Report server doesn't support schedule refresh when using SharePoint Online as the data souce

Yang Zhao 0 Reputation points
2026-09-17T01:36:22.14+00:00

Hi team,

According to this page, https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/report-server/data-sources. I noticed the power BI report server doesn't support schedule refresh when connecting to SharePoint Online related as the data source.

Would there be an upgrade to solve this issue?

Thanks.

Regard,

Yang

SQL Server Reporting Services
SQL Server Reporting Services

A SQL Server technology that supports the creation, management, and delivery of both traditional, paper-oriented reports and interactive, web-based reports.

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  1. Rukshan edirisinghe 2,445 Reputation points
    2026-10-20T04:39:34.0433333+00:00

    Hi @Yang Zhao

    You've read the page correctly. Power BI Report Server supports cached data for SharePoint Online File, Folder and List, but not scheduled refresh. The same page notes that Report Server doesn't support OAuth-based authentication for model refresh, which is what SharePoint Online uses. I couldn't find any announcement of a change to this, so I wouldn't plan around an upgrade fixing it.

    Practical ways around it today:

    1. Publish that report to the Power BI service instead. SharePoint Online is a cloud source there, so scheduled refresh works without a gateway.
    2. Stage the data on-premises. Copy the SharePoint list or files into a source Report Server can refresh, such as a SQL Server table or an on-premises file share (for example with a Power Automate flow or a scheduled job). Then point the report at that copy.
    3. Refresh manually. Open the .pbix in Power BI Desktop for Report Server, refresh, and upload it again. This is fine for occasional updates.

    Keep in mind that every source in a report must support scheduled refresh, so mixing SharePoint Online with other sources blocks refresh for the whole report.

    Does the report need to stay on Report Server, or could it move to the Power BI service?

    If one of these options works for you, please consider accepting it as the answer. If you need help setting up the staging approach, let me know and I'll be happy to keep helping.

    Reference:

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