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dimazaid
Employee
Employee

Updates to the Web connector

We are currently working on improving the refresh of cloud based data sources. As part of this, one of the changes we have made recently is that new datasets that leverage import from Web pages will not be automatically configured for refresh in Power BI service, and will require the use of a gateway. Please consider using the Personal Gateway or On-Premises data gateway if you would like to use this capability. We are working on removing this restriction in the future.


Thanks,

The Power BI team

70 REPLIES 70

Hi @Anonymous,

What error messages are you seeing?

Anonymous
Not applicable

 HI, these is what I get. Personal gateway is not even in use as data source is on web, and nothing uses local data. Same thing is on other report where I use on-site gateway that is always online.

 

_FIRST_SLIDE.png_SECOND_SLIDE.png_SLIDE_THREE.png

@Anonymous, we have changes to using the web.page function. Where a gateway is required if you are using it in a new published report. So in your case, you can either set up a personal gateway or add the data source to your enterprise gateway as a web datasource so you can use it.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Thanks @dimazaid, I will do as you suggested.


@matmoore wrote:

Suddenly without notice, Microsoft pull this feature. This is the exact reason I am finding it difficult to gain support within our business for Microsoft's online services.


 

 

Exactly this! Very difficult to get our management behind the switch to PBI when refresh is this unreliable.  

mahimabedi
Responsive Resident
Responsive Resident

The gateway is also giving an error when i try to add the Excel ODFB link as data source. Can you please provide guidance on how the gateway refersh will work for web services. Additionally there is no Oauth option in the gateway.

PBI_KLo
Helper I
Helper I

Hey everyone, 

 

I managed to get Google Sheets to work instead for another document (more like, it hasn't given me an error yet..) based on some other searching on the internet so not entirely my own discovery:

 

  1. In Google API Console, enable Sheets API
  2. Under "Credentials", create "OAuth Client ID". Copy the "Client ID" and "Client Secret". (This will be your username and password for "Web credentials")
  3. In your Google Sheet, go to "File > Publish to the Web", select Excel as the file format, copy the url.
  4. In Power BI Desktop, use "Web" as a source, and use the Publish to Web url, use Basic as the credential type, and use the Client ID and Client Secret as username and password. 
  5. On the Scheduled refresh page on PowerBI.com, you will need to re-enter these again.

good luck

 

-Kevin

 

 

 

kaushal
Frequent Visitor

Does this mean if I have used URL as a datasource, then in powerBI service, I cannot use schedule refresh to connect directly and I need to have a gateway which will be used to load data from the URL?

Jepp.

 

@dimazaid I spent hours trying to figure out why I couldn't refresh my web-data sources without a gateway, because the official documentation still says the gateway is not needed. 

https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/powerbi-personal-gateway/

hi @TBenders,
We applogize for the confusion, the documention should be updated in the next few days. 

But I am still able to refresh some of the new datasets without gateway where I have used Web as datasource.

Anonymous
Not applicable

I have case with using url https://onedrive.live.com/download. In PowerBI Desktop it works, on PowerBI Service it does not (it gives me no credentials message). Onedrive is personal version, and link is for anonymous connect.

As far as I know, this only affects any "screen scraping" you are doing; so if your queries contain "Web.Page", then you will need to follow the advice here. We have plenty of data sources that are accessed via http / web and that's not going to be affected. E.d. OData.Feed, Web.Contents, etc. will all be unaffected.

What about Excel files on OneDrive "Excel.Workbook(Web.Contents)"?

 

I have an open support ticket on a project with this type of connection and the supporter keeps insisting that it is a Gateway related error although the solution only contains online sources.

 

Frustration!!

You are making it very hard for us to sell and implement Power BI when it is this unstable and your Gateway fix is unacceptable. You need to stabilize this product, bridge the gaps and make it Enterprise ready. The IT departments don’t like Gateways and it doesn’t make sense to add a gateway for an online source!


You had a god thing going, but the last month or so with extremely unstable service has damaged Power BI and this “feature cut” has only made it worse. Please consider that we have solutions running in production.

hi @jeppesal,

Are you only using Web.contents? If so, you shouldn't need a gateway. The gateway need is only for Web.page usage. 

What error are you seeing? 

 

Anonymous
Not applicable

jeppesal is right.

 

If there are connection only to cloud / online services - it doesn't make any sense to install a Gateway.

Guys, common, you can do better - please make the refresh stable - currently all Power BI projects are NO GO because of this.

Thanks!

Michael

@Anonymous, thanks for the feedback. We're looking working on this and hoping to get your project soon.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Hmmm, I have no scraping stuff. I have two workbooks and pbix file on personal onedrive. Pbix file was imported into PowerBI service (free) using GET DATA, and Pbix file as source targeted those two excel workbooks on onedrive via https://onedrive.live.com/download... links.

All this worked before on PowerBI service, and still works on PowerBI Desktop, but now I get errors about credentials or it spins while auhorisation of web credentials.

Any idea?

I am facing the same issue

1. used web connector to connect to excel on onedrive for business

2. suto schedule is not working

 

but when i try to use a gateway (just like it is suggested) it still gives me an error. Under the gateway there is no "oauth" option and using the basic, anonomus, and windows still gives me an error.

 

Can I can now refresh my report which is conneted to excel on ODFB?

 

Hi @mahimabedi,
The error you're running into is due to a different issue. The good news is that the fix should be in PROD soon, stay tuned, I'll post a comment here once it's online.
Thanks!
Dimah

The OneDrive and SP connection issues are fixed in production, just verified it. Please let me know if you are still running into any issues.

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