Forum Discussion
PBIP Semantic Model Error There is a problem with the definition content in your Power BI project.
Please note that we are all working in January 2026 version and we are working with project files
I am trying to access a semantic model 'I accessed the first time but now I cant get past this message that comes up.
"There is a problem with the definition content in your Power BI project. Tabular databases do not support CompatibilityLevel downgrade. Current CompatibilityLevel 1600 Requested CompatibilityLevel 1587"
I can see in my local branch and in devops the database.tmdl file we have
database
compatibilityLevel:1567
Our first test was to get another Power BI dev to go onto the same branch as me. they have exactly the same power BI desktop version as myself. And they can access the Semantic model with no trouble.
The next thing we did was to get me to completely uninstall and reinstall Power BI which I did. Tried again and the above error still stands.
I dont have anything thing else I can think of doing. So if anyone has any ideas I would be grateful.
Solution delete the cache.abf file
Hi DebbieE
Thanks for reaching out to the community.Just to confirm and add a little context for anyone who faces similar issue.
The error happens because Power BI Desktop reuses a cached local workspace database ( cache.abf ) from a previous session. That cached model was created at a higher compatibility level (1600) than your project's database.tmdl requests (1587/1567). Tabular doesn't allow a compatibility-level downgrade on an existing database, so Desktop refuses to load the project against the stale cache which is exactly why a colleague on the same branch and same version had no problem (they had no conflicting cache), and why a reinstall didn't help (the workspace cache survives it).
If your issue has been reolved you can mark your post as a solution.
Please do reach out community for any new Fabric or PowerBI issues.
Thanks,
Srikanth Cheri,
CST team.
4 Replies
Solution delete the cache.abf file
Hi DebbieE
Thanks for reaching out to the community.Just to confirm and add a little context for anyone who faces similar issue.
The error happens because Power BI Desktop reuses a cached local workspace database ( cache.abf ) from a previous session. That cached model was created at a higher compatibility level (1600) than your project's database.tmdl requests (1587/1567). Tabular doesn't allow a compatibility-level downgrade on an existing database, so Desktop refuses to load the project against the stale cache which is exactly why a colleague on the same branch and same version had no problem (they had no conflicting cache), and why a reinstall didn't help (the workspace cache survives it).
If your issue has been reolved you can mark your post as a solution.
Please do reach out community for any new Fabric or PowerBI issues.
Thanks,
Srikanth Cheri,
CST team.Hi DebbieE
We haven’t heard from you on the last response and was just checking back to see if you have a resolution yet. And, if you have any further query do let us know.
Thank you.Hi DebbieE
We haven’t heard from you on the last response and was just checking back to see if you have a resolution yet. And, if you have any further query do let us know.
Thank you.