Once the gateway scenario and architecture has been planned per the previous sections, BI or IT administrators can download and install the gateway (or multiple gateways) on the chosen server(s). The gateway installation file to be downloaded is small (for example, 508 KB) and the installation process is quick and straightforward. However, gateway administrators should be aware of primary settings, such as the default Windows service account used by the gateway, and the option to change this account as well as the option to switch network communication from TCP to HTTPS.
The gateway installer application can be obtained via the Download dropdown in the Power BI service, as shown in the following image:
The Data Gateway item from the download menu in the preceding image currently links to a Power BI Gateway page with a large Download Gateway button at the top. Selecting Download Gateway from this page allows the user to save the installer (PowerBIGatewayInstaller.exe) locally. If the gateway installation file is downloaded from a web page other than the Power BI Gateway page, such as Azure Logic Apps documentation, the option to install the gateway in personal mode will not be included.
The installation and configuration process via the installer application is very straightforward. Step-by-step instructions have been documented here (see Install the gateway section) http://bit.ly/2rq22Ao.
Once the installation and configuration is complete, an On-premises data gateway application will be available on the the server machine to help manage the gateway, as shown in the following image:
Details on the settings available via this application are included in the Troubleshooting and monitoring gateways section later in this chapter. When first getting started with the gateway, you can launch the application after configuration and sign in with a Power BI service account to check the status of the gateway and to get familiar with the tool.
The same installation software can be downloaded and run to update an existing On-premises data gateway to the latest version. For example, the January 2018 version of the gateway corresponds to version 14.16.6584.1 and this includes the very latest data mashup engine, bug fixes, and new administrative features. The update process is very quick to complete and the On-premises data gateway application will reflect the new version number on the Status page, as shown in the following image:
It's strongly recommended to regularly update the On-premises data gateway to the latest version. An out-of-date gateway will be flagged for updating on the Status page of the On-premises data gateway and may result in data refresh or connectivity issues.
Additionally, administrators should be aware of the following two XML configuration files for the gateway:
C:Program FilesOn-premises data gatewayenterprisegatewayconfigurator.exe.config
C:Program FilesOn-premises data gatewayMicrosoft.PowerBI.EnterpriseGateway.exe.config
The configurater.exe file relates to the installation screens that configure the gateway. The PowerBI.EnterpriseGateway.exe file is for the actual Windows service that handles the query requests from the Power BI service.