Near-Real Time Data Updates in Power BI with no User Intervention

December 2021

By Scott Bryson, BI Developer, CSL

We know Streaming has been around for a while now. But it has its limitations. It is not suitable for all data sources as it does not allow you to store any data, so is only suitable for transient data. In addition, Streaming only allows you to use one table, so creating a traditional model is not an option, nor is it possible to create a table that is updating as the day goes on.

To overcome these constraints, CSL is able to provide clients with automatic “live” data updates in Power BI, that can display on screens for employees or customers to view with no user intervention required. This is not something that Power BI does ‘out of the box’. We are essentially turning static data sets into “live” data updates by simulating a user interaction.

Our near-real time data updates can update constantly, even by the second if needed! There are instances where clients need to be able to understand and see updates as they happen. For example, you want to track sign ups to a webinar, email click throughs or some other omnichannel metric as they happen. Or perhaps you want to track deliveries as they happen during a launch phase.

There are numerous scenarios where organisations need to understand changes in status as they happen in near-real-time.

CSL provides this capability for our clients. We have produced a short video below showing this in action with a simple dashboard and some dummy data. The changes and timings have been exaggerated for the purpose of the demo – however, in a real live situation, the data controls the speed at which we can update the dashboard. As you can see, no interventions are taking place and the dashboard is updating by pulling through data being updated in the background.

If this is something we can help you with and you would like to discuss further, please contact info@csl-uk.com or telephone us on 01483 528302.  

Or view our Power BI page to read more about how we support clients using this platform. 

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