PowerBI Desktop Stuck/Freezes with MarkLogic ODBC Driver/PowerBI Built-in MarkLogic Connector

[ISimionEndava]

Hi,

Since January 2025 our dashboards connected to our MarkLogic Server (version 10.0-4.2) via the Official MarkLogic ODBC Driver (version 1.4) in PowerBI (latest version as of this post date) keeps freezing/getting stuck on refresh randomly (sometimes works/sometimes it does not). The dashboards only calls simple MarkLogic templates via ODBC connection.

While contacting Progress Support (MarkLogic) their suggestions was to ask also for a fix from PowerBI regarding this behaviour of freezing/getting stuck, since I get the same behaviour while using also the PowerBI Built-in MarkLogic Connector (version 3.0.2).

[v-echaithra]

Hi @ISimionEndava ,

Thank you for providing the update.

We’d like to follow up regarding the recent concern. Kindly confirm whether the issue has been resolved by the support, or if further assistance is still required. We are available to support you and are committed to helping you reach a resolution.

Thank you.

[ISimionEndava]

Follow-up to the opened ticket with Microsoft Support. Their conclusion is that issues with MarkLogic ODBC Driver/PowerBI Built-in MarkLogic Connector resides entirely in the responsability of MarkLogic and they should handle this issues. They are not seeing as a Power BI issue when it comes to third party connectors being involved. 

[ISimionEndava]

Since copy-paste is the mean of communication.

The issue has NOT been resolved. I addressed a support request since that was the last resort. That ticket is still ongoing with Microsoft Support.

[v-echaithra]

Hi @ISimionEndava ,

We’d like to follow up regarding the recent concern. Kindly confirm whether the issue has been resolved, or if further assistance is still required. We are available to support you and are committed to helping you reach a resolution.

Best Regards,
Chaithra E.

[ISimionEndava]

The issue has NOT been resolved. I addressed a support request since that was the last resort. That ticket is still ongoing with Microsoft Support.

[v-echaithra]

Hi @ISimionEndava ,  

Thank you for your response, and I'm sorry to hear the issue still persists.

If the problem continues despite the troubleshooting steps, I recommend raising a support ticket for further assistance. You can find detailed instructions on how to do this in the following guide: How to create a Fabric and Power BI Support ticket - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Hope this helps.
Chaithra E.

[v-echaithra]

Hi @ISimionEndava ,

We wanted to follow up to see if the issue you reported has been fully resolved. If you still have any concerns or need additional support, please don’t hesitate to let us know, we’re here to help.
We truly appreciate your patience and look forward to assisting you further if needed.

Warm regards,
Chaithra E.

[ISimionEndava]

Hi, the issue has NOT been solved, I am still trying you latest recommandations.

[v-echaithra]

Hi @ISimionEndava ,  

Could you please let us know the ETA by when you will be able to test the provided solution? This will help us to know when we can follow up. If you encounter any challenges during implementing the provided solution , please inform us and we’ll be glad to assist.

Thank you.

[ISimionEndava]

I just answered your questions, at this point a support ticket might be the best option, since nothing has worked from your suggestions.

[v-echaithra]

Hi @ISimionEndava ,

If you are experiencing issues with Power BI freezing or getting stuck during data refreshes particularly when using the MarkLogic ODBC driver or the built-in MarkLogic connector please consider the following additional troubleshooting steps:

1. Disable Power BI Infrastructure Updates
Some users have reported improved stability by disabling infrastructure updates in Power BI. To do this:
Go to File > Options and Settings > Options > Preview Features.
Uncheck the option “Power BI infrastructure update.”
Restart Power BI Desktop.

2. Manage System Memory Usage
Power BI is known to be resource-intensive, especially when working with large datasets or complex visuals. To ensure your system isn't running out of memory during refresh operations:
Close other memory-intensive applications while refreshing your report.
Use Task Manager to monitor RAM usage during the refresh process.

3. Use a Data Gateway with Scheduled Refresh
Since you've confirmed that refreshing the dataset works in Excel but not in Power BI Desktop or Service, you may benefit from publishing your report to the Power BI Service and setting up a scheduled refresh using a gateway. Here's how:

Publish your report to Power BI Service.
Set up a data gateway to connect your on-premises data source.
Configure and monitor the scheduled refresh through the Power BI Service portal.
Review the refresh history logs in the Service to identify any failures or timeouts.

