title: PowerBI report service - data flow questions
body: <p>This is what I am trying to do: I have various SQL server databases with data. I created views in all of them. All views will need to be imported, and I specify their relationships. I want this to be refreshed nightly. I want to build various reports of the same data source.</p>
  <ol>
  <li><p>Do I have to use a PowerBI desktop application to import data into PowerBI Report Service? [I have done this so far, but then can create new reports in the cloud on existing data. It would make sense to connect directly from PowerBI report service to my SQL servers.]</p>
  </li>
  <li><p>Once I uploaded data using a desktop application (as I have done so far), how can I view the data model in the report service once it is uploaded in the cloud?</p>
  </li>
  <li><p>In order to get routinely refreshed data I need to setup a gateway. Is the local PowerBI desktop application still involved in this process, or could I [in theory] delete the local desktop application that pushed the data in initially?</p>
  </li>
  </ol>