Meta Data Errors - How can I refresh the meta data in a PBIX file?

[RJARRETT]

We frequently get these kinds of errors in the Power Query Editor and eliminating them is very haphazard.  Is there a good way to edit or force a refresh the PBIX meta data that relates to a given data source.

For example, assume we are developing a new report.  We create a test view in our user schema and connect.  By default, in this example, a table called TEST_ALL_ITEMS_STATUS_TREND would be created which we then rename to be SMX_ALL_ITEMS_STATUS_TREND to its eventual production naming convention.  In the Advanced Query dialog, it would look something like this:

Note:  The username, TNS alias, etc. have been genericized for security considerations.

Later, when we replace the username, TNS aliase, etc. with their production equivalents, the report generates a generic error like the following...

Now, I can "Close and Apply" this and sometimes it connect to the new view (SMX_ALL_ITEMS_STATUS_TREND) and sometimes not.  Even when it is successful, it still retains this error in Power Query Editor.  When I click the Go To Error, it pops up a dialog from which to pick the source table/view, much like the Get Data dialog.

Sometimes the new view is present and sometimes it is not.  Even when it is not, and the above error exists, it physically works.  The Refresh brings in data from the new source.  In other words, during the Refresh, it is happy to go look up that view dynamically and get the latest data, but in Power Query Editor, it won't sync up the meta data.

When the new view is in the error dialog, you can select it from the list and the yellow banner goes away.

The whole process of getting the updated list of tables and views into the PBIX meta data is vague and inconsistent.

How do I force my PBIX to go back out to the data source and update its meta data so that the new view is visible to the Power Query Editor based upon the Advance Editor connection settings?

[RJARRETT]

It's not just the list of tables/views.

When a new column is added, sometimes it figures it out and sometimes not.

The trick that seems to work best is load a second copy (with the new column) into the PBIX as a copy of the original.  This refreshes the column inventory for that table/view.  You can then clear the error on your original reference and delete the newly imported copy to avoid redundancy.

This is a poor workaround, and I don't even know that it is 100% effective.  But, it has worked in the past.

There needs to be an automatic refresh of the meta data on any object that is being individually refreshed (right panel "Refresh") or collective refresh (main task bar).  

[lbendlin]

If this is important to you please consider raising it at https://ideas.powerbi.com

[RJARRETT]

Is there a "suggestion box" somewhere?

This is actually pretty basic stuff and Microsoft needs to give us a way to eliminate errors that arise from its poor management of meta data.  When a table/view gets added to a data source, we should be able to force Power BI to refresh its inventory somehow.

The "Refresh" seems to do it, sometimes.  But, it is definitely erratic.  Once the meta data is refreshed, the errors go away.  It is just bad practice to deploy things to production that have errors of this kind.  It may be pulling data, but it is simply bad practice.  We should have 100% confidence in the dataset we publish.

[lbendlin]

" By default, in this example, a table called TEST_ALL_ITEMS_STATUS_TREND would be created which we then rename to be SMX_ALL_ITEMS_STATUS_TREND to its eventual production naming convention. "

Don't do that. Instead use views that shield Power BI from naming changes in the upstream tables (Or look into using Deployment Pipelines).  That still leaves you with the issue that as soon as your view structure changes Power BI will complain.  Try not to change your data structure...

[RJARRETT]

While I appreciate the general guidance, and typically use views as interfaces, your recommendation is not an option.  This situation arises in multiple scenarios.  

So, back to the question.  Is there a way to force the refresh (or manually edit) the meta data.  There are tricks like full-refreshes that seem to update the table/view lists sometimes, but not always.

[lbendlin]

Apart from a manual refresh and republish and app update I am not aware of other options at the moment.