Power BI REST API - How To Get Started And What To Expect as a Non-Technical User

in today's video we are diving into the word of powerbi rest API I know I know I'm not usually the one giving technical demos but I've got some really compelling reasons why you as a non-technical user should get familiar with this incredibly powerful tool so buckle up because there might be a bit more technical terms than the usual but fear not I'll be focusing on the perks of using rest API for non it people that doesn't mean our friends from the IT department won't find some golden nuggets in these videos and if you're hungry for more technical documentation you'll be able to dig into the nitty-gritty details and ins and outs on your own with the links I share in the description below all right let's start with the [Music] intro hello and welcome to Bingle analytics my name is Roland and I'm here to guide you through the word of powerbi if this is your first time around here here then please consider hitting the like And subscribe buttons by doing so you won't miss any of my powerbi videos it means a lot to me and helps others to find content like this first of all let's break down these two abbreviations rest and API rest is like the language we need to use while an API serves as the tool that enables two pieces of software to communicate put simply powerbi rest API ex as a channel between powerbi service and us to allow to communicate however in this video I'll be doing most of the talking if you're curious for a deeper dive into the technicalities I've included some links in the description below for both terms but what exactly do we mean by talking think of it as a form of reporting we can send a request to a question to powerbi and in return we receive some form of response I understand it might still sound a bit abstract so let me give you two examples with the rest API tool I can list all the data sets in the workspace additionally using rest API I can trigger a data set or a data flow refresh now here's where it gets interesting I initially DED into and started using rest API because I needed a way to report on the status of data set refreshes within the workspace but I didn't stop there I also wanted to know which data set to the longest to refresh and the average refresh time but no worries we'll dive deeper into that topic in a dedicated tutorial coming soon stay tuned so like many of you I took the first step and browsing documentation blogs and Vlogs to get a better understanding of this remember this is a new tool for me too so diving into some learning never hurts right before I knew it I was using it for some smart processes that I used to have to tackle manually but hey I'm getting ahead of myself again today my plan is to provide you with an introduction and help you take the first stops this way while you're waiting for more tutorials and real word use cases from me you can at least start getting excited about what's to come so without further Ado let's head over to Microsoft learn here on this overview page you will find heaps of useful information but if you're anything like me you're probably itching to dive right into the handson part give it a try and then dive into the documentation if you're on the same page go ahead and hit the like button so I know I'm not the only one the great news is that Microsoft allows you to test out some of the features have the need for a full application registration more on that later today I'll be focusing on two examples that kickstarted my journey with rest API firstly let's talk about how to list all the reports in a workspace now you might be wondering why is this particular task so important after all shouldn't one already be fully aware of all the reports in the workspace well let me through a challenge your way in a team where there are multiple report developers it's not only possible but highly likely that different developers will be publishing reports and therefore data sets to a single workspace and this is just a simple example there are a multitude of scenarios where having a complete list of data sets within workspace could prove to be incredibly beneficial let's filter down the documentation to the get data set in group now in this conversation we are essentially asking powerbi to do the heavy lifting for us by listing all data sets in a workspace and here's where it gets really exciting you won't need to write a single line of code or craft any complex requests just click on that ey catching green try it button sign in with your account and all you need to provide is the group ID or the workspace ID switch over to powerbi and in the URL you will find this ID right after the groups section then hit that run button and one voila I mean at first it all looks ugly it is just a blob of text but let me highlight certain lines in this Json formatted text along all the lines we can spot the data sent name and its corresponding ID now if we head back to powerbi and click on the roal report data set you'll notice the data set ID in the URL matches exactly with the ID or text highlights the data set name and ID are both crucial for specific reason when it comes to carrying that further task relying on the data set ID is more dependable than using the name there might be a typo in our request or someone could decide to rename the data set this is especially true when for instance we aim to trigger a data set refresh through the rest API which is another example I've prepared for today let's head back to Microsoft learn and dive into how it's done head over to the documentation and search for data sets refresh data set in group you'll notice that familiar green button go ahead and give it a go bring in the data set ID and the workspace or group ID then hit that run button do you see that response code 202 it means your request has been accepted for a deeper dive into status check out the link I've dropped in the description box now let's go back to our data set and confirm if it's been refreshed open up the refresh history popup and there you have it the data set has indeed been refreshed using the API how cool is that all righty let's wrap it up for today it was a quick intro to rest API and two Nifty examples that BR us here but why should you care about all this well here here's the deal within the powerbi service some functionalities are only accessible through the user interface meaning you've got to do it by clicks and guess what exporting that information not always straightforward in fact there are certain details that you can't even export though they are right there take user permissions for instance so if you're part of the analytics or bi team and you're looking to take your powerbi game to the next level or maybe even automate some tasks rest API is going to be your trusty partner saying that I also have to highlight that some of the most crucial and frequently used requests are already integrated to power automate think refreshing data flows data sets and more however if you're a senior developer or part of the center of excellence team in your organization there might be challenges that require the smart of rest API I'm talking about those situations where it could take you an eternity without it so here I am sharing my excitement with you even if I might be a bit late to the party but you know what they say better late than never right stay tuned because there are more tutorials coming your way I've got a few ideas lined up diving into the real world business scenarios I hope this video ignited some Sparks of imagination and you will be brave enough to dive into the documentation and give rest API a try remember it's a powerful to waiting for you if you have any questions or comments or specific requests along this journey don't hesitate to drop them in the comments below I'm all ears and dedicated to address your questions in the upcoming videos let's do this together since You' stay till the end I'm confident that you found value in this video if that's the case please take a moment to hit the like And subscribe buttons don't forget to explore more of my tutorials like these ones above me thanks for watching and see you in the next one

Channel: BI-Lingual Analytics

Views: 6,079

Keywords: GuyInACube, Guy In A Cube, How To Power BI, Havens Consulting, Reid Havens, Curbal, Power BI Tips, SQLBI, Radacad, Reza Rad, BI Elite, Enterprise DNA, Power BI, PowerBI, Microsoft Power BI, Power BI Training, Power BI For Beginner, Power BI Best Practice, Learn Power BI, Power BI Guide, Rest API, Rest API Tutorial, Power BI Rest API, What is Rest API, Rest API in Power BI, Power BI Rest API Tutorial, Microsoft Learn, Rest API Practice, Power BI Service Rest API

Id: BXAjhGxyig4

Length: 8min 53sec (533 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 06 2023