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Power BI Setting up a scheduled update


Setting up the Power BI On-Premises data gateway

To ensure that Power BI reports display up-to-date data, they can be automatically synchronized with the data sources at regular intervals. A Power BI report is typically created in Power BI Desktop and then published in the Power BI service. A scheduled update is only possible after the report has been Published.


Information on establishing a connection with the PowerBI Connector can be found in the following article: PowerBI Connector



After publication, a gateway is required to make data from local sources accessible for the report. The on-premises data gateway is used for this. This is a locally installed Windows application that enables the connection between local data sources and the Microsoft cloud. The standard version of the gateway is used.


The gateway should not be installed on a computer that may be switched off, in sleep mode or disconnected from the Internet. The gateway cannot be run under these circumstances.


Installation instructions for the standard gateway can be found here: Download and install standard gateway


After successful installation and setup, the message appears that the gateway is online and ready for use.



To enable access to buildagil data, the buildagil connector is then integrated. The *.mez file provided for this is stored in the following path: C:\Program Files\On-premises data gateway\CustomConnector


If the folder does not exist, it can be created manually. If the file is recognized correctly, the connector appears in the gateway under the name "buildagil".


The buildagil connector can be downloaded via the following link: Download Power BI Connector



In the next step, the configurations are made in Power BI service.



To do this, open the settings of the local data gateway in the Power BI service.



Activate the update options for Power BI here. Once this has been done, the gateway is considered to be fully set up.



Setting up a new connection

Once the gateway has been successfully set up, a connection is established between the gateway and the semantic model of the report. This takes place in the Power BI service under "Connections".



The connection is created there with the type "Local". The previously configured gateway is selected and a name is defined for the connection. The buildagil connector is used as the connection type. Now enter https://api.buildagil.com/ as the "baseURL". The "relativePath" field can remain empty. "OAuth 2.0" is used for authentication. A test connection must then be executed. For this, you must log in with the same user account that was used to set up the gateway. The connection can only be created and saved once the test connection has been successfully completed.



Set up a scheduled update

Finally, the connection is assigned to the semantic model. This is done in the Power BI service using the "Plan update" role.



After selecting the desired model, the link is established with the previously defined gateway connection.



The scheduled update can then be activated and set. The time zone and the default setting for the update time can be adjusted here with "Add other time".



If the setup has been completed correctly, the next scheduled update appears in the workspace for the semantic model.


Updated on: 17/07/2025