Update ODBC query

[giulia_iem]

Hi everyone,

I created an ODBC connection to an on-premise (PostgreSQL) database. From Power BI desktop I created a new dataset importing data from ODBC specifying an aggregation query (it would have been impossible to load the entire tables because it contains millions of rows), I built my report and published it. Then I made some improvements to my report adding a whole set of charts and I was quite happy of the result.

Now I would like to make some changes to the aggregation query I made to build my dataset (i.e. add a column). Is it possible to refresh published dataset keeping my online report working?

I'm new to Power BI and I'm still trying to understand what I can do and what I can't do..

Thank you so much

Giulia

[Anonymous]

Hello @giulia_iem

If you want to change the dataset structure, you have to do it from PowerBI desktop, you cannot do it from PowerBI Services (the published report).

As long as you didn't published the new report the first one is still available with the older structure.

When you publish the new report, it will overwrite the previous one, so you have to check that the report you publish is fine. If you don't want to overwrite, you have to renamme the second report.

Hope it helps

Sébastien

[giulia_iem]

Hi Sebastien,

I must have made something wrong..

I renamed my online report (but not its dataset), I updated my dataset in Power BI Desktop, then I published it online overriding existing dataset (exactly as I wanted) but sadly it overwrote my report too..

As I could understand, when I publish on PowerBI Services from Power BI Desktop the name of dataset and report created are the same as the .pix file name, but what happened then? Why my online report was updated too? How can I choose the name of the published report and dataset before publishing it?

Thanks for your help

Giulia

[Anonymous]

Hi Giulia,

The dataset and the report are linked together. You can change the name of the dataset or the report in Power BI but not the link between them.

When you publish a .pbix file, it publish both the dataset and the report. Even if you rename the report, as it's linked with the dataset you overwrite, the report will be updated too.

If you want to keep the older one, the best way, is to copy the report in Power BI Services. So when you will update your dataset, you will update the report in the pbix file, but not the copy. But the copy will still be connected to your dataset.

Sebastien

[giulia_iem]

Hi Sebastien,

I'm sorry but maybe I don't understand.. I would like to update the dataset in Power BI Services without updating the liked report, it's not possible?

An example: I build a dataset and a report in Power BI Desktop. When I'm ready, I publish it to Power BI Services, I share it with my supervisor for approval, then I publish it as an Organizational Content Pack.

A few month later my team needs to add some information to the report, so I need to add a column in my dataset. How should I make it? I must have backed up my original .pbix file, reload it in Power BI Desktop, make the changes I need then republish it to Power BI Services losing every change I made online after the first publish to Power BI Services? Am I correct?

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hello Giulia,

If you've made change in the report published in PowerBI Services and don't want to loose it when you will published the updated dataset Linked to this report, I think that the only solution is to make a copy of the original report in PowerBI Services. You work on the copied report (fortunately you can change his name). So when you will published the updated dataset, only the original report will be overwritten and not the copy.

Sebastien