External Client opening/using a PowerPivot Dashboard

[lcannonASM]

Hi. I'm relatively new to using PowerPivot. I've created a dashboard, but when a client tries to open the file from a thumb drive, he gets the following message: "Initialization of the data source failed". He does have PowerPivot installed. What do I need to do so that he, and other clients, can access the file.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Kazlik]

Does your dashboard have connections to data that is not accessible to your client?

 

[scottsen]

2010 or 2013? Wondering if its 2013 and its trying to open the (original) data sources and failing?

 

[lcannonASM]

2010 or 2013? Wondering if its 2013 and its trying to open the (original) data sources and failing?

It's 2010. Is there a way to get it to stop trying to open the original data sources?

 

[lcannonASM]

Does your dashboard have connections to data that is not accessible to your client?

Yes, I'm not sure how to get break those connections while still having the pivot work. Is there a way?

 

[scottsen]

Hrm. 2013 tries to flow the refresh all the way down to the underlying data source, but I wouldn't think 2010 would. Are there OTHER connection in your (native) excel connections that are not just power pivot? Probably those guys cause grief? They might have a "refresh the data on open" enabled that you could try disabling?

 

[lcannonASM]

No. The only connection is just the power pivot data.

 

[scottsen]

I can really only think of two things to check. It feels a bit weird.

1) make sure the "refresh on open" settings is off on the connection.
2) you know that flag that gets set on a file when you download it from the internet? Right click the xlsx file, bring up properties, and click Unblock? I don't know what you call that... but maybe check that?

If you copy from thumbdrive to desktop... same thing?

 

[lcannonASM]

I can really only think of two things to check. It feels a bit weird.

1) make sure the "refresh on open" settings is off on the connection.
2) you know that flag that gets set on a file when you download it from the internet? Right click the xlsx file, bring up properties, and click Unblock? I don't know what you call that... but maybe check that?

If you copy from thumbdrive to desktop... same thing?

The "refresh on open" setting is off. I didn't download the file from the internet. And yes, if I copy from a thumbdrive to the desktop the same thing happens. I'm really stumped on what to do next. We have to deliver an updated version of the dashboard to the client and I don't know what else to try.