How can I combine data from REST APIs with Power BI for real-time reporting

0 votes
How can I combine data from REST APIs with Power BI for real-time reporting?

I’m working on a Power BI dashboard that needs to show real-time data from a third-party service. The data is accessible via a REST API, and I’m trying to integrate this data into Power BI. I’m unsure of the best approach to fetch and refresh the data for real-time reporting without causing performance issues.

How can I combine data from REST APIs with Power BI for real-time reporting, and what are the best practices to ensure efficient data refreshes?
Nov 14 in Power BI by Evanjalin
• 8,370 points
61 views

1 answer to this question.

0 votes

The ability to combine real-time reporting via Power BI with data obtained from REST APIs is possible. However, several techniques must be employed to ensure that data is timely without compromising performance. Here is how it is generally easier to achieve such steps:

Attaching to the REST API: Once an API has been chosen, its data can be added to Power BI by using Power Query in Power BI Designer. There is a "Web" connector in Power Query where one can add the API and its parameters as well. Vary the frequency and time intervals of making requests to the API, as this will impact the refresh rates and performance.

Data Refresh Strategy: Power BI itself doesn't support true "real-time" updates natively for REST API data, but you can simulate near-real-time by configuring frequently scheduled refreshes. Users of Power BI Pro and Premium can enjoy 8 and 48 refreshes in a day for Pro and Premium, respectively. If more is needed, Push Datasets or Streaming Datasets in Power BI may be used for more frequent data updates as these can refresh data almost instantly. Push Datasets needn't be at a fixed frequency but perform well with small to medium-sized data volumes.

Efficiency Tips:

Minimize API requests: Retrieve only relevant data fields and use restrictions if available in API calls. This reduces the amount of data to be transferred and quickens the refresh rate.

Handle Incremental Refreshes Smartly: In the case of large datasets, employ incremental refresh so that only new information is processed instead of the whole dataset. This lightens the burden and improves the speed of processing.

Use Direct Query for Data Sources Hosted On-Premises: Where it is possible to extract API information to an intermediary database such as Azure SQL or SQL Server, Power BI can be configured for Direct Query to render data in real-time without the restrictions caused by the need to refresh the Power BI interface.

Following these, you can successfully bring REST API data into Power BI without lagging on alert updates or compromising the dashboard's performance.

answered Nov 15 by pooja
• 8,470 points

Related Questions In Power BI

0 votes
0 answers

How can I use R or Python scripts within Power BI for advanced data analysis?

How can I use R or Python ...READ MORE

Oct 14 in Power BI by anonymous
• 8,370 points
76 views
0 votes
0 answers

How can I use R or Python scripts within Power BI for advanced data analysis?

How can I use R or Python ...READ MORE

Oct 22 in Power BI by Evanjalin
• 8,370 points
112 views
+1 vote
1 answer

How can I use R or Python scripts within Power BI for advanced data analysis?

You can carry out advanced data analysis ...READ MORE

answered Oct 23 in Power BI by pooja
• 8,470 points
148 views
0 votes
1 answer

How can I track changes in data between two different time periods in Power BI?

The process of analyzing the variation in ...READ MORE

answered Nov 5 in Power BI by pooja
• 8,470 points
71 views
0 votes
1 answer

Displaying Table Schema using Power BI with Azure IoT Hub

Answering your first question, Event Hubs are ...READ MORE

answered Aug 1, 2018 in IoT (Internet of Things) by nirvana
• 3,130 points
1,359 views
+1 vote
1 answer

Unable to install connector for Power Bi and PostgreSQL

I think the problem is not at ...READ MORE

answered Aug 22, 2018 in Power BI by nirvana
• 3,130 points
2,755 views
+2 votes
2 answers

Migrate power bi collection to power bi embedded

I agree with Kalgi, this method is ...READ MORE

answered Oct 11, 2018 in Power BI by Hannah
• 18,520 points
1,527 views
+1 vote
1 answer

Connect power bi desktop to dataset and create custom reports

Yes using Power BI REST API to ...READ MORE

answered Sep 18, 2018 in Power BI by Kalgi
• 52,350 points
1,675 views
0 votes
1 answer
webinar REGISTER FOR FREE WEBINAR X
REGISTER NOW
webinar_success Thank you for registering Join Edureka Meetup community for 100+ Free Webinars each month JOIN MEETUP GROUP