Forum Discussion
PowerBINotAuthorizedException (401) when accessing semantic model despite Read/Build permissions
Hi all,
I have a user who can see a Power BI semantic model in Get Data > Power BI Semantic Models, but when they connect, no tables are visible. If they open the semantic model in the Service, they receive:
PowerBINotAuthorizedException
Status code: 401
We already verified:
- The user has a Power BI Pro licence.
- The user has Read and Build permissions on the semantic model.
- Permissions have been removed and re-added.
- No RLS or OLS is configured.
- A separate test account with the same semantic model permissions can access the model and see all tables successfully.
- The test account does not have workspace access, so workspace permissions do not appear to be the issue.
Given that the test account can access the model with the same permissions, this seems to be a user-specific authorisation issue rather than a semantic model config issue.
Has anyone encountered a similar scenario or have any suggestions on what to investigate next?
Thanks!
5 Replies
- Vinodh247
Super User
This is almost certainly a user evel token or identity context issue, not a dataset permission problem. The fact that another user with the same Build permission works rules out semantic model config. Check if the affected user is hitting a stale or corrupted auth token (ask them to sign out of PBI Desktop and Service, clear cache & reauthenticate), and ensure they are connecting with the correct tenant/account (common with multiple AAD accounts). Also verify they are not restricted by tenant level settings like “Allow live connections” or “Build permission via security groups” inconsistencies, and confirm no hidden sensitivity label or purview policy is blocking data access. Finally, check if the user is part of any AAD conditional access, MIP, or data exfiltration policies that could block metadata visibility these often manifest as 401 despite correct permissions.
v-kathullacCommunity Support
Thankyou Vinodh247 for Addressing the issue.
Hi svac ,
Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Fabric Community Forum,
As we haven’t heard back from you, we wanted to kindly follow up to check if the solution provided for the issue worked? or Let us know if you need any further assistance?
Regards,
Chaithanya
Hi v-kathullac ,
Thank you for following up, and thank you Vinodh247 for the suggested troubleshooting steps.
Unfortunately, the suggested solution did not resolve the issue.
We cleared the cache, reauthenticated the user, tested with an Incognito browser session, and verified the account and permissions. We also granted the user Admin access to the workspace as a troubleshooting step, but this did not resolve the issue.
The issue persists.
We have since opened a Microsoft Support ticket for further investigation. Microsoft Support has also been unable to identify the root cause so far, and the case remains under investigation.Thank you again for your assistance.
- vojtechsima
Hello, svac ,
Is the semantic model built as a Direct Lake? If so, make sure the user also has access to the underlying data in the Lakehouse/Warehouse. However, is this for a Service Principal or a normal user?
- v-kathullac
Hi svac ,
Thank you for the update. We appreciate you letting us know that you have raised a support ticket with Microsoft. We kindly request that you wait for their response. The Microsoft Support team will investigate the issue thoroughly and provide you with an update and the appropriate resolution. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Thanks,
Chaithanya.
