DataFormat.Error: We couldn't parse the input provided as a Date value // From a Salesforce Reports

Hi AliceW 

You can connect to the SalesForce reports from Power BI successfully, right?

But when going to next step(Navigation), there is an error coming out, right?

If so, it seems the "date" column in your data source don't match the format in Power BI.

You could transform the column with Power query.

Here are some similar threads you could refer to.

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Desktop/Stuck-on-a-date-issue/td-p/428946

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Desktop/DataFormat-Error-We-couldn-t-parse-the-input-provided-as-a/td-p/84355

Please give me more detail information so that i can make a test and provide a more clear solution.

eg, the two question at the begining of my reply,

what is the column which cause an error?

Best Regards
Maggie
Community Support Team _ Maggie Li
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

Hi AliceW, did you ever find a workaround for this one? I am currently facing the same situation and couldnt find a solution.  

Hi AliceW  were you able to find a solution? I've used the Salesforce connector but I had some issues with my data too. As a workaround, maybe you can try to test your connection with a 3rd party connector. I've tried windsor.ai, supermetrics and funnel.io. I stayed with windsor because it is much cheaper so just to let you know other options. In case you wonder, to make the connection first search for the Salesforce connector in the data sources list:

After that, just grant access to your Salesforce account using your credentials, then on preview and destination page you will see a preview of your Salesforce fields:

 There just select the fields you need. It is also compatible with custom fields and custom objects, so you'll be able to export them through windsor.  Finally, just select PBI as your data destination and finally just copy and paste the url on PBI --> Get Data --> Web --> Paste the url. 

Hi AliceW ,

This looks like the Salesforce Reports connector is failing while parsing one of the report date fields during the Navigation step. That is tricky because the table does not load far enough for you to fix the column type in Power Query.

A few things I would try first:

1. Duplicate the Salesforce report and remove date fields one by one to find the problematic column.

2. Check for mixed date formats, blank values, text like “N/A”, or locale-specific dates.

3. If possible, expose the same data through Salesforce Objects, then handle date conversion after the data loads.

4. Rebuild the report with simple date fields first, then add calculated or formatted date fields later.

Salesforce Reports connector can be fragile here, and it also has the frustrating 2,000-row limit.

Another option is to prepare the Salesforce data before it reaches Power BI.

Power BI Connector for Salesforce by Metrica Software can help:
https://appexchange.salesforce.com/appxListingDetail?listingId=31526f0e-abd8-4cb5-bd1a-3bd56b5c0577

It lets you create data sources from Salesforce reports or from selected Salesforce objects and fields, apply filters, preview the output, and connect Power BI to a prepared source. This will not fix Power BI’s native date parser directly, but it can help avoid the Salesforce Reports connector path that fails before the data loads.

Docs and support:
https://metricasoftware.com/docs/salesforce/
https://metricasoftware.com/docs/salesforce/contact-support/

Cheers,
Metrica Team