SharePoint and OneDrive sources in Power BI - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - SharePoint and OneDrive sources

Dashboard Goal

Understand how to connect and visualize data imported from SharePoint and OneDrive sources in Power BI to track document usage and storage.

Sample Data

Document Name	Source	Owner	Last Modified	Size (MB)	Views
ProjectPlan.docx	SharePoint	Alice	2024-06-10	2.5	150
Budget.xlsx	OneDrive	Bob	2024-06-08	1.2	90
MeetingNotes.docx	SharePoint	Charlie	2024-06-09	0.8	120
DesignMockup.pptx	OneDrive	Alice	2024-06-07	3.1	200
Strategy.pdf	SharePoint	Bob	2024-06-05	1.5	80
Research.docx	OneDrive	Charlie	2024-06-11	2.0	110

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Total Documents
  Formula: Total Documents = COUNTROWS('Documents')
  Result: 6
• KPI Card: Total Storage Used (MB)
  Formula: Total Storage = SUM('Documents'[Size (MB)])
  Result: 11.1 MB
• Bar Chart: Documents by Source
  Formula: Count by Source = COUNTROWS('Documents') grouped by Source
  Result: SharePoint = 3, OneDrive = 3
• Table: Document Details
  Columns: Document Name, Source, Owner, Last Modified, Size (MB), Views
• Line Chart: Views Over Time
  Formula: SUM('Documents'[Views]) by Last Modified date
  Result: Shows views trend from 2024-06-05 to 2024-06-11

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+-----------------------+
| Total Documents (6)   | Total Storage (11.1MB) |
+----------------------+-----------------------+
| Documents by Source (Bar Chart)           |
| +--------------------------------------+  |
| | SharePoint: 3                        |  |
| | OneDrive: 3                         |  |
| +--------------------------------------+  |
+-------------------------------------------+
| Document Details (Table)                   |
| +--------------------------------------+  |
| | Document Name | Source | Owner | ... |  |
| +--------------------------------------+  |
+-------------------------------------------+
| Views Over Time (Line Chart)               |
| +--------------------------------------+  |
| | Date       | Views                    |  |
| +--------------------------------------+  |
+-------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

Adding a filter for Source (SharePoint or OneDrive) updates:

• KPI cards (Total Documents and Total Storage) recalculate for selected source.
• Bar chart highlights the selected source.
• Document Details table shows only documents from the selected source.
• Views Over Time line chart updates to show views for documents from the selected source only.

Clicking on an Owner in the table filters all visuals to that owner's documents.

Self Check

If you add a filter for Source = SharePoint, which components update and what changes occur?

• Total Documents KPI updates to 3.
• Total Storage KPI updates to 4.8 MB (2.5 + 0.8 + 1.5).
• Documents by Source bar chart highlights SharePoint bar.
• Document Details table shows only SharePoint documents.
• Views Over Time line chart shows views only for SharePoint documents (150 + 120 + 80 = 350 views over dates).

Key Result

Dashboard showing document counts, storage, and views from SharePoint and OneDrive sources with interactive filters.

Practice

1. Which option in Power BI allows you to connect directly to files stored in SharePoint Online?

easy

A. SQL Server connector

B. SharePoint Folder connector

C. Azure Blob Storage connector

D. Local File connector

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct connector for SharePoint Online

   Power BI provides a specific connector called 'SharePoint Folder' to access files stored in SharePoint Online.

2. Step 2: Eliminate other connectors

   SQL Server and Azure Blob Storage connectors are for different data sources, and Local File connector is for files on your computer.

3. Final Answer:

   SharePoint Folder connector -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   SharePoint Folder = SharePoint Folder connector [OK]

Hint: Use 'SharePoint Folder' to connect to SharePoint files quickly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing SQL Server connector for SharePoint data
• Using Local File connector for cloud files
• Confusing Azure Blob Storage with SharePoint

2. Which of the following is the correct URL format to connect Power BI to a SharePoint document library using the Web connector?

easy

A. https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/_layouts/15/start.aspx

B. https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/documents

C. https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('libraryname')/items

D. https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/libraryname

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the URL needed for Web connector

   The Web connector requires the direct URL to the SharePoint document library root folder, which looks like https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/libraryname.

2. Step 2: Analyze other URL options

   https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/_layouts/15/start.aspx is a SharePoint start page, not a document library URL. https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('libraryname')/items is an API endpoint, not a direct folder URL. https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/documents is incorrect because 'documents' is not the standard library name unless customized.

3. Final Answer:

   https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/libraryname -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Correct SharePoint library URL = https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/libraryname [OK]

Hint: Use the direct library URL without extra paths for Web connector [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using SharePoint homepage URL instead of library URL
• Using API URLs instead of folder URLs
• Adding extra SharePoint layout paths

3. Given this Power Query M code snippet connecting to SharePoint folder:

Source = SharePoint.Files("https://company.sharepoint.com/sites/sales", [ApiVersion = 15])
Filtered = Table.SelectRows(Source, each Text.EndsWith([Name], ".xlsx"))

What does the 'Filtered' step return?

medium

A. All files in the SharePoint site ending with .xlsx

B. Only folders in the SharePoint site

C. All files except those ending with .xlsx

D. Only files from local drive

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand SharePoint.Files function

   This function lists all files and folders in the specified SharePoint site URL.

2. Step 2: Analyze the filter condition

   The filter keeps only rows where the file name ends with '.xlsx', so it selects Excel files only.

3. Final Answer:

   All files in the SharePoint site ending with .xlsx -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Filter by '.xlsx' files = All files in the SharePoint site ending with .xlsx [OK]

Hint: Text.EndsWith filters file extensions easily [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking it filters folders instead of files
• Assuming it excludes .xlsx files
• Confusing SharePoint files with local files

4. You try to connect Power BI to a SharePoint folder but get an error: "Access denied". Which of the following is the most likely cause?

medium

A. You do not have permission to access the SharePoint site

B. You used the wrong SharePoint URL format

C. Power BI does not support SharePoint connections

D. Your local file path is incorrect

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the error message

   An "Access denied" error usually means the user lacks permission to access the SharePoint site or folder.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   Wrong URL format usually causes "Not found" errors, not access denied. Power BI supports SharePoint connections. Local file path is irrelevant for SharePoint connection.

3. Final Answer:

   You do not have permission to access the SharePoint site -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Access denied = Permission issue = You do not have permission to access the SharePoint site [OK]

Hint: Access denied usually means permission problem [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming URL format causes access denied
• Thinking Power BI can't connect to SharePoint
• Confusing local file errors with SharePoint errors

5. You want to create a Power BI report that automatically updates when new Excel files are added to a OneDrive folder. Which approach is best?

hard

A. Connect using SharePoint Folder connector with a static file path

B. Download files manually and import them into Power BI Desktop

C. Connect using OneDrive Folder connector and enable scheduled refresh

D. Use SQL Server connector to link OneDrive files

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct connector for OneDrive files

   Power BI has a OneDrive Folder connector that connects directly to OneDrive folders and supports automatic refresh.

2. Step 2: Understand refresh options

   Enabling scheduled refresh allows the report to update when new files are added. Manual download is inefficient. SQL Server connector is unrelated. SharePoint Folder connector is for SharePoint, not OneDrive.

3. Final Answer:

   Connect using OneDrive Folder connector and enable scheduled refresh -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   OneDrive Folder + scheduled refresh = Connect using OneDrive Folder connector and enable scheduled refresh [OK]

Hint: Use OneDrive Folder connector with refresh for auto updates [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Manually importing files instead of connecting live
• Using SharePoint connector for OneDrive data
• Trying to use SQL Server connector for cloud files