Refresher for Self-Service BI solutions based on Excel

Visual Basic Script (VBS) refresher for Excel files with Power Query and PowerPivot model, helping to update workbooks in automated way (+ can be scheduled). In addition, some useful VBS files that can be used in Excel-based reporting.

This is an open-source refresher that is aimed to optimize self-service Excel solutions on Windows workstations

• without administator rights

• without buying additional software

only Excel is needed.

Typically, reporting specialists are interested in automated way of reports preparation. When reports are done as Excel files with

• Power Query queries pulling data from external source +

• Data Model (aka PowerPivot) to digest data +

• Pivot Tables, Pivot Charts etc. based on Data Model data

developer needs a way to refresh all this content in a workbook.

Imagine situation when reports developer has 50 Excel models or more. Would be great if they can be refreshed during night, once per day, every hour - in other words - follow to schedule. Several models can be refreshed in same time in separate Excel applications on same computer.

Add requirement to refresh same data model for different groups of people. Each group must see only relevant data. I call this 'data scope'. As shared Excel workbook provides full access to data model - queries must populate Data Model with only data that are in 'Scope'.

Basic idea of refresh is pretty simple. Refresher must

• Create new instance of Excel application

• Open workbook provided in parameter

• Run ThisWorkbook.RefreshAll (queries must be configured in a proper way)

• Save workbook

• Quit / Kill Excel process

that's all.

But this is only basics. However, basics are not always match specific needs of someone. Some want to run macro before RefreshAll, or instead of RefreshAll they want to refresh chain of PQ queries in defined order, or run macro after RefreshAll, or something else. In Self-Service BI area we can find endless number of scenarios. Having open-source refresher, analysts can adjust it for their needs as they usually know VBA.

Workstation with Windows is considered because then it is possible to use Task Scheduler without buying any additional software. Purchase (or installation) of software can be a problem for many specialists due to strict IT policy.

Nothing should stop Self-Service BI developers :-). That's why this project is done in Visual Basic Script. VBS is very similar to VBA, which is usually 'must-have' skill for reporting specialist. There are a lot of samples on the Internet how to convert VBA to VBS, how to run VBA from VBS and vice versa.

Therefore, basic script from this project can be adapted to particular needs easily by those who are familiar with VBA/VBS.

How to use

1. Create folder 'Power Refresh' on C:\ drive

2. Download all project files to this folder

3. Read Instruction in 'Refresher.vbs' to understand logic, Report vs Data Transfer, and Scopes concept

4. Launch Refresher.vbs from command line or via scheduled task in Task Scheduler

You get update Power Query queries and PowerPivot model on schedule.