Incremental refresh and real-time data

[August_Stidberg]

Hello!

I’m testing a case where Incremental Refresh and real-time data (DirectQuery) could be a good fit. I’m building a dataset with all fact tables using the Incremental Refresh + real-time data feature.

Everything worked fine until yesterday. I may have made some minor changes to the dataset, but now when I refresh it in Power BI Desktop, I get this error for all fact tables:

Proceeding with this change will delete the existing incremental refresh policy because it is no longer valid.

I even tried recreating the dataset with just one table — exactly as it was before — in a separate PBIX file, but I still get the same error. Also, the option to enable Get real-time data when applying Incremental Refresh is now grayed out.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

[v-hashadapu]

Hi @August_Stidberg , Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community Forum.

We find the answer shared by @rohit1991 is appropriate. Can you please confirm if the solution worked for you. It will help others with similar issues find the answer easily.

Thank you @rohit1991  for your valuable response.

[v-hashadapu]

Hi @August_Stidberg , hope you are doing great. May we know if your issue is solved or if you are still experiencing difficulties. Please share the details as it will help the community, especially others with similar issues.

[rohit1991]

Hi @August_Stidberg 

Could you please try below steps:

• Keep RangeStart and RangeEnd (Date/Time) and unchanged names.

• In each fact table, filter as [DateTime] >= RangeStart and [DateTime] < RangeEnd, with folding intact.

• If View native query is disabled, remove or move steps that break folding like merges, custom functions, index columns.

• Reapply Incremental refresh, save, refresh.

• Get real time data only lights up for Premium or PPU and sources that support DirectQuery.

[jaineshp · Accepted solution]

Hey @August_Stidberg,

Possible steps to fix the Incremental Refresh + Real-time DirectQuery issue:

1. Check date/time filters – Make sure your fact tables still have a proper date/time column with continuous values and that the filter logic matches the incremental refresh range parameters.

2. Re-enable policy – If Power BI detects a schema change (even small), it can invalidate the policy. Remove the existing policy, re-set it from scratch, and re-publish.

3. Validate DirectQuery toggle – The Get real-time data option will be grayed out if:

   • The table is missing a supported date column, or

   • The model storage mode isn’t set to Import + DirectQuery (Hybrid).

4. Rebuild partitions – In some cases, you need to delete and recreate the table in Power Query, then re-apply the incremental refresh with real-time enabled before publishing.

5. Service vs Desktop behavior – Test publishing a clean PBIX with only one fact table and the correct policy to the Service. Sometimes Desktop shows the warning, but the Service applies it correctly.

Fixed? ✓ Mark it • Share it • Help others!

Best Regards,
Jainesh Poojara | Power BI Developer

[FBergamaschi]

I would go to power query and refresh the preview and try again.

If the above does not solve, please check this: the minor changes you indicate might include the cancellation of a date/time column, needed for the Incremental Refresh? Or of the parameters for the incremental refresh (RangeStart etc)?

If this helped, please consider giving kudos and mark as a solution

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