What should you do to ensure a server name in Power BI can be changed after it is published?

Creating a parameter in Power BI to define the server name allows for flexibility and ease of updates after the report has been published. When a parameter is used, you can easily change its value in the Power BI Service without needing to modify the underlying queries directly. This means that if the server name changes, you can simply update the parameter's value, and all queries utilizing that parameter will reflect the change automatically.

Parameters are designed specifically for scenarios where you need to adjust values for connections or queries dynamically. When published to the Power BI service, the parameter’s value can be modified directly in the dataset settings, providing a streamlined method to adapt to such changes, which is particularly useful in environments where server names may change frequently or when deploying reports across multiple environments.

Using a static query or updating the server source settings directly lacks this level of adaptiveness, as these methods would require more manual intervention and could disrupt the functionality of the report if changes are needed frequently. While creating a reference for the server name in all related queries might help in organizing the queries better initially, it does not offer the same simplicity and ease of changing the server name as utilizing a parameter does.