How to display last refresh date on my Power BI report?

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As Data Analysts, we always strive to ensure our reports and dashboards are up-to-date. Displaying the last refresh date helps users trust the data they’re viewing.

In this simple tutorial we will add a card displaying the last refresh time to a Power BI dashboard.

As always, we will use a simple data set consisting of the EmployeeData table and the following fields: ID: Int, Name: Text, Department: Text, HireDate: Date, Salary: Currency.

Show last refresh time in Power BI

  1. Open your report in Power Bi Desktop.
  2. In either of the Report, Table or Model views, hit Modeline and then select New Measure.
  3. Create a new measure for the last refresh date:
   Last Refresh = FORMAT(MAXX(CALCULATETABLE(EmployeeData, ALLEXCEPT(EmployeeData, EmployeeData[ID])), EmployeeData[HireDate]), "DD/MM/YYYY HH:mm:ss")
  1. Add a card visual to your report.
  2. Drag the “Last Refresh” measure onto the card visual.
  3. Format the card visual:
  • Change the category label to “Last Data Refresh:”
  • Adjust font size and color as needed
  1. Position the card in a prominent location on your report, such as the top right corner or bottom left.

Explanation

The DAX formula uses MAXX to iterate through all rows in the EmployeeData table, returning the maximum (i.e., latest) refresh date. FORMAT converts this to a readable date-time string.

This approach works because Power BI updates the maximum ID value during each refresh. By capturing this, we indirectly get the last refresh time.

Last Refresh not showing up

  • If the refresh date isn’t updating: Ensure that your dataset is set to refresh automatically or manually refresh it.
  • If you see an error in the card: Check that your measure syntax is correct and that the EmployeeData table exists.
  • If the time seems incorrect: Verify your Power BI service time zone settings.
  • For reports with multiple tables: Modify the DAX to reference the most frequently updated table or create separate measures for each critical table.

Remember, this method shows when the data was last refreshed in Power BI, not necessarily when the source data was last updated. For the most accurate tracking, consider adding a “LastUpdated” column in your source data and reference that in your Power BI measure.