Power XL Table Prerequisites

This topic outlines the necessary prerequisites for using the Power XL Table visual.

Write-Back Service

To use the write-back capabilities in Power BI, ensure that a working and configured Write-Back Service (PPWebService) is installed in your environment. If the Write-Back Service is installed and configured, follow these steps to build a report:

• Import the Power XL Table and VPService pbiviz files into the Power BI Desktop instance. This must be done for each report that intends to use PXLT.
• The visuals are stored within the report itself, enabling write-back capabilities when opened. For Power BI cloud services, you can store the custom visual in a centralized repository for easier management. For more information, refer to https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/developer/visuals/power-bi-custom-visuals-organization.
• For more details on configuring the PPWebService, log in to https://help.insightsoftware.com/ and refer to the Power ON Knowledge Base articles.
• In Azure, Web Applications are accessible by default. The Web Service must have a dedicated connection string configured for the data source in the web.config ‘connectionStrings’ section, pointing to:
  • Power BI dataset or SSAS model: The used SSAS Cube.
  • SQL-only models: The used SQL database.

  The web.config file is located under the WWWRoot folder of the PPWebService installation directory. Your IT team should configure connections to the data sources. Refer to the How to Add a New Data Source for Write-back article in the knowledge base for more information. Valid connection string examples for different data sources can be found at https://www.connectionstrings.com/.

• The PPWebService service account used in the connection string must have the following permissions:
  • SSAS models: Administration rights on the cube, plus data reader and data write roles on the underlying data source database of the cube.
  • SQL-only models: Data reader and data write roles on the SQL database.
• The end users (or the user/Active Directory group they are in) must have:
  • SSAS models: Data reader membership.
  • SQL-only models: Data reader role.

  If impersonation is enabled, end users must have the data writer role on the underlying SQL databases.

VPService Visual

The VPService is a helper visual that establishes the connection between PXLT and the Write-Back Service. VPService is updated automatically from the web, eliminating the need for manual updates, unlike other non-legacy versions of the Visuals.

Key benefits:

• Faster Release Processes - Switching from one version of a visual to another becomes much faster. This results in quicker support from our side, especially when implementing new features.
• Easy Version Switching - Users can seamlessly switch between different versions of the visuals.

Key functions:

• Saving Changes - VPService ensures that any modifications made by users are saved appropriately.
• Saving Comments - In visuals like the Data Entry Matrix, VPService handles the saving of comments.
• User Information - VPService sends relevant user information as needed.
• Pop-Up Windows - For visuals like the Table Editor, VPService handles the opening of pop-up windows.