export export with power automate from power bi

[manialla]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some guidance on automating a process in Power BI using Power Automate. Here's what I currently do manually every month:

1. Refresh the Power BI report.

2. Go to the filter pane and select a category using single selection (I have over 100 categories).

3. Click on "File" and then "Export" to PDF.

4. Rename the exported PDF based on the selected category because the PDF doesn't automatically know the name of the category.

5. Save the renamed PDF in a specific folder.

6. Repeat steps 2-5 for each category.

I want to automate this entire process so that with a single click, the following happens:

1. The report is refreshed.

2. Each category is selected one by one.

3. The report is exported to PDF for each category.

4. Each PDF is renamed based on the category name.

5. The PDFs are saved in a designated folder.

Could anyone provide a detailed guide or point me to resources (videos, articles, courses) that can help me set this up? Any tips on handling over 100 categories efficiently and ensuring proper error handling would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[v-pagayam-msft]

Hi @manialla ,
I wanted to check in on your situation regarding the issue. Have you resolved it? If you have, please consider marking the reply that helped you or sharing your solution and accept it as solution. It would be greatly appreciated by others in the community who may have the same question.

Thank you for being a valued member of the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum!

[rohit1991]

Hi @manialla 

To automate the Power BI report export to PDF for multiple categories using Power Automate, you can create a scheduled flow that dynamically applies filters, exports the report, renames the files based on the category, and saves them in a designated folder. The process begins with triggering a dataset refresh to ensure updated data, followed by retrieving a list of unique categories from Power BI, Excel, or SharePoint. Using a loop in Power Automate, each category is applied as a filter before exporting the report to PDF using the Power BI Export API.

The exported file is then renamed dynamically to reflect the category name and stored in OneDrive, SharePoint, or a local drive via a gateway. To optimize performance, error handling mechanisms should be added to retry failed executions, while enabling parallel processing can speed up batch exports for over 100 categories. This method eliminates the need for manual filtering and exporting, saving significant time while ensuring accuracy and consistency in report distribution. If additional automation is required, Power Automate Desktop can be leveraged for local file handling, providing a seamless and scalable workflow for generating categorized Power BI reports.

[manialla · Accepted solution]

Hi Rohit,

Thank you for taking the time to help me. I have a question regarding the Power BI Export API.

Let’s say we have a scenario where we need to export marklists for multiple students in a class. For example, there are 10 students, and we need to export their individual marklists as PDFs.

Currently, the API filter works like this:
table/column eq 'value'
For example: school table/class column eq 'Mani'

However, this only allows filtering for one student at a time. Is there a way to handle multiple students (categories) in a single API call? If not, how can we efficiently solve this problem to export PDFs for all 10 students without manually repeating the process?

Thanks again for your help!

[v-pagayam-msft]

Hi @manialla ,
Thank you @rohit1991 for the accurate response.
As per my understanding, you cannot directly filter for multiple students in a single API call. However, by using Power Automate to loop through the list of students and applying the filter for each student individually, you may automate the entire process of exporting PDFs for multiple students.
Please refer the Export to File and Report to File  links for more understanding.

If this helps, please Accept it as a solution to help the other members find it more quickly.