You can also try to test with a previous version of Power BI Desktop—such as a build from late 2024 to determine whether the problem is related to a recent update.
If none of the above steps resolve the issue, it is recommended that you raise a support ticket with Microsoft for further assistance. You can follow the official guide below to submit a support request:

How to create a Fabric and Power BI Support ticket - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Hope this helps.
Warm Regards,
Chaithra E.

[ISimionEndava]

Hi, 

None of the specified solutions worked.

1. I do not have the Power BI infrastructure update Option, nevertheless I was able to disable the updates by requesting the internal IT support to stop the updates for Power BI Desktop, but the issue of getting stuck still persists.

2. I did manage System Memory Usage, and it never got to the point of running out of memory, I even closed all other programs as suggested. FYI I am running on a system with 32 GB RAM, so there is more than enough memory, and the data I am requesting through ODBC is 100 MB. So this suggestion did not help either.

3. I did use Data Gateway for the Power BI Service and it got the same result of being stuck.

[v-echaithra]

Hi @ISimionEndava ,

Thank you @rohit1991 , @Ritaf1983  for your inputs.

We would like to confirm if you've successfully resolved this issue or if you need further help. If you still have any questions or need more support, please feel free to let us know. We are more than happy to continue to help you.

Thank you for your patience and look forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,
Chaithra E.

[ISimionEndava]

As promised I came back with the updates. None of the proposed solutions worked, is there anything else I might try before opening a Microsoft Support Ticket?

[ISimionEndava]

Hi, I am trying the solutions proposed by @Ritaf1983 and @rohit1991 one-by-one, but without much success at the moment. It just takes time for some to be tested, that is why I have not replied. Once I finish all the testings I will come back with an input in whether anything suggested has helped my situation or not.

At the moment I have tried: 

1. Disable parallel loading - did not fix the issue.
2. Disable background previews - did not fix the issue.
3. Using server-side views - not a solution to be considered by ourself, as we want to be able to use the feature of getting the entire table template everytime we query it, and the desire is for those templates to be used not to add other view templates on top of it.
4. Test with a published version of PowerBI, working on it.
5. Use Perfomance Analyzer to monitor - did not help, I start using it, but because the whole Power BI freezes I am unable to get any info from it.
6. Checked antivirus/firewall/network protection tools and nothing is interfering with it.

There is more to try form the suggestions, I will come back once I have the answers myself.

[rohit1991]

Hi @ISimionEndava ,

Here’s what’s actually worked for me and a few folks I’ve helped:

1. Turn off parallel table loading: Go to Options > Data Load and uncheck “Enable parallel loading of tables.” It sounds minor, but with ODBC it can make all the difference.

2. Disable background data previews: Still under Data Load, uncheck “Allow data previews to download in the background.” Prevents those weird random hangs during refresh.
   
   

3. Choose Import Mode (not DirectQuery): If you can, stick to Import. DirectQuery with ODBC is a bit like walking a tightrope works sometimes, but fails a lot more.
   
   

4. Publish to Power BI Service: Oddly enough, I’ve had reports freeze on Desktop but refresh fine in the Service. Worth a try.
   
   

5. Diagnostics time: Open the Performance Analyzer (View tab in PBI). If you’re feeling fancy, run an ODBC trace or enable logging in the MarkLogic ODBC driver sometimes it’ll point right to the culprit.
   
   

6. Bitness check: Double-check: If Power BI Desktop is 64-bit (which it almost always is these days), your ODBC driver needs to be 64-bit too. Mixing 32/64 bit is a silent killer.
   
   

7. Quick test outside Power BI: Try connecting to MarkLogic with Excel (Data > Get Data > From Other Sources > ODBC) or another tool. If it fails there, it’s not Power BI’s fault.
   
   

8. Security stuff: I’ve seen company antivirus/firewall tools block ODBC calls out of nowhere. Temporarily disable or whitelist Power BI + ODBC driver for testing.
   
   

9. Timeout settings: If you’re pulling heavy data, up the ODBC timeout in driver settings and Power BI (Home > Transform Data > Data source settings > Advanced).
   
   

And obviously, make sure you’re running the latest everything: MarkLogic, ODBC driver, and Power BI Desktop.

If all else fails, gather your logs and versions and reach out to both Microsoft and MarkLogic support. (Bonus: MarkLogic forums sometimes have obscure tips from devs.)

