topic Unable to connect to Gen2 Dataflows from Power BI Desktop in Dataflow

Unable to connect to Gen2 Dataflows from Power BI Desktop

CrazyHorse66 — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 10:23:49 GMT

Hi, thanks in advance for your support.

We have tested the process of using 'Save as Datflow Gen2' on our existing Gen1 Dataflows and this worked fine, refreshes in service ok.

However when we try to connect to Gen2 from Power BI Desktop we get the following error, connection to Gen1 works fine.

Are there specific actions or settings we need to take related to Gen 2, for example Firewall ports or similar - if so is there a list available?
Gen1 ok:

Gen2:

Re: Unable to connect to Gen2 Dataflows from Power BI Desktop

v-lgarikapat — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 15:56:19 GMT

Hi CrazyHorse66 ,

Thanks for sharing the details and the screenshot . Based on the error message you're seeing in Power BI Desktop when connecting to a Gen2 Dataflow (Named Pipes Provider, error: 40 - Could not open a connection to SQL Server), this is likely a network-level or security-layer issue, not a problem with the dataflow itself. We ran into something similar and found a few key things that helped: first, make sure you’re using the latest version of Power BI Desktop, as older versions don’t support Gen2 connections properly. Also, ensure you're signed in with the same organizational account that has access to the Fabric workspace where the Gen2 Dataflow is located. Permissions matter your account needs at least Viewer access to the workspace and access to the underlying Lakehouse or Warehouse if that’s where the dataflow is writing. In our case, the connection started working after confirming that our firewall allowed traffic to key Microsoft services, including *.powerbi.com, *.fabric.microsoft.com, login.microsoftonline.com, and *.azure.com. Also worth noting in some setups, it’s more reliable to connect directly to the Lakehouse or Warehouse via its dedicated connector in Power BI Desktop rather than the Dataflow connector.

I have included the learning documents and previously solved threads here they may help you resolve the issue.

Add Power BI URLs to allowlist - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

DATAFLOW and ON-PREM DB connectivity solution - Microsoft Fabric Community

Solved: PBI Desktop - Unable to connect to Dataflow Gen2, ... - Microsoft Fabric Community

Solved: Power bi connect to dataflow gen2 - Microsoft Fabric Community

Solved: Dataflow Gen 2 : Lakehouse connector doesn't work - Microsoft Fabric Community

DATAFLOW and ON-PREM DB connectivity solution - Microsoft Fabric Community

If this post helped resolve your issue, please consider the Accepted Solution. This not only acknowledges the support provided but also helps other community members find relevant solutions more easily.

We appreciate your engagement and thank you for being an active part of the community.

Best regards,
LakshmiNarayana.

Re: Unable to connect to Gen2 Dataflows from Power BI Desktop

v-lgarikapat — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 13:03:21 GMT

Hi CrazyHorse66 ,

If your issue has been resolved, please consider marking the most helpful reply as the accepted solution. This helps other community members who may encounter the same issue to find answers more efficiently.

If you're still facing challenges, feel free to let us know we’ll be glad to assist you further.

Looking forward to your response.

Best regards,
LakshmiNarayana.

Re: Unable to connect to Gen2 Dataflows from Power BI Desktop

v-lgarikapat — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 10:52:55 GMT

Hi CrazyHorse66

If you're still facing challenges, feel free to let us know we’ll be glad to assist you further.

Looking forward to your response.

Best regards,
LakshmiNarayana.