PBI Service Issues: from desktop - to Service

[Anonymous]

Hi,

after I apply several changes to a dataset in PBI Desktop and then publish it online, I refresh reports referred to this dataset, but I don't see the latest applied changes, e.g. theme changed, a custom column added, freshest up-to-date data, etc.

Any fix?

Thank you in advance.

[v-yuezhe-msft]

@Anonymous,

After I make changes to Power BI Desktop report and re-publish the report to Power BI Service, I can get these changes in Power BI Service.

When you change the underlying data of Power BI report in your original data source, the data in the Power BI Service report will get updated based on refresh schedule or when you manually refresh the dataset in Power BI Service.

However, if you change report theme , add custom column and update data in Power BI Desktop file, you would need to re-publish the PBIX file to replace existing dataset in Power BI Service to make the changes apply to Power BI Service report.

If you still have questions about refresh, please describe more details about your data source and how you make change to data source.

Regards,
Lydia

[Anonymous]

@v-yuezhe-msft Hi,

Yes, I get that. The question was not "why when changing .pbix file, the changes don't apply automatically". Probably I didn't express myself correctly. I will try to re-phrase:

The issue is that, once I change something in .pbix, I re-publish it under the same name e.g. I replace the existing .pbix used as a dataset for a set of reports. But then, when I manually refresh reports by using 'refresh' button in each report, the changes from recently re-published upgraded .pbix file are not applied to referring reports.

Hope it's more clear now. Thank you in advance for your reply.

BR,

Taisiya

[v-yuezhe-msft]

@Anonymous,

I am unable to reproduce this issue on my side. When I re-publish the PBIX file to replace existing dataset in Power BI Service, add click refresh in Power BI Service, the applied report theme and new custom column still preserve in Power BI Service.

Could you please share the PBIX file containing dummy data so that I can repro?

Regards,
Lydia

[Anonymous]

@v-yuezhe-msft,

Look. I have let's say 35 reports based on one dataset.

When I add whatever to this dataset and re-publish it to PBI Service, and then I refresh all of those 35 reports, the changes from this dataset are not applied to them. However, if I create a new report based on refreshed dataset, I _do_ see the freshest version of it.

Those 35 reports are replicated from the main dataset under different names and filtered by different companies. The aim is, once I change the dataset and re-publish it, to get changes from it applied to all related reports.

Unfortunately, I don't have any dummy data to share with you. However, I hope that my explanation is clear enough.

Thank you in advance.

BR,

T.

[v-yuezhe-msft]

@Anonymous,

Could you please elaborate more about "Those 35 reports are replicated from the main dataset under different names and filtered by different companies ? " Do you have 35 different PBIX file? And do you replace all the 35 datasets in Power BI Service?

Regards,
Lydia

[Anonymous]

Hi @v-yuezhe-msft,

Thank you for your reply. OK, look: I use one dataset, uploaded from PBI Desktop as .pbix file to PBI Service. In PBI Service, I click 'Save as' to create multiple reports with the same visuals for different clients and business segments. So, when I re-pubish this single .pbix file, and then I refresh multiple reports which I created on the basis of this single .pbix file, using 'refresh' button in each report, the changes I applied in this .pbix file are not applicable to my reports.

Example: I create a .pbix file named General Model. I publish it to PBI Service, so General_Model.pbix is visible in datasets. Then, I create a report in it, I apply report-level filter to sort out the data for company 1, and I save it as a Report 1. Then, I apply some report-level filters to show me data for company 2, and I 'Save as' this report as Report 2. Then, I apply some report-level filters to show me data for company 3, and I 'Save as' this report as Report 3, and so on.

Later, I want to change my theme, so I open PBI Desktop with General_Model.pbix. I apply a custom theme on it, I save it, and I re-publish it to PBI Service under the same name, so PBI Desktop asks me: do you want to re-place you General_Model.pbix in PBI Service? I say: yes, please, do. Afterwards, I go to PBI Service, to Report 1, and I click 'refresh', cause I want the custom theme applied in General_Model.pbix to be applied in Report 1, as well. I repeat the procedure for Report 2, Report 3, etc.

Here is the issue. After I refresh Report 1, Report 2, Report 3, etc., besides General_Model.pbix was re-published to the workspace with an applied theme, my reports remain the old them, not the one from updated General_Model.pbix.

Is it more clear now?

BR,

Taisiya

[v-yuezhe-msft]

@Anonymous,

Based on my test, when you click "Refresh" button in the replicated reports, only underlying data of the reports are updated. Custom theme or new calculated columns will not applied to these reports.

In your scenario, why not configure Row level security  in the original Power BI report? This way, you don't have to replicate several reports with different report level filters.

Regards,
Lydia

[Anonymous]

@v-yuezhe-msft Hi again,

I might have missed or misunderstood something, but doesn't RLS require a creation of an app and/or, in case of RLS set based by mail in PBI Desktop, that the consumers of created reports would have an account in PBI Service? Thank you in advance for explanation. I found myself a bit lost in the topic.

BR,

Taisiya

[v-yuezhe-msft]

@Anonymous,

You don't have to create an Power BI app workspace to use RLS. However, as you mentioned, the consumers of created reports would need to have Power BI Service account.

In your original scenario, only data can be updated to the "Save as" reports. If you need to reflect the changes expecting underlying data change in the "save as" reports, you would need to replicate these reports again after re-publishing PBIX file.

Regards,
Lydia