Scheduled refresh for web-based data sources that utilize anonymous authentication is not supported in the Power BI Report Server. This restriction is due to the lack of a platform gateway that would facilitate the refresh of web data sources where anonymous connections do not possess the necessary authentication mechanisms to ensure secure data refresh.
Possible Reasons for the Issue:
Lack of Data Gateway Support:—The Power BI Report Server does not support the Power BI Gateway, which is required for refreshing web-based data sources.
Anonymous Authentication Restriction: The server cannot securely authenticate or maintain a session for anonymous connections, preventing scheduled refresh.
Unsupported Data Source: Some web-based sources (e.g., public APIs) may not support direct refresh in the Power BI Report Server.
Solutions & Workarounds:
Use an Alternative Authentication Method:—Depending on the data source, switch from anonymous authentication to a method like Basic Authentication, OAuth, or API keys.
Import Data via SQL Database:—Instead of connecting directly to the web source, extract the data using a script (e.g., Python or Power Automat), store it in SQL Server, and connect Power BI to the SQL database for scheduled refresh.
Use Power Query with Scheduled Imports: If manual refresh is acceptable, use Power BI Desktop to fetch the web data and publish an updated version periodically.
Move to Power BI Service:—If feasible, consider using Power BI Service (Cloud), which supports scheduled refresh for web-based sources via an on-premises data gateway.
