Forum Discussion

lp_sebba's avatar
lp_sebba
Frequent Visitor
5 years ago

Salesforce report: Expression.Error: We cannot convert the value null to type List.

Hi,

 

I am trying to load a Salesforce production report, but get this error immediately on load (already in the preview actually). This occurs for most, but not all reports that I have tried. What are my options?

 

Best regards,

Alex

 

 

Need Help

4 Replies

  • v-henryk-mstf's avatar
    v-henryk-mstf
    Community Support
    5 years ago

    Hi lp_sebba ,

     

    According to your question, I found a similar solution. Clicking on this link can be used as a reference, I hope to help you solve the problem.


    If the problem is still not resolved, please provide detailed error information and screenshots, I will answer you as soon as possible.

    Looking forward to your reply.

     

    Best Regards,
    Henry

     

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

    • lp_sebba's avatar
      lp_sebba
      Frequent Visitor
      5 years ago

      Hi Henry and thanks for your response.

       

      I do not see how to follow the steps provided at the link, as nothing in the table loads. I do not even know the column names of the report.

      I am happy to provide any screenshots and other information required for troubleshooting, could you please specify what that would be of/from?

       

  • ReportMaster's avatar
    ReportMaster
    Post Partisan
    2 years ago

    Hi lp_sebba I know this reply is very late, but were you able to find a solution? I've used the Salesforce connector but I had some issues. As a workaround, maybe you can try to test your connection with a 3rd party connector. I've tried windsor.ai, supermetrics (which doesn't have PBI as a destination, so you first have to export to Google Sheets and then export to PBI) and funnel.io. I stayed with windsor because it is much cheaper so just to let you know other options. In case you wonder, to make the connection first search for the Salesforce connector in the data sources list:

     

     

    After that, just grant access to your Salesforce account using your credentials, then on preview and destination page you will see a preview of your Salesforce fields:

     

     

    There just select the fields you need. It is also compatible with custom fields and custom objects, so you'll be able to export them through windsor.  Finally, just select PBI as your data destination and finally just copy and paste the url on PBI --> Get Data --> Web --> Paste the url. 

     

  • metrica's avatar
    metrica
    Post Prodigy
    3 months ago

    Hi everyone,

     

    "Expression.Error: We cannot convert the value null to type List" with the native Salesforce Reports connector is usually a symptom of report type mismatch - Power Query's Reports connector parses tabular reports cleanly, but trips up on summary, matrix, or joined report formats because the API returns a different structure with null groupings at the top level.

     

    The first thing worth checking: confirm the Salesforce report you're connecting to is set to Tabular format (not Summary or Matrix) under Report Properties. Switching to tabular often resolves this in place.

     

    If you need to keep the grouped/aggregated logic and don't want to flatten the report, Metrica Power BI Connector for Salesforce on AppExchange is one alternative - it pulls reports through a different path that's more forgiving with non-tabular structures, and you can build the dataset on the Salesforce side without the null-handling issue.

     

    Free 30-day trial if you'd like to test it on your problematic reports. Setup guides at https://metricasoftware.com/, demo available on request.

     

    Cheers,

    Metrica Team.