Dataset vs Dataflow when source are sharepoint-stored files.

[Stemar_Aubert]

Hi,

I have a PBI report sourcing local excel files and have moved those to an online sharepoint location.

Using PowerAutomate, data owners can now update their files and my repo will copy the latest data, which can then be used by my published report.

The way I see it, I have three options, and I would like to know your perspective on this.

1) GetData from Sharepoint folder.

2) GetData from a Dataset.

3) GetData from a Dataflow.

I went with the Dataflow route, as I could offload some of the ETL to the cloud, but I then face the refresh issue. While I can trigger a Dataset refresh in Flow, there are no option to trigger a Dataflow refresh in Power Automate. Some people online mentionned to use the REST API, but I have little knowledge of this, and am unsure if this could be done on my end.

Thanks for your input on this.

[v-easonf-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi , @Stemar_Aubert 

You can refer to this  post:

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Service/Dataflow-vs-Dataset-refresh/td-p/572076/page/2

Hope it will be helpful for you.

Best Regards,
Community Support Team _ Eason
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

[Stemar_Aubert]

@v-easonf-msft  Thanks,

Microsoft has done a tremendous work and given us so many options, it's fascinating to read about them all alongside their pros and cons.

In the end, I have decided to coalesce all my data into dataflows, creating a single point of connection to the report, and enable ML on the dataset.