[ISimionEndava]

Hi, I am coming back with feedback for each of your suggestions:

1. Disable parallel loading - I tried and it did not fix the issue. However I would like to say that for the latest version of Power BI (as of this comment's date) the correct path to find that setting is File > Options and Settings > Options > CURRENT FILE > Data Load > Parallel loading of tables and check "One (disable parallel loading)".                                                                                                                                   
2.  Disable background previews - I tried and it did not fix the issue. However I would like to say that for the latest version of Power BI (as of this comment's date) the correct path to find that setting is File > Options and Settings > Options > GLOBAL > Data Load > Background Data and check "Never allow data previews to download in the background".                                                                                                
3. Choose Import Mode (not DirectQuery) - all of our queries are in Import Mode, and still getting stuck.
4. Publish to Power BI Service - We did test from Power BI Service and it did not work, it got stuck for 2 hours, after which the published version was forcefully closed as per Power BI's policies.
5. Diagnostics time - Tried this as well but with no success since after starting the Performance Analyzer and the queries, because of the freezing we are unable to see Performance Analyzer output. We did an ODBC Trace as well and logging, but the logs were inconclusive.
6. Bitness check - PowerBI is 64-bit and the MarkLogic ODBC Driver installed is 64-bit, it was always like that, does not solve the issue.
7. Quick test outside Power BI - we did test it from Excel and it does work all the time, no freezing behaviour there, so based on your suggestion it must be a Power BI fault.
8. Security stuff - we already did this and there are no antivirus/firewall/network protection tools interfering with our connections, we can connect to the server successfully via ODBC Connection, and for long periods as well. The connections are already whitelisted and still it is getting stuck.
9. Timeout settings - I did try to look for such settings but they are none for MarkLogic in PowerBI.               
10. Running the latest everything - as stated it the issue opened, I already mention the versions. MarkLogic Forums directed me to MarkLogic Support which directed me here. I will also make a Microsoft Support Ticket based on already trying everything here and not working.

Thanks.

[Ritaf1983]

Hi @ISimionEndava 

This type of freezing with ODBC connections (especially with MarkLogic or other less common connectors) is unfortunately something we’ve seen before. Here are a few suggestions you can try before escalating via support:

1. Disable parallel loading of tables
Go to File > Options and Settings > Options > Data Load and uncheck "Enable parallel loading of tables". This has resolved freezing issues for some users.

2. Turn off background data preview
In Options > Global > Data Load, uncheck "Allow data preview to download in the background". It can help reduce random refresh hangs.

3. Wrap your MarkLogic logic in a server-side View
Even if you’re using simple templates, Power BI sometimes handles pre-defined views more reliably than dynamic templates over ODBC.

4. Test from Power BI Service
If possible, publish a simplified version of your report to Power BI Service and try a scheduled refresh. Sometimes only Desktop is affected.

5. Monitor with Diagnostics
Use Performance Analyzer inside Power BI or run an ODBC trace to identify where the refresh hangs.

6. Security tools
Check if antivirus/firewall/network protection tools might be interfering with the driver’s behavior.

If none of the above helps, I recommend opening a support ticket with Microsoft and referencing your use of the official ODBC driver and the built-in MarkLogic connector. You can open a support ticket here:
https://support.fabric.microsoft.com

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

[ISimionEndava]

Hi, I am coming back with feedback for each of your suggestions:

1. Disable parallel loading - I tried and it did not fix the issue. However I would like to say that for the latest version of Power BI (as of this comment's date) the correct path to find that setting is File > Options and Settings > Options > CURRENT FILE > Data Load > Parallel loading of tables and check "One (disable parallel loading)".                                                                                                                                   
2.  Disable background previews - I tried and it did not fix the issue. However I would like to say that for the latest version of Power BI (as of this comment's date) the correct path to find that setting is File > Options and Settings > Options > GLOBAL > Data Load > Background Data and check "Never allow data previews to download in the background".                                                                                                
3. Wrap my MarkLogic logic in a server-side View - it is already wrapped in such a view according to the official documentation "Template Driven Extraction (TDE) is the method used to map documents in a MarkLogic database to SQL views.". The templates I am using does exactly that.
4. Test from Power BI Service - We did test from Power BI Service and it did not work, it got stuck for 2 hours, after which the published version was forcefully closed as per Power BI's policies.
5. Monitor with Diagnostics - Tried this as well but with no success since after starting the Performance Analyzer and the queries, because of the freezing we are unable to see Performance Analyzer output.
6. Security tools check - we already did this and there are no antivirus/firewall/network protection tools interfering with our connections, we can connect to the server successfully via ODBC Connection, and for long periods as well.
7. Opening a support ticket with Microsoft - this most probably would be the next course of actions since none of the suggestions worked.

Thanks.