Power BI Personal Gateway Run as a Service Account

[RafDelgado]

We're developing a report for customers which contains information held in a multi-dimensional SQL analysis setup. Unfortunately the BI Connector does not support this so started looking down the Personal Gateway.

My question is, that I would like to be able to install the gateway as a service without having to have an account physically left logged on so we can refresh the data this way.

Has anyone come across a similar situation? All i'm after is having this OLAP cube information run on a schedule.

[Anonymous]

I managed to do this with Task Scheduler.

General: run whether user is logged on or not, run with highest privileges, hidden, configure for windows 10

Triggers: at system startup

Actions: Start a program "C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Microsoft\On-premises data gateway (personal mode)\Microsoft.PowerBI.DataMovement.PersonalGateway.exe"

[Greg_Deckler]

Well, there is a service that runs called the Data Management Gateway Service, but I think you also have to run the front end client because that provide the authentication credentials to the service.

[RafDelgado]

Thanks for the reply, I read about this service but having installed the client, i'm unable to see this service running (even though GWConf.exe is running). Is there no other way to do this? Really dont want to have a client always on and logged on just to sync data.

[Greg_Deckler]

Well, in thinking about this, that service might be an artifact from at one time having the Data Management Gateway installed (old O365 gateway)

[RafDelgado]

Managed to find a way around this by creating a service and service account to run the personal gateway as.

http://www.sysctr.info/2015/11/configuring-power-bi-personal-gateway.html

[Erikvbueren]

Hi there,,

We try to get the Personal Gateway running as a service on a Terminal Server but didn't figured out the right way. I would like to try the PowerShell Script (the link is relating to) but cannot download it anymore.

Can you help? Thx!

[elliotdixon]

Hi @Erikvbueren - lucky you. I have downloaded the srvany and install files.

https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ar7gmdujjpeAwWzyaoQ2q0w54qsM

Good luck.

[Erikvbueren]

I'v managed to install the Personal Gateway as a service with the normal install files. (without using the Powershell Scripts of @RafDelgado)

• User that perform the install must have local admin rights
• Before installing check: https://technet.microsoft.com/library/cc739424.aspx
• I've added the user that installs to the Log on as a service in the local security policy
• Now run the install file as administrator (not sure if it is required) 
• During the installation you wil get prompted with this option
• 
• Now you can enter the credentials of the user that is refreshing your datasources and publish to powerbi.com
• After installation you will find a service that is called Data Management Gateway in the services

Good luck!
  

[RafDelgado]

I updated my blog post on this a while back as they added instructions on how to do this using the normal installer a while back :).

http://www.sysctr.info/2016/01/installing-power-bi-personal-gateway-as.html

[Erikvbueren]

@RafDelgado: Great! I couldn't find your updated Blog 

[Erikvbueren]

Hi @elliotdixon, Great! Thanks a lot! 

[elliotdixon]

WOW! This is great. Thanks so much @RafDelgado - a great fix. Worked perfectly (I did have to change your script to look in the right folder I installed the gateway in - but clear and well set out powershell script made this easy)

Power BI just became a whole lot better.
Now I just need them to allow more than 8 updates a day.

Thanks again.

[greggyb]

---

@elliotdixon wrote:

...
Now I just need them to allow more than 8 updates a day.

Thanks again.

---

Any reason you can't utilize a live connection to SSAS or a DirectQuery model? These modes will alway be up to date with their sources, which you can schedule for refresh as often as you like.

[elliotdixon]

Hi @greggyb the current limitations on Direct query such as

• You cannot add calculated columns or table

• You cannot change the data type of a column

• All tables must come from a single database

Mean I am stuck using Import. It looks like they are doing work to remedy this but for now I am stuck with Import.

ED