Forecast Using Multiple Models by MAQ Software

[pbiuser2019]

Does the custom visual 'Forecast Using Multiple Models by MAQ Software' still work for anyone? I have recently tried to use it, it's still in marketplace and available to add in PBI desktop but it doesn't seem to work even after installing various R packages

[stoic-harsh]

Hey @pbiuser2019,

Not just you. The visual is officially abandoned. 

• Complaints started coming in since 2018. And the GitHub repo has seen no meaningful recent commits. Link: Error with "Forecast Using Multiple Models by MAQ ... - Microsoft Fabric Community
• To top that, Microsoft has officially announced that R and Python visual support in "Embed for your customers" and Publish to web scenarios ends May 2026 — so this isn't getting better. Link: https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Power-BI-Updates-Blog/Power-BI-November-2025-Feature-Summa...

I would suggest you to use Power BI's built-in line chart forecast for quick needs, or Azure ML integration for anything serious.

Hope this helps!

Best,

Harshit

[oussamahaimoud]

Hi @pbiuser2019,

Hope you're doing well!

Yes, this visual is effectively broken for most users, and you're not alone.

Here's what's actually going on:

The visual itself hasn't been meaningfully updated. It's an R-powered custom visual that depends on a local R installation and specific packages (forecast, plotly, zoo, lubridate). Issues with it have been reported since 2018, and the troubleshooting steps haven't fundamentally changed.

The key things to verify on your machine:

R must be installed locally (not just the packages, R itself)

In Power BI Desktop, go to File → Options → R scripting and confirm the R home directory is correctly detected

Install the packages manually from RStudio or R console, not relying on auto-install:

install.packages("forecast")

install.packages("plotly")

install.packages("zoo")

install.packages("lubridate")

Use a compatible R version, newer R versions (4.x) can cause compatibility issues with older R visuals like this one. R 3.6.x has historically been the most stable for Power BI R visuals.

Starting May 2026, Power BI is ending support for embedding reports containing R or Python visuals using the "Embed for your customers" (app owns data) solution and Publish to web scenarios. While this doesn't kill the visual in Power BI Desktop or standard service use yet, it signals that Microsoft is pulling back from R visual support broadly.

If you can't get it working after verifying the above, I'd recommend abandoning it. The visual is poorly maintained, inherently fragile, and the underlying R-visual ecosystem in Power BI is being scaled back. For forecasting, you'd be better served by:

Power BI's built-in forecast on line charts (simple but reliable)

Azure Machine Learning integration for more serious forecasting

A Python-based approach if you're comfortable with it (same caveats apply, but more flexibility)

[Ankit_Rai]

Hello 

The visual is still available in AppSource and can be added to Power BI Desktop, but several users have reported that it no longer works reliably with recent Power BI versions. Even after installing the required R packages, the visual may fail to render or produce results correctly.

This suggests the issue is likely related to compatibility or lack of ongoing maintenance rather than user configuration. Since the visual depends on older R-based forecasting libraries, it may not fully support the latest Power BI updates.

[DanieleUgoCopp]

Hello,

You could try testing it in an older Power BI Desktop version, also check if R scripting is fully enabled in Options and if the package versions match what MAQ originally expected

Best regards,
Daniele