Create reusable assets

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Dataflows are created and refreshed in the Power BI service, and can be consumed in either Power BI desktop or the Power BI service.

Create a dataflow

There are multiple methods of creating dataflows in the Power BI service. We're going to cover creating a dataflow using the option to define new tables.

You can also create dataflows using linked tables, a computed table, or using import/export. Refer to the Power BI documentation for step-by-step instructions of each creation option.

From within a shared workspace, select New Dataflow.

Screenshot of the New menu in Power B I, displaying the options to create a new report, paginated report, scorecard, dashboard, dataset, or dataflow.

Here you'll have the option to define new tables, link tables from other dataflows, import model, or attach a Common Data Model folder. Select Add new tables.

Selecting Add new tables will direct you to Power Query online, where you'll choose a data source.

Screenshot of the Power Query online interface where you choose a data source to get data from. Choices displayed in screenshot are Azure SQL database, Azure Synapse Analytics, A D L S Gen2, and Azure HDInsight Spark.

Depending on the data source you select, you'll need to enter connection settings and specify connection credentials. Specifying connection credentials will look similar to data connections using Power Query in Power BI desktop.

Enter the appropriate connection settings and credentials and select Sign In.

Screenshot of connection window in Power Query online, connecting to Azure Synapse Analytics. There is a red box around the sign in button.

After signing in, you'll get a preview of the assets in the source data system. Here you can select which tables to use. Dataflows contain tables, but don't contain relationships.

Screenshot of table preview in Power Query online with red box around Dim Date table.

Once you select the data you'd like to use, you can use the dataflow editor to shape and transform that data. The dataflow editor looks and behaves similar to Power Query in Power BI desktop.

Screenshot of Power Query online interface with preview of DimDate table.

Important

Dataflows can only be created in shared workspaces.

Refresh a dataflow

When you create a dataflow, you're prompted to refresh the data for the dataflow. Refreshing a dataflow is required before it can be consumed in a dataset inside Power BI Desktop, or referenced as a linked or computed table.

To configure a dataflow refresh from the shared workspace, navigate to Settings via the More options menu.

Screenshot of Power B I service interface with More menu selected, with a red box around Settings option.

Here you can take ownership of a dataflow, edit the data source credentials, schedule a refresh, configure enhanced compute engine settings, and endorse content.

Screenshot of Power B I service dataflow settings, with the scheduled refresh toggled to on as indicated by a red box.

Connect to a dataflow

Dataflows can be consumed in three ways. Report builders can:

  • Create a linked table from the dataflow.
  • Create a dataset from the dataflow.
  • Create a connection from external tools that can read from the common data model format.

You can connect to a dataflow in Power BI desktop using the Power BI dataflows connector in the Get Data window.

Screenshot of Power BI Desktop connectors with the Power BI dataflows option.

Note

Learn more about configuring and consuming dataflows.

Refining dataflow settings

For dataflows in workspaces using Power BI Premium capacity, you can use the Admin portal to change, or refine, how dataflows are created and how they use resources in your Power BI Premium subscription. See refining dataflow settings to learn more.