How to Refresh Your Dashboard After Updating Your Excel File

Keeping your Power BI dashboard synchronized with the latest data is crucial for accurate analysis and decision-making.

This tutorial will guide you through the steps to refresh your Power BI dashboard after making updates to your Excel data source.

By the end of this guide, you'll know how to ensure your dashboard reflects the most recent data from your Excel file.​

Understanding the Data Connection

Power BI allows you to connect to Excel files stored either locally on your computer or in cloud services like OneDrive or SharePoint.

The location of your Excel file affects how data refreshes are handled:

• Local Files: If your Excel file is stored on your computer, Power BI doesn't automatically detect changes. You'll need to refresh the data manually in Power BI Desktop and republish the report to the Power BI Service.
• Cloud Files (OneDrive/SharePoint): When your Excel file is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, Power BI can automatically synchronize changes, making the refresh process more seamless.

Refreshing Data in Power BI Desktop

After updating your Excel file, follow these steps to refresh your data in Power BI Desktop:​

1. Open Your Power BI Report: Launch Power BI Desktop and open the report connected to your Excel file.​
2. Initiate Refresh: Click on the Home tab and select the Refresh button. PowerBI will re-query the Excel file and update the data in your report.​
3. Verify Data Updates: Ensure that the visuals and data tables reflect the changes made in the Excel file.

Publishing and Scheduling Refresh in Power BI Service

To share your updated report and set up automatic refreshes:

1. Publish to Power BI Service: After refreshing in Power BI Desktop, click on the Home tab and select Publish. Choose the appropriate workspace in the Power BI Service.​
2. Configure Scheduled Refresh:
   • In the Power BI Service, navigate to your dataset.​
   • Click on the More options (⋯) next to the dataset and select Settings.​
   • Under Scheduled refresh, set the Keep data updated toggle to On.​
   • Specify the refresh frequency and time slots as needed.​
3. Manage Data Source Credentials: Ensure that Power BI has the necessary permissions to access your Excel file, especially if it's stored in OneDrive or SharePoint. Update the data source credentials in the dataset settings if prompted.

Regularly refreshing your Power BI dashboard ensures that your reports reflect the most current data from your Excel files.

By understanding the connection between Power BI and your data source, performing manual refreshes in Power BI Desktop, and setting up scheduled refreshes in the Power BI Service, you can maintain up-to-date and reliable dashboards.​