Real-Time Dashboards: Streaming Data into Power BI

Want to monitor live data like sales, IoT sensors, or social media trends? Power BI’s real-time dashboards let you visualize streaming data with instant updates-no manual refreshes needed. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Choose Your Data Source

Power BI supports real-time streaming from:

Azure Stream Analytics (for IoT, logs, or transactions)
PubNub, Azure Event Hubs, or API connectors
Power BI REST API (push data directly from apps)

2. Set Up a Streaming Dataset

Go to Power BI Service > Create > Streaming dataset.
Select API or PubNub, define fields (e.g., timestamp, value), and create the dataset.

3. Build a Real-Time Dashboard

In Power BI Desktop or Service, add a real-time visual (like a line chart or gauge).
Connect to your streaming dataset-data will auto-refresh every 1-2 seconds.

4. Push Data via API (Advanced)

Use Python, C#, or Power Automate to send live data:

import requests  
url = "YOUR_POWER_BI_API_URL"  
data = {"temperature": 75, "timestamp": "2024-05-01T12:00:00"}  
requests.post(url, json=data)

Why Use Real-Time Dashboards?

✅ Instant insights (e.g., live sales, server uptime).
✅ No refresh delays-ideal for time-sensitive decisions.
✅ Low-code setup with Azure or REST APIs.

Pro Tip: Combine with Power BI Alerts to get notified when data hits thresholds.

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