DirectQuery to Dataflows ceased to work

[Andrzej]

Hi everyone,

We seem to have a problem with obtaining data from dataflows.

Earlier we had a report (semantic model) connected to 2 dataflows using DirectQuery.

It worked for quite a while, however, today it ceased to work and Power BI Desktop started to throw a notification:

This step results in a query that is not supported in DirectQuery mode (With a suggestion to switch to Import mode).

To make things clear, all dataflows have Enhanced Compute Engine turned explicitly On and it did work so far.

Does anyone have any clue, where to look for a solution, or what might have been the cause of this issue?

I'd be grateful for any feedback.

[V-yubandi-msft]

Hi @Andrzej ,

If you get a chance to review my previous response, please take a look.
If the issue is resolved, kindly mark it as the accepted solution.  it could help others facing the same problem.

Thank You.

[lbendlin]

Keep in mind that "dataflows in Direct Query"  is lipstick on a pig.  It is achieved by slapping an Azure SQL database in front of the Azure Blob files of the dataflow.  This is likely something that will go away with DF Gen2, similar to datamarts.

[Andrzej]

It is, however, it is an easy solution, when You have some analysis, that is not used too often and on an irregular basis.

Anyway, the problem seems to have solved itself - the report started working again on its own.

I do not entirely understand, what happened, so if anyone knows some details, what might be behind it, I'd be happy to learn something.

[V-yubandi-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @Andrzej ,

Thank you for the update. If your issue is resolved, please mark it as the Accepted solution. it could assist others in the community facing a similar problem.

What you experienced was likely a transient issue with the Enhanced Compute Engine, which can sometimes be impacted by backend service reliability or temporary outages, especially when using DirectQuery with dataflows.

Since the problem resolved itself, it’s most likely due to a service side disruption rather than an issue with your model. To help prevent similar issues in the future, you might try.

1. Simplifying transformations in dataflows used with DirectQuery. 

2. Monitoring Power BI service health for any regional or backend disruptions. 

3. Using Import mode for reports that aren’t accessed frequently, reducing reliance on live queries.

I hope this helps. Thanks again for sharing your experience it’s valuable to the community. 

Regards,

Yugandhar.