Power BI Rest API continuation token is corrupted

[oliversvane]

Hi,
When running the Get Activity Events API Call, it returns a few activities and a continuation token. When trying to use the token to contionue the call, i get the following error: 

{

  "error": {

    "code": "InvalidRequest",

    "message": "Looks like that continuation token is corrupted. Replace it with the same continuation token that was sent back in the previous API response, and try again"

  }
}

I get this error when i have single quotations around the token. if i do not have any quotations i get the following error:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "BadRequest",
    "message": "Bad Request",
    "details": [
      {
        "message": "Expected literal type token but found token 'LDIwMjAtMDQtMDZUMDA6MDA6MDEsMjAyMC0wNC0wNlQyMzo1OTo1OSwxLCw'.",
        "target": "continuationToken"
      }
    ]
  }
}

[maril]

Hi,

I got the same error when building PowerAutomate Flow to retreive PBI activity events using custom connector based on Swagger https://github.com/microsoft/powerbi-rest-api-specs/blob/master/swagger.json . 

Turned out that the continuation token needs to be decoded for the 'Returns a list of audit activity events for a tenant' step to work properly.

In MS Flow - Parse the continuation token from Json, then decode with function decodeUriComponent() and finally wrap the expression in single quotes. 

eg. 'decodeUriComponent(body('Parse_JSON')?['continuationToken'])'

PowerShell does it behind the scene like this:

https://github.com/microsoft/powerbi-powershell/blob/master/src/Modules/Admin/Commands.Admin/GetPowe...

...

 string formattedContinuationToken = $"'{WebUtility.UrlDecode(response.ContinuationToken)}'";
response = client.Admin.GetPowerBIActivityEvents(null, null, formattedContinuationToken, null);

...

[liljath]

Hi,

Did you manage to get this fixed?

I have tried using the token but keep getting the same errors as you. I have put single quotes around the token, double quotes as well.

Cheers,

liljath

[oliversvane · Accepted solution]

Hi @liljath 

Yes, yous should not use the continuationToken, but the continuationUri, and use it to make a new get request. 

The documentation for this API is poor and outdated, unfortunately.

Let me know if you need further assistance.

[liljath]

Hi @oliversvane ,

Thank you for this 🙂 it's been driving me crazy lol

Do you know if it possible to use the powerbiclient from the package Microsoft.PowerBI.Api?

I am using pbiClient.Admin.GetActivityEvents(startdate, enddate) to get the first call but when I put the continuationtoken in there it just doesn't work.

I was thinking maybe something like powerbiclient.httpclient ... but have tried this with a 403 result.

Do you call the api with this client or a normal httpclient?

cheers,

liljath

[oliversvane]

Hi @liljath 

I am currently using Power Automate to pull the data one a day. You can read more about the general idea here:
https://medium.com/@Konstantinos_Ioannou/refresh-powerbi-dataset-with-microsoft-flow-73836c727c33
It is an old article showing you how to refresh a dataset uding Power Automate (this article is from before it was possible with a simple connector)

If you are using Powershell you can use the PBI Cmdlets (read more here). Once that is installed you can run requests from Powershell. Here is an example, where the logs are saved in .json files for each individual day:

Login-PowerBI
$date = [datetime]'07/10/2020'

$array = 
do {
$date.ToString('yyyy-MM-dd')
$date2 =(Get-Date $date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd')
$begindate=-join($date2,'T00:00:00')
$enddate =-join($date2,'T23:59:59')
$paths =-join('C:\audit\',$date2,'.json')
$activities = Get-PowerBIActivityEvent -StartDateTime $begindate -EndDateTime $enddate | Out-File $paths
$date = $date.AddDays(1)
}

until ($date -gt [datetime]'07/14/2020')