Forum Discussion
Helper ICustom Column Causes "Query references other queries or steps" error
I have a Power BI report that takes like 10 excel files and combines them into a single report. For each report, after I've done my data formatting and whatnot, I have a custom column called Source that is just ="Accruals" or whatever we call the report the data comes from. For some reason this frequently causes "Query references other queries or steps" errors when refreshing and the error always references the Source custom column. I have seen in another post that this is due to Privacy settings, but my data source is set to Privacy Setting = None.
tl;dr: custom column of ="Report Name" is causing errors with no privacy settings setup.
This is the Formula Firewall warning. Setting one source to Privacy = None does not bypass it, because the firewall enforces at the file level whenever one query references another and it cannot fully verify the data flow.
The cleanest fix is at the Options level:
File > Options and settings > Options > Current File > Privacy > Always ignore Privacy Level settings
Save and refresh, the Source custom column error should stop. It is also worth setting the same option under Global > Privacy so new files inherit it. If you publish to the Service, open the semantic model Settings > Data source credentials and confirm the Privacy Level is set to None for each Excel source, otherwise the same error returns on scheduled refresh.
If you want to keep privacy enforcement on, an alternative is to inline the Source = "Accruals" step inside each Excel query (as a Table.AddColumn directly on the imported file) instead of referencing another query, that removes the cross-query check the firewall complains about.
If this helped, a thumbs up and accepting the solution would be appreciated.
Best,
Shai Karmani
2 Replies
- Shai_Karmani
Super User
This is the Formula Firewall warning. Setting one source to Privacy = None does not bypass it, because the firewall enforces at the file level whenever one query references another and it cannot fully verify the data flow.
The cleanest fix is at the Options level:
File > Options and settings > Options > Current File > Privacy > Always ignore Privacy Level settings
Save and refresh, the Source custom column error should stop. It is also worth setting the same option under Global > Privacy so new files inherit it. If you publish to the Service, open the semantic model Settings > Data source credentials and confirm the Privacy Level is set to None for each Excel source, otherwise the same error returns on scheduled refresh.
If you want to keep privacy enforcement on, an alternative is to inline the Source = "Accruals" step inside each Excel query (as a Table.AddColumn directly on the imported file) instead of referencing another query, that removes the cross-query check the firewall complains about.
If this helped, a thumbs up and accepting the solution would be appreciated.
Best,
Shai Karmani 
ronnie_robertsMany thanks!