Excel Data Type from Power BI Semantic Model Not Resolving New Values

[dean_flynn]

Hi everyone,

I'm encountering an issue with Excel's integration with Power BI Data Types and wondering if anyone else has seen this recently.

This a new problem - up to a week ago, it was working fine and I haven't made any changes to our setup in that time.

Setup:

• I have a semantic model published in Power BI called "Watches".
• It's configured correctly as a featured table and has been working fine for months.
• Data refreshes on schedule (data is linked to Dynamics Business Central, and the data in the Semantic Model is updating with no issue)
• In Excel, existing files that already have cells linked to the "Watches" data type update correctly 
• However, when I try to apply the "Watches" data type to new cells in Excel, Excel fails to resolve the value, even when the input exactly matches a known item.

 

What I've Tried:

• Verified that the semantic model is refreshing correctly in Power BI.
• Confirmed I have Workspace Admin rights and Build permissions.
• Checked that the key column is correctly defined.
• Tried restarting the PC, clearing Excel cache, restarting Excel, and testing in new workbooks (multiple times!!).
• Re-published the semantic model from Power BI Desktop.
• Verified that "Featured tables in Excel" is enabled in the Power BI Admin Portal.
• The same problem is being seen from both of our Power BI licenced users.

 

Has anyone else experienced this issue?

It seems like a sync issue between Excel and Power BI rather than an issue with Power BI or the semantic model?

Any workarounds or fixes would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading !

[Kornephoros]

why is this marked as resolved?

- Nowhere in the feed a solution is found

- We are still experiencing the issue

I was assuming i didn't have to open a ticket as one was already submitted by @dean_flynn 

[Kornephoros]

I can confirm this is now resolved.

[Kornephoros]

We are experiences the same setback. This indeed isn't the first time it has happened.

Please keep us informed.

[dean_flynn]

Quick further update (no fix yet, waiting on MS Support.

I tested this issue on a Mac runnning Excel for MacOS (with the same M365 and PowerBI license).  Same problem persists.

However I also tested it on the WEB VERSION of MS Excel, and everything works there!  Web Excel was successfully able to connect to PowerBI in order to identify a data type.

Unfortunately Web Excel is of limited use to me as my spreadsheet also has some other key functions that only work in Desktop Excel...  still, maybe the fact that the Data Type connector is working in Web Version may help to narrow down the problem with Desktop Excel.

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @dean_flynn,

Thanks for the update. That’s a valuable insight. The fact that Web Excel works while both Mac and Windows Desktop versions don't suggests the issue is likely specific to the Desktop Excel client. Hopefully, this helps the Excel support team isolate the root cause more quickly. Please keep us posted, and let us know if you need any further assistance in the meantime.

Thank you.

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @dean_flynn,

We are following up once again regarding your query. Could you please confirm if the issue has been resolved through the support ticket with Microsoft?

If the issue has been resolved, we kindly request you to share the resolution or key insights here to help others in the community. If we don’t hear back, we’ll go ahead and close this thread.

Should you need further assistance in the future, we encourage you to reach out via the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum and create a new thread. We’ll be happy to help.

Thank you for your understanding and participation.

[dean_flynn]

***Update***

This issue now seems to be resolved, for me at least.  Excel Support finally contacted me at the end of June as I was about to go on holiday.  We agreed that they would park the issue until my return.  Then on returning last week, I found that the issue is resolved and the functionality is working as it originally did, prior to the problems I described.

I can only guess that Microsoft resolved this via some sort of update in early July.

[dean_flynn]

Thanks for taking the time to reply.  I've tried each of these suggestions to no avail.  I have now opened a ticket with Microsoft.  This is very frustrating.

[v-kpoloju-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @dean_flynn,
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum. 

Since you have already opened a support ticket with Microsoft, this is the appropriate step for a deeper investigation, particularly if it involves environment specific behaviour or requires backend review. While you are working with the support team, please continue to share any updates here. If a solution has been found, it would be greatly appreciated if you could share your insights with the community. This would be helpful for other members who may encounter similar issues.

Thank you for using the Microsoft Community Forum.

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @dean_flynn,

We are following up once again regarding your query. Could you please confirm if the issue has been resolved through the support ticket with Microsoft?

If the issue has been resolved, we kindly request you to share the resolution or key insights here to help others in the community. If we don’t hear back, we’ll go ahead and close this thread.

Should you need further assistance in the future, we encourage you to reach out via the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum and create a new thread. We’ll be happy to help.

Thank you for your understanding and participation.

[dean_flynn]

I am still awaiting a response from Microsoft. 

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @dean_flynn,

Thank you for your patience and this update. Please keep us posted, and let us know if you need any further assistance in the meantime.

Thank you for using the Microsoft Community Forum.

[dean_flynn]

Hello.  No, unfortunately it isn't resolved yet.  A Support Engineer from the Power BI & Data Platform team responded and asked for more detail, which I gave them. 

They then came back to say that they feel it's an Excel problem rather than a Power BI problem, and so they passed my case off to the Excel support team on Friday 8-Jun.  Excel team checked in to say they are very busy and will be in touch soon, so I'm waiting for that follow up.

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @dean_flynn,

Thank you for the update, and I’m sorry to hear that the issue is still ongoing. It’s reassuring to know that the Power BI support team has followed up and is actively collaborating with the Excel team. I understand that the handover might cause some delays, particularly if the Excel team is handling a high volume of cases.

If there's anything we can help clarify from the Power BI side during this time, please let us know. We will do our best to assist or escalate further if necessary.

We appreciate your patience and hope the Excel team can provide a resolution soon.

Thank you for using the Microsoft Community Forum.

[burakkaragoz]

Hi @dean_flynn ,

This is a great summary of the issue and troubleshooting steps—thanks for sharing all the details. This kind of sync problem between Excel and Power BI semantic models has come up for other users as well, especially after recent Office or Power BI service updates.

A few additional things you can try:

• In Excel, go to File > Account and check for updates. Install any pending Office updates, then restart Excel. Sometimes, updates fix integration bugs with Power BI Data Types.
• Sign out and back in to your Microsoft account in Excel (File > Account > Sign out, then sign in again). This can refresh your credentials and connections to Power BI data sources.
• In Excel, go to Insert > Data Types > Manage Data Types and remove/re-add the “Watches” data type. Sometimes, Excel holds onto a stale cache or connection.
• Try creating a completely new Excel workbook and connect it to the semantic model. If the new workbook works but old ones don’t, it’s likely a caching issue in Excel.
• Double-check that your Power BI tenant settings (especially for featured tables and Excel integration) haven’t recently changed due to admin policy updates.
• If you have access, check the Power BI service’s support page or admin center for any known issues or incidents related to Excel integration.

If none of these steps resolve it, you might be running into a backend change or a bug related to recent updates in either Excel or Power BI Service. In that case, I’d recommend opening a support ticket with Microsoft and referencing all the steps you’ve already tried.

Let me know if any of these steps help or if you spot any new behavior when testing with a new workbook or after updating Office.

If my response resolved your query, kindly mark it as the Accepted Solution to assist others. Additionally, I would be grateful for a 'Kudos' if you found my response helpful.
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