Network related or instance specific error when connecting power bi desktop to fabric data lakehouse

[Don-Bot]

I have setup a Data Lakehouse in our new Fabric instance.  I have given one of my users read all permissions for this lakehouse.  The user can see the lakehouse when they select "Get Data" as a warehouse (but for some reason now under Lakehouse).  

She can browse to a table but when she tries to connect to it via power bi and import the data she gets the following error:

Details: "Microsoft SQL: A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: Named Pipes Provider, error: 40 - Could not open a connection to SQL Server)"
 

I saw this suggestion but I'm not sure how it could be of help since this is power bi to lakehouse...  Is there a port or firewall that needs to be looked at?

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Developer/A-network-related-or-instance-specific-error-occ... 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply from Ritaf1983.

Hi @Don-Bot ,

Have you solved your problem? If it is solved, please share your solution and accept it as solution or mark the helpful reply, it will be helpful for other members of the community who have similar problems as yours to solve it faster. Thank you very much for your kind cooperation!

Best Regards,
Zhu

[Ritaf1983]

Hi @Don-Bot 

The issue you're describing suggests that there might be a connectivity problem between Power BI and the Data Lakehouse, even though the permissions seem correctly set. The error indicates a typical network-related issue, commonly associated with SQL Server connections. Here are a few things to check:

1. Firewall and Port Configuration

• Make sure that the required ports are open and accessible. For SQL Server connections, port 1433 is generally used, but since this is a connection to a Lakehouse, ensure that there are no firewall rules blocking the connection between Power BI and the Data Lakehouse.
• Verify that the endpoint is accessible from the network location where Power BI is running. You may need to check with your IT department to confirm there are no restrictions preventing the connection.

2. Correct Connection Mode in Power BI

• Double-check how the user is trying to connect to the Lakehouse. The error message suggests that Power BI might be attempting to connect to the Lakehouse as if it were a typical SQL Server database, which could lead to issues. Ensure that the user is selecting the appropriate connection method for Fabric’s Lakehouse (e.g., using a Fabric connector rather than a SQL Server connection).
• Verify that the connection string or method is correct and configured specifically for the Lakehouse.

3. User Permissions and Access

• Confirm that the user has proper permissions on both the Lakehouse and the Fabric instance. Even if they can see the Lakehouse, there might be restrictions preventing full access to browse or import data.
• Make sure that any role-based security settings in the Fabric instance are not interfering with the connection.

4. Data Lakehouse Connection Setup

• Try connecting directly to the Lakehouse using other methods (e.g., Azure Synapse or a direct Fabric connection) to see if the issue is isolated to Power BI. This can help determine if the problem lies with how the Lakehouse is exposed to Power BI specifically.

Recommendation: If none of these steps resolve the issue, consider reaching out to Microsoft support or your network administrator to verify any connection issues. There might be more specific firewall rules or security settings at play that need to be configured correctly for the Lakehouse connection to work.

Link to the guide of opening support tickets:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/support/create-support-ticket

If this post helps, then please consider Accepting it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly