I continuously get this message below. And intermitently. Sometimes it works, sometimes it breaks. I am merging a query built from an excel file that lives on SharePoint with a query built from an online list on SharePoint.
Formula.Firewall: Query references other queries or steps and so may not directly access a data source. Please rebuild this data combination.
The issue appears to be in the permission settings. The SharePoint Online datasource was set to "Organizational" Privacy Levels. The Excel file was set to "None" Privacy Levels. By setting both to "Organizational" the queries built successfully.
Actually, I ended up hitting the issue again somewhere else, so Argh!
However, this time, I turned off parrallel loading and that seems to be the trick.
This blog post was very helpful in resolving. Though, mine is setup as he proposes here with SOURCE queries separated and still was hitting the issue. That's why I tried the disable parallel loading.
The issue appears to be in the permission settings. The SharePoint Online datasource was set to "Organizational" Privacy Levels. The Excel file was set to "None" Privacy Levels. By setting both to "Organizational" the queries built successfully.
Actually, I ended up hitting the issue again somewhere else, so Argh!
However, this time, I turned off parrallel loading and that seems to be the trick.
This blog post was very helpful in resolving. Though, mine is setup as he proposes here with SOURCE queries separated and still was hitting the issue. That's why I tried the disable parallel loading.
Helpful resources
Data Days 2026 coming soon!
Sign up to receive a private message when registration opens and key events begin.
New to Fabric Survey
If you have recently started exploring Fabric, we'd love to hear how it's going. Your feedback can help with product improvements.
Power BI DataViz World Championships - June 2026
A new Power BI DataViz World Championship is coming this June! Don't miss out on submitting your entry.
