ROOT FILE

[AnassEss]

Hi Dear Community

So I wanted to load an excel file to work with, but since my power bi will be used by multiple collegues in the enterprise, I wanted to make the power bi's data to be taken from a root file instead of the excel itself. To explain it better I will show some screenshots:

So Im using this excel which is in this route (will be only an example):  Z:\230-IBA\Students\Name\BBDD MANTENIMIENTO (PBI)\VER_01\ 00 -BBDD_HORAS_RS_2

I would like the route to be: Z:\230-IBA\Students\Name\BBDD MANTENIMIENTO (PBI)\VER_01\   

and the power BI to extract info from this same excel: 00 -BBDD_HORAS_RS_2 but from the root file instead from the excel directly so that if anything changes or they put a new excel the power BI searches for the excel inside the root file directly.

The only clue I got is this:

but it doesn't let me select the excel, it just loads all the content as a table.

I hope I have explained correctly what I need to achieve and hope I can get some help with this issue.

Thank you so much and Kind Regards.

[danextian]

Hi @AnassEss ,

Using the folder connector, you can make Power BI pull data from a specific file without directly referencing it by sorting and filtering but the question is how will Power BI know which file to connect to? What is the criteria? Does this file start with a particular text string and must have this extension and if there are more than one files that meet those criteria which among them to pick?

[AnassEss]

Hi @danextian, 

First, thanks for the reply. So the thing is that it is only 1 file that must be referenced and inside this root:  Z:\230-IBA\Students\Name\BBDD MANTENIMIENTO (PBI)\VER_01\  which content can be seen in the screenshot that I have shared before, I only want to use that excel that is marked but that excel can change (we can add or erase information) and the PBIX file can be used by some of my work collegues (Since all the information to this directory is saved in a server my own root is:  Z:\230-IBA\Students\Name\BBDD MANTENIMIENTO (PBI)\VER_01\ but my collegue's route can be:  Y:\230-IBA\Students\Name\BBDD MANTENIMIENTO (PBI)\VER_01\). In order to be able to refresh the data from his route and mine whenever we want, we need to make the PBIX file take the data from the route itself and then from the excel instead of the excel only which route is:  Z:\230-IBA\Students\Name\BBDD MANTENIMIENTO (PBI)\VER_01\ Excel_name

[danextian · Accepted solution]

Hi @AnassEss ,

It appears you are using the path that is mapped locally to your device. Instead of using that, why not use the full path? Power BI will not know the root path if you don't specify it in the connection so if you're using Z and he Y then you will definitely get an error when refreshing the report.

[AnassEss]

Hi @danextian 

Thanks for the fast answer. So How can I use the full path instead of the local one to get to refresh the data in his device and in mine aswell??

[danextian]

I believe your IT admin would know the full path. In one of my past companies, I opted not to map a network shared drive to a letter as everyone else in my team was not consistent with what letters to use.

[AnassEss]

Thank you so much,

I will talk to him and see if we can figure out something and by the way I liked the cool phrase that you have in your bio: "Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand" 😄

Kind Regards and I hope you have a good day