Forum Discussion
Data Factory Runtime Busy Error (9518) in Copy Data Activity, but Same Connection Works in Dataflow
Hi Team,
We are experiencing an issue in Microsoft Fabric Data Factory.
Error Message:
Issue Details:
The error occurs when executing a Pipeline Copy Data Activity.
The source and destination connections are configured correctly.
The issue occurs even when testing the connection from the Copy Data Activity.
We have checked running pipelines and do not see any significant workloads consuming the capacity at that time.
Our workspace is running on an F8 capacity.
Observation:
When we use the same source connection in Dataflow Gen2, the data loads successfully without any errors. The connection works as expected, and data can be retrieved normally.
Therefore, the issue appears to be specific to the Data Factory Runtime used by Pipeline Copy Data Activities, rather than the source connection itself.
Questions:
1. What are the common causes of Data Factory Runtime Busy Error (9518)?
2. Why would the same connection work in Dataflow Gen2 but fail in a Pipeline Copy Data Activity?
3. Are there any runtime capacity limits, background workloads, or known issues that could cause this behavior?
4. How can we identify which runtime resources are currently busy or blocked?
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Team,
Thank you for your guidance.
We reviewed the Integration Runtime logs and found repeated errors:
"Not enough resources to start a new worker. Current workers count: 0."
After investigating the gateway server, we found that several applications were running and consuming server resources. We stopped the unnecessary applications and retried the connection test.
After freeing up server resources, the Copy Data Activity and connection test started working successfully.
This confirms that the issue was related to insufficient resources on the server hosting the On-Premises Data Gateway / Integration Runtime, preventing worker processes from being created.
Thank you for helping us identify the root cause. 😊😊😘😘
6 Replies
Hi Team,
Thank you for your guidance.
We reviewed the Integration Runtime logs and found repeated errors:
"Not enough resources to start a new worker. Current workers count: 0."
After investigating the gateway server, we found that several applications were running and consuming server resources. We stopped the unnecessary applications and retried the connection test.
After freeing up server resources, the Copy Data Activity and connection test started working successfully.
This confirms that the issue was related to insufficient resources on the server hosting the On-Premises Data Gateway / Integration Runtime, preventing worker processes from being created.
Thank you for helping us identify the root cause. 😊😊😘😘
Hello @NuwanAthukorala !
To narrow down the root of cause, can you please share these details?- Is the source on-premises or cloud?
- If its on-premises, are you using an on-premises data gateway, and is it single node or gateway cluster.
- Does this error happen for this Copy data activity, or for every new/simple copy data activity?
- What does the Fabric capacity metrics show at the exact failure time?
- Does the Copy activity work if you moved to another workspace/capacity?
- Has this worked before and suddenly started failing?
- If it worked before, check recent changes: gateway update, capacity changes, credential update, or something you can think of have changed.
My first isolation test would be: create a blank pipleline, use the same connection, read 1 row only and run it.
Also check if these solved posts are any of help:
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Pipelines/The-Data-Factory-runtime-is-busy-now-Please-retr...
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Data-Engineering/On-premises-gateway-issue/m-p/4717842
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Data-Engineering/Error-Code-9518/m-p/4668199
Solutions Architect - Microsoft Fabric Specialist Parchitect💡Did my response help you? Clicking Kudos is a small gesture that goes a long way, it encourages contributors and helps the community thrive!
✔️Did I answer your question? Please mark my post as a Solution, it helps others find the answer faster.- Is the source on-premises or cloud?
Hi, Thank you for your response. Please find the details below: Source Type: Yes, the source system is on-premises. Gateway Configuration: We are using a single-node On-Premises Data Gateway. Scope of the Issue: The issue is not limited to a specific pipeline. We created a new simple Copy Data Activity for testing purposes, and it also failed with the same error (9518). Capacity Metrics: We did not observe any significant workloads or long-running activities at the time of failure. Workspace/Capacity Testing: Yes, we tested in other projects/workspaces, and the same error occurs consistently. Impact: Currently, all Fabric Data Factory pipelines that use Copy Data Activities are affected and failing with the same runtime8 busy error. Recent Changes: There have been no credential changes, capacity changes, or source system changes. The On-Premises Data Gateway is up to date and operating normally. Additional Observations: The same source connection works successfully in Dataflow Gen2. Test Connection within Copy Data Activity also fails with the same error. Since Dataflow Gen2 can access the source without issues, the source connectivity, credentials, and gateway configuration appear to be functioning correctly. The issue seems to be isolated to the Data Factory Runtime used by Pipeline Copy Data Activities. Could this be related to a backend Fabric Data Factory Runtime issue or a service-side limitation affecting Copy Data Activities? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.hi NuwanAthukorala Most likely, this is a gateway cluster node / Integration Runtime problem, not a Fabric platform issue. Start with switching nodes or bumping up resources, and you'll likely be good.
This is because a similar issue was raised here and was resolved by changing / bumping up node resources:
Solved: Re: Error Code: 9518 - Microsoft Fabric CommunityAppreciate if you can 'Kudos' and/or 'Accept as Solution' if this answered your query.
Since the same gateway and source work successfully through Dataflow Gen2, could you clarify whether Copy Data Activities use a different Integration Runtime path or gateway execution mechanism that might explain Error 9518?
Hi NuwanAthukorala,
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.
Thank you for the additional details. Since Dataflow Gen2 continues to work while Pipeline Copy Activities consistently return Error 9518, the issue appears more likely related to the Integration Runtime (IR) or pipeline execution path rather than source connectivity itself. According to Microsoft documentation, the Integration Runtime is the compute infrastructure used by Data Factory pipelines, which suggests the issue may be occurring within the runtime path used by Pipeline activities (Integration runtime - Azure Data Factory & Azure Synapse | Microsoft Learn).I would recommend reviewing the health of the On-premises Data Gateway, restarting the gateway service, and checking the gateway logs for any runtime or communication-related errors. It would also be worth verifying whether there are any service health issues in your region and testing with an alternative source connection.
If the issue persists, consider raising a Microsoft Support ticket. Be sure to include the troubleshooting steps already performed, as this will help speed up the investigation.
Below is the link to create Microsoft Support ticket:
How to create a Fabric and Power BI Support ticket - Power BI | Microsoft LearnI hope this information helps. Please do let us know if you have any further queries.
Regards.
