Data Source Credentials grayed out, Cannot Refresh API Data

Hi  Anonymous ,
Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.

• Connector Support Verification: Confirm whether the API connector is officially supported in Power BI, such as SharePoint, Dynamics 365, or Google Analytics. Official connectors typically feature built-in OAuth2 authentication.
• Custom API Considerations: For custom APIs, be aware that Power BI Service does not support direct OAuth2 authentication.
• Implementing On-Premises Data Gateway:
  • Install and configure either a Personal or Standard Gateway.
  • Navigate to Power BI Service → Settings → Gateway connections, and map your dataset to the gateway.
  • Input API credentials within the gateway data source configuration.
  • This approach enables dataset refreshes even when OAuth2 is not natively supported in the Service.
  • Dynamic URLs via Web.Contents: When using Web.Contents with dynamic URLs, include API key or token parameters as needed.
    Web.Contents("https://api.example.com", [Query=[...], ApiKeyName="Authorization"])
    • In Power BI Service, set Skip test connection in the dataset settings.
    • Alternative Token Methods: Some users embed refresh tokens in Power Query for long-lived access, though this is not recommended as a best practice.
• Recommended Approach – Custom Connector: For ongoing API integration, develop a Power BI custom connector with OAuth2 authentication and deploy it through the Gateway to support a complete OAuth2 flow in the Service. 

Thank you,

Tejaswi.