When working with PPM Express Power BI report packs in Power BI Desktop (instead of the Power BI Service), some users may encounter a 404 or 400 error during data refresh.
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Power BI Desktop requires manual configuration of data sources and credentials. If something is misconfigured, the refresh process may fail with errors, especially since most guidance assumes usage via the Service.
In this article, we will review the most common causes and how to resolve them.
Most Common Causes and Fixes:
The default PPM Express OData URL was not replaced
By default, report packs may include a demo OData URL. If this is not replaced with your organization’s actual PPM Express OData URL, the refresh will fail.
How to fix:
1. Open the report in Power BI Desktop.
2. Go to Transform Data -> Edit Parameters.
3. In the PPM Express OData URL field, replace the OData URL with your correct PPM Express OData URL.
4. Click OK to apply changes.
If the URL has never been used before, Power BI will prompt you to enter credentials.
If the credentials window does not open automatically, please follow the steps described below to update credentials.
Incorrect or misconfigured credentials
PPM Express reports rely on two separate data sources, each requiring proper authentication:
- OData Source
- Web Source
How to fix:
1. OData source requires authentication using a token.
To update credentials, perform the following:
1. Open the report in Power BI Desktop.
2. Go to Transform Data -> Data Source Settings.
3. Locate the PPM Express OData URL and choose it by clicking on it. The URL may be found under the 'Data source in current file' or 'Global permissions'.
4. Click Edit Permissions.
5. Click Edit.
6. Choose the following parameters:
- Authentication method: Basic
- Username: (may be left empty)
- Password: your PPM Express token
Click Save.
7. Set the privacy level to Organizational. Click OK.
Close the Data Source Settings window.
2. Web source is used to retrieve the report pack version information.
To update credentials for this source, perform the following:
1. Open the report in Power BI Desktop.
2. Go to Transform Data -> Data Source Settings.
3. Locate the Web URL and choose it by clicking on it. The URL may be found under the 'Data source in current file' or 'Global permissions'.
4. Click Edit Permissions.
5. Click Edit.
6. Set the authentication method to Anonymous. Click Save.
7. Set the privacy level to Organizational. Click Ok.
Close the Data Source Settings window.
After updating credentials, close the dialog and click Refresh.
