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How to Update Power BI Dashboard with New Data

Cody Schneider•

A Power BI dashboard is only useful if the data it displays is current. A report showing last month’s sales figures is a historical document, not a decision-making tool. This article will show you exactly how to update your Power BI dashboards with new data, covering both instant manual refreshes and setting up automatic, scheduled updates so your reports are always timely.

Understanding Power BI Data Refreshes: A Quick Primer

Before jumping into the "how," it's helpful to understand a few key concepts in Power BI. A Report is the detailed, multi-page canvas where you build your charts and tables in Power BI Desktop. A Dashboard is typically a single-page view in the Power BI Service, often featuring pinned visuals from one or more reports to provide a high-level overview.

When you refresh your data, you are updating the underlying dataset that your reports and dashboards are built on. Power BI pulls the latest information from your original sources - whether it's an Excel spreadsheet, a SQL database, or a cloud service like Salesforce - and updates all the associated visuals. There are two primary ways to do this: manual refresh and scheduled refresh.

How to Manually Refresh Your Power BI Data

A manual refresh is perfect for when you've just updated a source file or need to see the most current data immediately. You can trigger it from either Power BI Desktop or the Power BI Service.

Manually Refreshing in Power BI Desktop

This is the most direct way to get fresh data while you're building or editing a report. When you refresh in Power BI Desktop, it pulls the latest data from all your sources directly into your .PBIX file.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

  1. Open your report file (the one with the .PBIX extension) in Power BI Desktop.

  2. In the main interface, navigate to the Home tab on the top ribbon.

  3. Click the Refresh button. It’s usually one of the most prominent buttons on the left side of the ribbon.

  4. Power BI will display a small pop-up window showing the status of each data source connection as it fetches the new information. Once it's done, your visuals will automatically update to reflect the new data.

Pro Tip: Remember that refreshing here only updates the local file on your computer. To make the changes visible online, you must click Publish from the Home tab and overwrite the existing report in the Power BI Service.

Manually Refreshing in the Power BI Service

Sometimes you’ve updated a cloud-based source file (like an Excel workbook stored in OneDrive or a SharePoint list) and want to see the changes reflected in your online dashboard without opening Power BI Desktop. In this case, you can trigger a refresh directly from the Power BI Service.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

  1. Log in to your account at https://app.powerbi.com.

  2. In the navigation pane on the left, navigate to the Workspace that contains your dashboard.

  3. Find your dataset in the list. It will have a different icon than reports or dashboards. Datasets are the source of power for all of your visuals.

  4. Hover over the dataset name, and you will see a circular arrow icon for Refresh now. Click it.

This will start the data refresh process in the cloud. Once complete, all reports and dashboard tiles connected to this dataset will display the updated information.

Setting Up a Scheduled Refresh: Automate Your Updates

Manually refreshing is fine for one-off updates, but the real power comes from automation. A scheduled refresh tells the Power BI Service to automatically update your dataset at set times, ensuring your team is always looking at the latest data without anyone needing to lift a finger. This is essential for turning your dashboard from a static report into a living business tool.

First, a Note on Gateways

To schedule a refresh, the Power BI Service needs to be able to access your data sources.

  • For Cloud Sources: If your data comes from a cloud service like SharePoint Online, Azure SQL, Salesforce, or Google Analytics, you generally don't need a gateway. Power BI can connect directly. You'll just need to provide your credentials.

  • For On-Premises Sources: If your data lives on your company's local network - like an Excel file on your C: drive, a local SQL Server, or a file on a shared network drive - you will need a data gateway. The gateway acts as a secure bridge, letting the Power BI Service reach through your firewall to access the data without compromising your network's security.

You can download the standard On-premises data gateway from the Microsoft website. It needs to be installed on a computer that is always on and connected to your network.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up a Scheduled Refresh

With your sources accessible (and gateway configured, if needed), you can now set your schedule.

  1. Navigate to Dataset Settings: In the Power BI Service, find your dataset in the appropriate workspace. Click the three dots (... More options) next to its name and select Settings.

  2. Manage Data Source Credentials: In the settings pane, locate the Data source credentials section. Click Edit credentials for each data source. You’ll need to grant Power BI permission to access your data. This might involve signing in with your Microsoft account (OAuth2) for a SharePoint file or entering a username and password for a database. This is a critical step, if credentials fail, the refresh fails.

  3. Configure the Schedule: Scroll down to the Scheduled refresh section and expand it.

  4. Turn It On: Toggle the switch to keep your data up to date.

  5. Set Refresh Frequency: Choose between Daily and Weekly.

  6. Select Your Timezone: Ensure this matches your local timezone so the refreshes happen when you expect.

  7. Add Refresh Times: Click Add another time to schedule refreshes. With a Power BI Pro license, you can schedule up to 8 automated refreshes per day. With Power BI Premium, you can schedule up to 48. A common practice is to schedule a refresh right before the start of the workday, for instance, at 8:00 AM.

  8. Set Up Failure Notifications: Check the box to "Send refresh failure notifications to the dataset owner." This emails you if something goes wrong, allowing you to fix issues quickly.

  9. Apply Your Changes: Click the Apply button at the bottom.

That’s it! Your dashboard will now update automatically according to the schedule you’ve set.

Common Refresh Issues and How to Quickly Fix Them

Sometimes, things go wrong. Here are some of the most common refresh errors you might encounter and how to deal with them.

Issue 1: Dashboard Isn't Showing New Data

Possible Cause: The automated refresh may have failed.Solution: In the dataset settings, click on Refresh history. This will show you a log of all attempted refreshes (Scheduled, Manual) and their status (Completed, Failed). If a refresh failed, Power BI often provides an error code or message that can point you toward the problem.

Issue 2: Credential Errors

Possible Cause: Password complexity policies are a common culprit. If you recently changed your password for a data source, Power BI's saved credential is now outdated.Solution: Go back to the dataset's Settings > Data source credentials section and click Edit credentials. Re-enter your new credentials to re-establish the connection.

Issue 3: Gateway is Offline

Possible Cause: If you're using a personal gateway, the computer it's running on might have been turned off, lost its internet connection, or been put to sleep.Solution: Make sure the machine hosting the data gateway is running and connected to the internet. For greater reliability, businesses often use a standard (enterprise) gateway installed on a dedicated server that's always on.

Issue 4: Data Source Schema Changed

Possible Cause: The structure of your source data has changed. For example, someone renamed or deleted a column in an Excel file or database table that your Power BI report depends on.Solution: You'll need to open the .PBIX file in Power BI Desktop. Go to the Home tab and click Transform data to open the Power Query Editor. Look at the "Applied Steps" on the right. Power Query will usually highlight the step where the error occurred. You can then correct the step to reflect the new column name or structure, apply the changes, and republish the report.

Final Thoughts

Keeping your Power BI dashboards updated is a fundamental part of making data actionable. By mastering both manual and scheduled refreshes, you ensure that you and your team are always making decisions based on the most current information available, turning your dashboards into a trusted source of truth for business performance.

Even with these refresh options, managing data across multiple platforms still involves configuring gateways, managing credentials, and waiting for scheduled updates. At https://www.graphed.com/register, we remove that technical barrier. Once you connect your data sources like Google Analytics, Shopify, QuickBooks, and Salesforce — a process that takes seconds — your dashboards update in real-time, automatically. Instead of setting schedules and troubleshooting connections, you can just ask in plain English for the exact report you need, and we build it instantly with live data, so you're always acting on a completely current picture of your business.