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Event Trigger Power BI Entities With Azure SQL Database

This document describes how to trigger a Power BI dataset or dataflow refresh from an Azure SQL database using Azure functions. It involves setting up an HTTP triggered Azure function with a managed identity to generate an access token. An external database endpoint is then configured to call the function. A database trigger is created to call a stored procedure on insert, which calls the function to get a token and then uses it to call the Power BI refresh API. When data is inserted into the database table, it will trigger a refresh of the specified Power BI dataset or dataflow.

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khalid
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19 views

Event Trigger Power BI Entities With Azure SQL Database

This document describes how to trigger a Power BI dataset or dataflow refresh from an Azure SQL database using Azure functions. It involves setting up an HTTP triggered Azure function with a managed identity to generate an access token. An external database endpoint is then configured to call the function. A database trigger is created to call a stored procedure on insert, which calls the function to get a token and then uses it to call the Power BI refresh API. When data is inserted into the database table, it will trigger a refresh of the specified Power BI dataset or dataflow.

Uploaded by

khalid
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Article

Event Trigger Power BI Entities Refresh via Azure SQL Database


on Sep 23, 2023

Problem Statement
Is it possible to refresh Power BI Dataflow / Dataset on any event occurrence in Azure SQL Database.

Prerequisites

1. Power BI Dataset / Dataflow


2. Azure SQL Database
3. Azure Function ( In this article, we would be leveraging PowerShell Core Runtime Stack )

Solution
Note: We would be leveraging Azure SQL Database External REST Endpoints Integration via which we would be triggering an Azure
function and Power BI REST API.

1. In this article, Refresh Power BI Dataflow / Dataset from Azure Data Factory / Synapse Pipeline via Service Principal (AAD Token
Generation)- Part 1, we trigger the Power BI Dataset / Dataflow refresh REST API by generating an AAD Token of the Service
Principal which has access on the needed Power BI Dataset / Dataflow.
2. We would be following a similar route in the current flow; wherein we would be triggering a Managed identity enabled Azure
Function to generate an AAD Token, which we would, in turn, use to trigger the Power BI Dataset / Dataflow Refresh API.

Note: The AAD Token can have an expiration time between 60 – 90 min. So rather than preserving that as a Database Scoped Credential,
we can generate it at run time by triggering the Azure function (in this scenario)

3. Assuming we have a PowerShell Core Runtime Stack Function App set up, update the requirements.psd1 ( present within App files
section of App Function) to leverage Az modules.

4. Create a Function of HTTP Trigger type and Function Authorization Level


Enable Managed Identity for the Azure function, which we would need further to provide it access on the needed Power BI Dataset /
Dataflow.

Add the below code (for AAD Token creation) in run.ps1 file within Code + Test Section and Save it.

using namespace System.Net

# Input bindings are passed in via param block.


param($Request, $TriggerMetadata)

Connect-AzAccount -Identity

$AADToken=(Get-AzAccessToken -resourceUrl "https://analysis.windows.net/powerbi/api")

# Associate values to output bindings by calling 'Push-OutputBinding'.


Push-OutputBinding -Name Response -Value ([HttpResponseContext]@{
StatusCode = [HttpStatusCode]::OK
Body = $AADToken
})

C#
5. Once the function is created within the Azure function, login into app.powerbi.com and provide the App function Member access
within the workspace hosting the Power BI Dataset / Dataflow that we need to refresh.

6. Login to the Azure SQL database via which we need to trigger the Power BI refresh and execute the queries in the below provided
sequence.

a)
CREATE MASTER KEY ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = '<<>>'

b)
CREATE DATABASE SCOPED CREDENTIAL [https://<<AzureFunctionName>>.azurewebsites.net/api/<<FunctionName>>]
WITH IDENTITY = 'HTTPEndpointHeaders', SECRET = '{"x-functions-key":"<<FunctionKey>>"}'

SQL

Where FunctionKey value is as below :

7. Now for the current use case, the scenario is to trigger a Power BI dataset refresh when any data is inserted within a table in the Azure
SQL Database.

a) Creating a sample table

CREATE TABLE dbo.DataSharkX


(
C1 VARCHAR(50),
C2 VARCHAR(50)
)

b) Creating a Stored Procedure which we can leverage within the Database Trigger

CREATE PROCEDURE dbo.DataSharkXSP


AS
DECLARE @Appurl NVARCHAR(4000) = N'https://<<AzureFunctionName>>.azurewebsites.net/api/<<FunctionName>>';
DECLARE @Apppayload NVARCHAR(max) = N'{ }';
DECLARE @Token NVARCHAR(max);
DECLARE @Appret int, @Appresponse NVARCHAR(max);
DECLARE @PowerBIurl NVARCHAR(4000) = N'https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/groups/<<WorkspaceID>>/datasets/<<DataSetID>>/refreshes'
DECLARE @PowerBIpayload NVARCHAR(max) = N'{
"notifyOption":"NoNotification"
}';
DECLARE @PowerBIret int, @PowerBIresponse NVARCHAR(max);

--To Trigger the Azure Function in order to generate the AAD Token at run time

EXEC @Appret = sp_invoke_external_rest_endpoint

@url = @Appurl,
@method = 'POST',
@payload = @Apppayload,
@credential = [https://<<AzureFunctionName>>.azurewebsites.net/api/<<FunctionName>>],
@response = @Appresponse output;

SET @Token= (SELECT * FROM OPENJSON(@Appresponse, '$.result') WITH

(
"Token" NVARCHAR(max)
))

DECLARE @PowerBIheaders NVARCHAR(4000)=N'{"Authorization": "Bearer '+ @Token + '"}';

--To Trigger the Power BI DataSet refresh REST API

EXEC @PowerBIret = sys.sp_invoke_external_rest_endpoint

@method = 'POST',
@url = @PowerBIurl,
@payload = @PowerBIpayload,
@headers = @PowerBIheaders,
@response = @PowerBIresponse output;

SELECT @PowerBIresponse,@PowerBIret

c) Creating a Database Trigger

CREATE TRIGGER [DataSharkXTrigger]


ON [dbo].[DataSharkX]
AFTER INSERT
AS
BEGIN
EXEC dbo.DataSharkXSP
END
SQL

Result / Output

Creating an Event to trigger the Database Trigger , thereby generating an AAD Token based on Appfunction to trigger the Power BI
Dataset refresh.

INSERT INTO dbo.DataSharkX


Select '1','1'

Response

{“response”:{“status”:{“http”:{“code”:202,”description”:””}},”headers”:{“Cache-Control”:”no-store, must-revalidate, no-cache”,”Date”:”Tue, 29


Nov 2022 16:04:39 GMT”,”Pragma”:”no-cache”,”Content-Type”:”application\/octet-stream”,”strict-transport-security”:”max-age=31536000;
includeSubDomains”,”x-frame-options”:”deny”,”x-content-type-options”:”nosniff”,”requestid”:”<<>>”,”access-control-expose-
headers”:”RequestId”,”request-redirected”:”true”,”home-cluster-uri”:”https:\/\/<<>>-redirect.analysis.windows.net\/”}}}

Note: To refresh a dataflow, replace the @PowerBIurl variable within the Stored Procedure with the below value :

N'https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/groups/<<WorkspaceID>>/dataflows/<<DataflowID>>/refreshes'

HTTP

Also, the Refresh API call is asynchronous. Hence, we do not know whether the dataset/dataflow refresh has actually succeeded. The
successful execution of the Stored Procedure doesn’t mean that the refresh was a success.

Thank you for using it

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