Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst AssociateDeploy and maintain assetsMedium

A Power BI administrator needs to ensure that a newly published report, which connects to an on-premises SQL Server database, can refresh its data automatically. The administrator has confirmed that an On-premises Data Gateway is installed and running on a server within the network. Which configuration step is essential to enable scheduled data refresh for this report's dataset?

  1. AAdd the SQL Server data source to the installed gateway and configure its credentials.
  2. BConfigure a Power BI App for the report and share it with relevant users.
  3. CEnable Object-Level Security (OLS) on the dataset to protect sensitive columns.
  4. DCreate a new Power BI deployment pipeline for the development and production workspaces.
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A. Add the SQL Server data source to the installed gateway and configure its credentials.

For a Power BI dataset connected to an on-premises data source to refresh automatically via a gateway, the data source must be registered with the gateway and its credentials securely configured within the Power BI service. This allows the gateway to act as a bridge.

Why the other options are wrong

  • B. Power BI Apps are for content distribution and do not directly enable scheduled data refresh for on-premises data sources.
  • C. Object-Level Security (OLS) protects specific columns or tables but is unrelated to enabling scheduled data refresh through a gateway.
  • D. Deployment pipelines manage content lifecycle across environments but do not directly configure data source access for on-premises scheduled refreshes.

On-premises Gateway Data Source Configuration

To enable scheduled data refresh for Power BI datasets connected to on-premises data sources, the data source must be registered with an installed On-premises Data Gateway and its credentials securely configured in the Power BI service.

  • Required for on-premises data refresh (scheduled or on-demand).
  • Gateway acts as a secure bridge between Power BI service and local data.
  • Credentials are encrypted and stored in the Power BI service for the gateway.

Memory trick: Cloud needs a Bridge to Home data for Refresh.

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