Power BI
Files.com can collect CSV and Excel files from partners and business systems and deliver them to the storage a Power BI report already reads. Partners can keep sending files over SFTP or another supported method while the reporting team keeps its Power Query connections and refresh schedule. Files.com handles collection and delivery; Power BI interprets the files and updates its semantic model, the data behind the report.
The connection runs through the source storage. Power BI connects to the SharePoint library, Azure container, or local folder where Files.com delivers the files, using that location's address and credentials.
Source Storage and Access
Choose the destination around the report's existing source connection:
| Power BI source | Files.com delivery |
|---|---|
| SharePoint Online document library | Connect a SharePoint Remote Server. Select a document library or a folder inside it as the destination. |
| OneDrive for Business | Connect a OneDrive Remote Server using an account with access to the drive. |
| Azure Blob Storage | Connect an Azure Blob Storage Remote Server and deliver into the container and prefix used by the query. |
| Local folder or network share | Use the Files.com Agent to reach the folder. Power BI's service separately needs an on-premises data gateway that can read it. |
A Sync delivers files from an intake folder to the selected storage. A Mount exposes that storage as a Files.com folder, so a partner's upload writes to the connected location. The partner's Files.com folder permissions control that upload; the Microsoft account or storage credential used by Power BI separately controls its read access. Power BI does not inherit access from a Files.com user.
With Buffered Uploads set to Automatic, Files.com receives uploads to SharePoint or OneDrive mounts before delivering them to Microsoft. A completed partner upload can precede availability at Power BI's source. Schedule the refresh after onward delivery finishes.
File Selection and Replacements
The query determines whether the input is one file replaced on each delivery or a collection of files combined over time. Microsoft's SharePoint Folder and Folder connectors can include files in subfolders. Keep originals, archives, and files awaiting preparation outside the selected input, or filter them out before combining. Otherwise a retained copy can become another set of rows.
Files being combined need a consistent layout. Transformations can normalize incoming data before delivery when senders use different column names or formats. Keep the delivered layout aligned with the report's query.
For a Power BI file connection using OneDrive refresh, Microsoft tracks the source item's identity. Update the existing file rather than deleting it and creating another with the same name; that replacement can break the connection. Files.com Sync replacement behavior uploads replacements to a Remote Server in place. SharePoint can also modify Office documents and cause a Sync write-back to the source, which matters when the original must remain unchanged.
Refresh Results
Power BI distinguishes OneDrive refresh from data refresh. OneDrive refresh synchronizes a connected workbook or Power BI file with the service; it does not query that file's original data sources. A semantic model's data refresh reads its configured sources to update the imported data. Delivering a CSV used by a Power Query connection and replacing a connected workbook are therefore different handoffs.
Verify the whole handoff with a recognizable change in a source file. Confirm its delivery at the selected storage location, run the applicable refresh, and check Power BI's refresh history and the resulting rows or reporting period. If the file is current but the report is stale, the remaining question is which source the query reads and which refresh completed.