Power BI data sources through multiple people | Forum

Hi Lucie,

Thank you for the forum question.

Hi there!

I understand the challenge you're facing with Power BI (PBI) and SharePoint paths. Here are a few suggestions that might help:

Using SharePoint Online Paths: Instead of syncing the SharePoint document library to your local machine, you can use the direct SharePoint Online paths in Power BI. This way, the paths won't contain any usernames and can be accessed by anyone with the appropriate permissions. You can connect to SharePoint Online files directly in Power BI by using the "SharePoint Folder" connector.

Parameterize File Paths: You can create parameters in Power BI for the file paths. This way, you can easily switch between different paths without hardcoding them. Each user can set their parameter values to their respective paths.

Shared Virtual Machine: As you mentioned, using a shared virtual machine can be a good solution. This way, the file paths will be consistent regardless of who is accessing them, as the VM will have a single user profile.

Power BI Dataflows: Consider using Power BI Dataflows to centralize your data preparation. Dataflows allow you to create reusable data transformation logic that can be shared across multiple Power BI reports and users. This way, the data extraction and transformation are done centrally, and users can connect to the dataflow instead of individual files.

OneDrive for Business: If your organization uses OneDrive for Business, you can save the files there and use the OneDrive paths in Power BI. OneDrive for Business paths are user-independent and can be accessed by anyone with the appropriate permissions.

I hope these suggestions help!

Kind regards

Jens Bonde
Microsoft Office Specialist Trainer

Tel: 0207 987 3777
STL - https://www.stl-training.co.uk
98%+ recommend us

London's leader with UK wide delivery in Microsoft Office training and management training to global brands, FTSE 100, SME's and the public sector