Forum Discussion
SQL server direct query dataset refresh
Hi Ynr225 ,
You try this approach to troubleshoot the root cause--
Open Power BI Service → Dataset Settings → see the Data Source Credentials section.
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If it says "OAuth2" or "Anonymous" without a gateway, it's using a direct internet route.
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If it says "Windows Authentication" and Gateway is missing, it should fail — if not, something else (like public SQL Server) is helping.
or
Maybe during dataset creation, you connected to a cloud SQL source without realizing it (example: Azure SQL Database, or hosted virtual machines exposed to internet).
Hope this helps!
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.-
Hello Ynr225
If your Power BI dataset using SQL Server in DirectQuery mode is still refreshing without the On-premises data gateway, it's likely because:
The SQL Server source is accessible through a cloud-hosted environment (e.g., Azure SQL Database or an accessible public IP), so it doesn’t require the gateway.
DirectQuery datasets only need the gateway if the data source is on-premises and not publicly accessible
Thanks,
Pankaj Namekar | LinkedIn
If this solution helps, please accept it and give a kudos (Like), it would be greatly appreciated.
Hello pankajnamekar25, Thanks for the reply. But i checked with user who has developed this report, he is saying that it is On-premises SQL server database. If it is on-premise SQL server then refresh should fail after disabling the On-premises data gateway in Power BI service but it's not failing.