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How to Generate Large API Reports in Assurance
There may be some instances when you need to generate a large API report in Assurance, this article provides step-by-step instructions on how to use the new snapshot endpoint. It aims to pre-process the report in the background, and then provide a fast, up-to-date version for tools like Power BI.
In this article, you will learn:
- How to enable the Snapshot schedule?
- How to update the Web Data Connector Form in Power BI?
- How does the new Snapshot endpoint work?
1. How to enable the Snapshot schedule?
Please note
The Snapshot schedule will only work on reports that have been selected as Available in API.
For reports that are available in API, you can now select the refresh schedule from a range of available options when using the snapshot endpoint.
From May 2025, you can select from the following options:
- Every day (at midnight)
- Every week (at midnight on Monday)
- Every month (at midnight on the first day of the month)
Update to Snapshot schedule
As the Snapshot schedule feature has grown in usage, we've observed increasing demands on system resources, particularly with the more frequently snapshot options. To ensure the long-term sustainability and continued value of this feature for all our users, we're making some adjustments to optimise the performance and reliability of the Snapshot schedule. The new default snapshot schedule will be monthly. You may select daily or weekly updates based on your specific reporting needs. If you need the latest data right now, you have the option of refreshing the snapshot from Assurance.
2. How to update the Web Data Connector Form in Power BI?
The v1 endpoint for Assurance reports is deprecated as of 1 December 2023. We strongly encourage anyone using the Assurance API reports to adopt the v2 version of the endpoint. The Web Data Connector form in Power BI should be updated as below:
| Step | Field | Old Values | New Values |
| 1 | Basic or Advanced | Advanced | Advanced |
| 2 | URL parts | https://api.csassurance.com/api/v1/reports/{your-report-uuid}/{your-tenant-id} | https://api.csassurance.com/api/v2/reports/{your-report-uuid}/snapshot |
| 3 and 4 | HTTP request header parameters |
|
Please note: Your Tenant ID should be entered as a header parameter (not in the URL). |
Once you have updated the connector form, you’ll then need to wait for the up-to-date version of the report to be generated which can take up to 24 hours depending on the selected schedule.
3. How does the new Snapshot endpoint work?
Please note
We strongly recommend that you apply field filters to avoid the inclusion of unnecessary data and to speed up the process of generating a report. To learn more about applying field filters, please refer to our article on customising an Assurance Report.
Once you have updated your Power BI setup to point to the new snapshot endpoint, the data will be retrieved much more quickly. The only limitation is that it is not quite real-time.
The pattern described here is pretty common among API systems that are used to return large amounts of data.
You'll find a new value at the bottom of the report, which is a timestamp for cache_refreshed_at showing what date/time the data was “fresh”.
If you want to manually refresh it, you can do so via the Snapshot schedule within the Report setting on Assurance.