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PBI-Newbie's avatar
PBI-Newbie
Icon for Helper I rankHelper I
1 year ago
Solved

An error occurred while loading to the model. - without any details

I am receiving the message "an error occurred while loading to the model" if I want to connect to any datasoure (Excel or SQL server). Normally it would specify which query is affected, but this time - nothing! Just the yellow little triangle with the "!" and the generic error message - for every data source.

 

I've tried to multiple sources that I can all access in a new pbix, but not in the old one. 

 

What could it be?

 

PS: I have the April 2025 PBI Desktop version

  • PBI-Newbie 
    Here's a checklist of what might be going wrong and how to fix it:

    1. Corrupted Model or Power Query Steps

    Sometimes, transformations or schema changes in Power Query get out of sync with the data model.

    Fix:

    • Go to Power Query Editor in the affected .pbix

    • Check each query for errors (especially ones with merge/join or custom steps)

    • Remove or isolate complex queries to test

    Try deleting a problematic query (copy it to Notepad first), then reload.

    2. Model Relationship Inconsistency

    An invalid relationship (like cardinality mismatch or a missing key) can block loading to the model silently.

    Fix:

    • Open Model view

    Review all relationships – delete or disable any that could be failing due to changes in column types or values


    3. Hidden Auto-Date Tables or Metadata Issues

    Auto-generated date tables sometimes cause corruption when columns are renamed or deleted.

    Fix:

    • Go to File > Options > Data Load, uncheck Auto Date/Time for new files

    • Save, close, and reopen the file – retry load

    4. External Tool Interference (e.g., Tabular Editor, ALM Toolkit)

    If someone used an external tool and made a change that’s invalid (like renaming or removing a measure used in a visual), the model might break silently.

    Fix:

    • Try opening the .pbix on another machine (fresh install) to rule out local corruption

    Check external tools history, if available

    5. Backup & Strip Down

    If nothing works:

    Fix:

    • Open the broken .pbix

    • Remove all tables from the model

    • Try loading just one query – if it works, add others back incrementally

    Or, copy all report pages and Power Query steps into a fresh .pbix.

    Suggestion:

    Use Performance Analyzer (under View tab) and watch what’s loading when it breaks. Sometimes even visuals trying to reference deleted fields can trip things up.

    Did I answer your question? Mark my post as a solution! Appreciate your Kudos !!

7 Replies

  • PBI-Newbie 
    Here's a checklist of what might be going wrong and how to fix it:

    1. Corrupted Model or Power Query Steps

    Sometimes, transformations or schema changes in Power Query get out of sync with the data model.

    Fix:

    • Go to Power Query Editor in the affected .pbix

    • Check each query for errors (especially ones with merge/join or custom steps)

    • Remove or isolate complex queries to test

    Try deleting a problematic query (copy it to Notepad first), then reload.

    2. Model Relationship Inconsistency

    An invalid relationship (like cardinality mismatch or a missing key) can block loading to the model silently.

    Fix:

    • Open Model view

    Review all relationships – delete or disable any that could be failing due to changes in column types or values


    3. Hidden Auto-Date Tables or Metadata Issues

    Auto-generated date tables sometimes cause corruption when columns are renamed or deleted.

    Fix:

    • Go to File > Options > Data Load, uncheck Auto Date/Time for new files

    • Save, close, and reopen the file – retry load

    4. External Tool Interference (e.g., Tabular Editor, ALM Toolkit)

    If someone used an external tool and made a change that’s invalid (like renaming or removing a measure used in a visual), the model might break silently.

    Fix:

    • Try opening the .pbix on another machine (fresh install) to rule out local corruption

    Check external tools history, if available

    5. Backup & Strip Down

    If nothing works:

    Fix:

    • Open the broken .pbix

    • Remove all tables from the model

    • Try loading just one query – if it works, add others back incrementally

    Or, copy all report pages and Power Query steps into a fresh .pbix.

    Suggestion:

    Use Performance Analyzer (under View tab) and watch what’s loading when it breaks. Sometimes even visuals trying to reference deleted fields can trip things up.

    Did I answer your question? Mark my post as a solution! Appreciate your Kudos !!

  • Thanks for the quick answer! I've already done step 1. All queries load perfectly if I don't bring in any new ones. Will check the next steps.

     

    • johnbasha33's avatar
      johnbasha33
      Icon for Super User rankSuper User

      sounds good PBI-Newbie 

      Did I answer your question? Mark my post as a solution! Appreciate your Kudos !!

      • PBI-Newbie's avatar
        PBI-Newbie
        Icon for Helper I rankHelper I

        I've unticked the time intelligence and the automatic detection of relationship. Now it works perfectly again. Thanks for the pointers!

         

  • JoshT's avatar
    JoshT
    Icon for Advocate III rankAdvocate III

    Just for posterity, I also had this issue and was resolved by disabling automatic relationship detection. In case trying the 5 points above still doesn't work and Microsoft still insist that you don't need any information whatsoever on the errors their own programs are throwing to developers

    • PBI-Newbie's avatar
      PBI-Newbie
      Icon for Helper I rankHelper I

      Thanks! For me it was either time intelligence or the disabling automatic relationship detection. It worked fine afterwards.