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How to Fix Power BI Data Not Displaying in PowerPoint on SharePoint
Question details
Viewers cannot see live Power BI data embedded in a PowerPoint presentation hosted on SharePoint, despite the owner being able to view it.
- Product
- PowerPoint, Power BI, SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- A user shares a PowerPoint presentation containing a live Power BI report via SharePoint, but viewers encounter access issues or continuous refreshing.
- Observed behavior
- The embedded Power BI data displays correctly for the file owner. For viewers, it fails to load live data, and granting edit access to the PowerPoint file causes the add-in to refresh repeatedly.
Ensure you have the necessary administrator or owner permissions for both the Power BI workspace and the SharePoint site to verify and modify user access levels.
Grant Direct Permissions to the Power BI Report and Dataset
PowerPoint permissions do not cascade to the Power BI add-in. You must explicitly grant viewers access to the underlying Power BI dataset and workspace.
The Power BI add-in in PowerPoint acts as a live window to the Power BI service. Sharing the PowerPoint file on SharePoint only grants access to the slide deck itself. To display the data, every viewer must also have adequate permissions in Power BI.
Log in to your Power BI account online and navigate to the workspace that contains the embedded report and dataset.
Hover over the specific report, click the 'More options' (three dots) icon, and select 'Manage permissions'.
Click 'Add user', enter the email addresses of the PowerPoint viewers, and assign them 'Read' permissions to both the report and the underlying dataset.
Ask the viewers to refresh or reopen the PowerPoint presentation in SharePoint. The live data should now load without requiring file-level edit access.
Review SharePoint Retention and Storage Policies
Investigate if organization-level SharePoint or Stream storage policies are interfering with the file's external data connections.
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Managing complex enterprise permissions between SharePoint, PowerPoint, and Power BI can be tedious. If you are looking for a reliable, lightweight, and free alternative to manage your standard presentations and static reports without permission headaches, WPS Presentation is the perfect choice.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does granting Edit access cause the Power BI add-in to refresh repeatedly?
When multiple users have Edit access to a SharePoint-hosted PowerPoint file containing a live data add-in, the file's auto-save feature constantly synchronizes changes between users. This frequent background syncing can trigger the Power BI add-in to continuously reload the visual.
Does sharing the PowerPoint file automatically share the embedded Power BI report?
No. The Power BI add-in operates independently from the PowerPoint file permissions. Sharing the slide deck gives access to the presentation framework, but the external data query requires direct permissions within the Power BI service.
Can I show a static view of the Power BI report for users without access?
Yes. If viewers lack Power BI licenses or permissions, the presentation owner can click the 'Show as Saved Image' option within the Power BI add-in settings in PowerPoint. This freezes the current data view into a static image that any viewer can see.
