Cannot find Power BI Gateway when setting up Logic App

Burdetts IT Support 40 Reputation points

I have an existing Power PI On-Premises Data Gateway that is used for reading some Excel Files in a folder as a data source. It is working as expected.

Now I am trying to use an Azure Logic App to connect to that same folder. I was expecting to be able to use that same secured data gateway to that folder, however the gateway is not available as an option to me (using the FileSystem action in a logic app). I am not sure why this is the case and how to correct it.

  • Both the Power BI gateway and the logic app are confirmed in the same tenant.
  • I cannot find the Power BI Gateways in the Azure Portal
  • They do not appear in our current subscription.
  • There are no other listed subscriptions.
  • I am a global admin but I cannot find the relevant connecting information between Power BI and the rest of the Azure ecosystem.

Can someone please provide me with some guidance on:

  • Where to look for the information
  • How the two systems relate (if at all)
  • Suggestions on why it might be failing.
  • Relevant questions if you suspect I am not asking the right thing.

Jason

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Answer accepted by question author

Pravallika KV 17,025 Reputation points • Microsoft External Staff • Moderator

Hi @Burdetts IT Support

The “Power BI on-premises data gateway” you’ve installed is not automatically what shows up in Azure Logic Apps as a selectable gateway. For Logic Apps, you need an on-premises data gateway setup specifically linked via an “On-premises data gateways” (Azure) resource, and the Logic App will list only gateways that are properly installed/registered and then linked in Azure for the right region/tenant/account context.

Based on the docs you shared, here’s how the pieces relate and the most likely reasons you’re not seeing your gateway in the Logic App.

How the systems relate (Power BI gateway vs Logic Apps gateway)

  • The on-premises data gateway is installed on a local machine and acts as a bridge for secure data transfer.
  • For Azure Logic Apps, you must also create an Azure gateway resource (“On-premises data gateways”) that links to your installed gateway installation.
  • Once that Azure gateway resource exists, Logic App connectors/actions (like the file/gateway-backed data actions) can use it.

So even if the gateway is working for Power BI, Logic Apps will only offer it if the Azure gateway resource was created correctly and linked to the same gateway installation.

Why your gateway may not be available in Logic Apps

From the provided documentation, the most frequent causes are:

  1. No Azure “On-premises data gateways” resource exists (or it’s not linked to the installed gateway)

Logic Apps requires you to:

  • Install/register the gateway locally
  • Then create the gateway resource in Azure and link it to that gateway installation

If you’ve only done the setup for Power BI scenarios and never created the Logic Apps gateway resource, the gateway won’t appear as an option.

  1. Region mismatch between gateway cloud service registration and the Azure gateway resource

When creating the Azure gateway resource:

  • The Region you select must match the region used when the gateway was registered (“gateway cloud service region”).
  • Otherwise, the gateway may not show up in the Installation Name list.
  1. Account/tenant mismatch when creating the Azure gateway resource

The docs emphasize:

  • Sign in to the Azure portal using the same Azure account used for gateway installation/registration
  • That account must belong to the same Microsoft Entra tenant
  • Service principals aren’t supported for this part

Even if you’re a global admin, the specific account used during gateway registration is what matters.

  1. Subscription visibility vs portal listing

Your gateway may exist but:

  • You might be looking in a different subscription than the one where the Azure gateway resource was created.
  • Also, Logic App workflows must be able to select a gateway resource that exists in a subscription accessible within the same tenant context.

What I’d suggest you do next (practical checklist)

  1. Confirm the gateway was installed/registered for the right Azure account and tenant (the same account you’ll use in the Azure portal).
  2. In Azure portal, search for “On-premises data gateways” and check whether you already created a gateway resource.
  3. If not created yet, create it and ensure:
    • You pick the same region that was selected during gateway installation/registration
    • You create it in the correct subscription
  4. Then go back to the Logic App action and see if the gateway appears as an option.

If your goal is connecting to on-prem file shares via gateway-backed connectivity, the key is that the gateway must be properly linked to Azure via that gateway resource.

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Answer accepted by question author

AI answer

Logic Apps and Power BI both use the same underlying on-premises data gateway technology, but Logic Apps requires a specific Azure gateway resource that is created and managed in Azure, not just the gateway registration done via Power BI.

Key points for this scenario:

  1. Relationship between Power BI gateway and Logic Apps
  • The on-premises data gateway is a shared component used by Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, Azure Analysis Services, and Azure Logic Apps.
  • However, Logic Apps (Consumption) uses managed connectors that require an on-premises data gateway resource in Azure linked to a specific gateway installation.
  • A gateway that is only configured via Power BI (and not exposed as an Azure gateway resource) will not appear in the Logic Apps designer.
  1. Why the gateway does not appear in Logic Apps
  • Logic Apps expects a gateway resource created in Azure and associated with the same gateway installation.
  • If no such gateway resource exists in the subscription(s) visible in the Azure portal, the gateway will not be listed under Connection Gateway when configuring a connector.
  • The File System connector in a Consumption logic app requires the managed connector with gateway support; the built-in version in Standard logic apps can access on-premises data without the gateway.
  1. What must exist before Logic Apps can use the gateway From the Logic Apps prerequisites:
  • An on-premises data gateway must be installed on a local computer.
  • Using the same Azure account and subscription that were used during gateway installation, an on-premises data gateway resource must be created in Azure and linked to that installation.
  • Each gateway resource links to only one gateway installation, and a gateway installation cannot be shared across multiple gateway resources.
  • The logic app and gateway resource do not have to be in the same subscription, but:
    • Both subscriptions must be in the same Microsoft Entra tenant.
    • The user must have administrator permissions on the gateway.
  1. Where to look and how to proceed To make the gateway visible to Logic Apps:
  2. Confirm that the on-premises data gateway is installed and registered with the intended Azure account/tenant.
  3. In Azure, create an on-premises data gateway resource for that installation (using the same account and subscription used during gateway registration).
  4. In the Logic App designer (Consumption):
    • Use the managed connector version that supports on-premises connections.
    • When configuring the trigger/action, select the option to connect through an on-premises data gateway.
    • Under Subscription, choose the subscription that contains the gateway resource.
    • Under Connection Gateway, select the gateway resource that is linked to the on-premises installation.
  5. If using Logic Apps Standard, consider using the built-in File System connector, which can directly access on-premises resources (for example via a virtual network) without the on-premises data gateway.
  6. Why it might be failing in this case
  • No Azure gateway resource has been created for the existing Power BI gateway installation.
  • The gateway resource (if it exists) might be in a different subscription that is not visible or not selected when configuring the Logic App connection.
  • The account being used in Azure may not be the same one used when the gateway was originally installed/registered, or the user may not be a gateway administrator.

Relevant questions to clarify:

  • Was an Azure on-premises data gateway resource ever created for this gateway installation, or has it only been used/configured via Power BI?
  • Is the same Azure account and subscription used for both the gateway installation and the Logic App?
  • Is the Logic App a Consumption or Standard workflow, and which File System connector type (managed vs built-in) is being used?

References:

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1 additional answer

  1. Burdetts IT Support 40 Reputation points

    As it turned out, the issue was that my original assumption that the "Connections" tab in the Power BI gateway screens would be connections that would available across the Azure ecosystem. They are not.

    Once I realised that I had to create a link to the gateway from Azure, and then create new Connections to that link rather than to the gateway directly, I was off and running.

    Thanks for your explanations.

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