Publish of update fails with error about cloud refresh

[krolson]

We have several reports which we used to be able to update by making changed in the PowerBI desktop and then using Publish button (replacing the existing dataset) to update the version on PowerBI.com. Now it seems that whenever I attempt to publish an updated report I get the following error:

"A dataset or report named <reportName> already exists and is set up with cloud refresh. You can save this file with a different name and publish again."

Saving with a new name as a new report/dataset is not a useful alternative to me, since the thing I'm trying to avoid is redoing every single pinned item in all the dashboards that may be using that report. This issue has been occurring for me consistently each time I try to make updates in the last couple weeks on 3 different reports. It occurs when OneDrive refresh is turned off. It occurs after I turn off Scheduled Refresh. How can I get around this error and update an existing report/dataset?

[sebadb9]

This is a huge issue that hasn't been resolved. 
Let me elaborate some of the consequences of deleting the dataset/report:

• need to repin visuals to dashboards
• RLS/OLS needs to be reconfigured
• related reports/datasets are broken (hybrid reports, reports on the same datasets, etc.)
• all reports directly or indirectly related to this dataset that are pinned in Microsoft Teams are broken
• Deep Links (with filters in the URL) to every report related directly/indirectly to this dataset are broken
• all people's bookmarks to related reports/datasets are broken
• integrations of power BI reports in PowerApps are broken
• integration in Excel Custom data types are broken (featured tables)
• integration of power BI in Power Automate are broken, automation of processes thus are broken
• all external systems sending API requests to that dataset are broken
• metrics are broken
• report usage metrics are gone
• power BI comments are gone
• integration with Synapse Analytics is broken
• e-mail subscriptions on the reports are broken
• alerts on Card/Gauge visual are broken
• everything else I forgot about is broken!

 Let it be very clear: the impact of deleting just a simple report/dataset can be huge. Huge work in fixing stuff, huge in disruption for the business with a many power BI users.

All power BI users are facing this issue and many are complaining about it:

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Service/Couldn-t-publish-to-power-BI-already-exists-and-is-set-up-w...

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Developer/Publish-of-update-fails-with-error-about-cloud-refresh/m-...

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Service/Cannot-quot-overwrite-quot-You-already-have-a-dataset-named...

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Developer/Publish-of-update-fails-with-error-about-cloud-refresh/m-...

The product team should fix this and have admins the possibility of disabling OneDrive refresh all together for the entire tenant. Simple moving one .pbix file in SharePoint (seeming unharmfull) can trigger hugely terrible consequences. 

[sebadb9]

Please vote:
Publishing power BI broken when OneDrive refresh i... - Microsoft Power BI Community

[meng1313]

Also getting this error message which is not helpful. I used to be able to write over the existing report, but now can't... is this an issue on Microsoft's end?

[Anonymous]

Wow! I am shocked Microsoft hasnt looked into this yet or even aknowledged it as an issue
I am having the exact same issue.

https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Issues/PBIX-uploaded-through-SharePoint-not-auto-published-anymore-...

[hkice]

Its Oct 2021 and I am using the "Version: 2.98.683.0 64-bit (October 2021)"  and I am getting the same message.  What's the solution ?

[Anonymous]

Can we report it as bug somewhere? I really don't understand why the publishing option is disabled after I switch the OneDrive refresh off...

[Eric_Zhang]

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@krolson wrote:

We have several reports which we used to be able to update by making changed in the PowerBI desktop and then using Publish button (replacing the existing dataset) to update the version on PowerBI.com. Now it seems that whenever I attempt to publish an updated report I get the following error:

"A dataset or report named <reportName> already exists and is set up with cloud refresh. You can save this file with a different name and publish again."

Saving with a new name as a new report/dataset is not a useful alternative to me, since the thing I'm trying to avoid is redoing every single pinned item in all the dashboards that may be using that report. This issue has been occurring for me consistently each time I try to make updates in the last couple weeks on 3 different reports. It occurs when OneDrive refresh is turned off. It occurs after I turn off Scheduled Refresh. How can I get around this error and update an existing report/dataset?

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@krolson

Could you list details of the resource in your report? 

[krolson]

What kind of detail are you looking for? This has happened for a report using only SQL queries as well as others with only Kusto queries. It occurs even without having made any changes to the report (i.e. if I just download a copy of the report, then try to publish it, it will fail).

[Eric_Zhang]

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@krolson wrote:

What kind of detail are you looking for? This has happened for a report using only SQL queries as well as others with only Kusto queries. It occurs even without having made any changes to the report (i.e. if I just download a copy of the report, then try to publish it, it will fail).

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@krolson

So there's a database, right? What is the source for the Kusto queries? I'm just collecting more information to try to reproduce that issue.

[krolson]

Could you be more specific about what you mean by what the "source" is of the Kusto queries? They are going against our kusto clusters using a Blank Query with the query pasted in from Kusto Explorer. Are you looking for the kusto cluster names? I am unsure how that would help you since you won't have access to our clusters anyway, thus could not run the same queries. 

Also, as noted, it does not appear to be data source specific since it occurs for reports using different types of data sources and queries, such as a report using only a SQL database query.

We're on msit.powerbi.com if that helps / if there are other troubleshooting options for us.

[Eric_Zhang]

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@krolson wrote:

Could you be more specific about what you mean by what the "source" is of the Kusto queries? They are going against our kusto clusters using a Blank Query with the query pasted in from Kusto Explorer. Are you looking for the kusto cluster names? I am unsure how that would help you since you won't have access to our clusters anyway, thus could not run the same queries. 

Also, as noted, it does not appear to be data source specific since it occurs for reports using different types of data sources and queries, such as a report using only a SQL database query.

We're on msit.powerbi.com if that helps / if there are other troubleshooting options for us.

---

@krolson

What is the already existing dataset you'd like to replace in Power BI Service like? Only constains a SQL database?

[krolson]

In one case, yes, the report only contains a single SQL database query.

We have dozens of reports. Some of the reports use only SQL. Some of the reports use only Kusto. My recent attempts to publish  any existing report, regardless of whether it is one that uses just SQL or just Kusto, has failed with the same error noted in my opening comment: "A dataset or report named <reportName> already exists and is set up with cloud refresh. You can save this file with a different name and publish again." Thus I don't think it's data source specific.

Can you tell me exactly which setting is being referred to by "cloud refresh"? It does not appear to be OneDrive refresh, since I get the error for reports with that on as well as off. I attempted turning off Scheduled Refresh as well at one point, but publish still failed.

[krolson]

Incidentally, I just tried installing latest version of PowerBI desktop from powerbi.com (I had done an upgrade right after the first time I was seeing this error a few weeks ago, with no change in behavior) and now on publish my error message has changed: "An error occurred while attempting to publish '<reportName>': Object reference not set to an instance of an object."

[fish3101]

I'm also having this exact same issue....appreciate a solution ASAP. I also want to avoid re-pinning items on the dashboard. My datasource is a Sharepoint list and I have recently made some modifications to the Power Query within it but cannot publish the updated file to PBI service without getting this same error.

Tried using Get Data option in service too without any luck.

[krolson]

I've just had a ticket resolved for this, couple points:

(1) Apparently there were some serious issues with publishing updates to reports that were using OneDrive refresh, so publishing was disabled for this case. If you have used OneDrive refresh for a report, you will now no longer be able to publish it from PowerBI desktop. I was told a workaround was to update the report on the OneDrive location, but this did not work in my case, so your mileage my vary.

(2) The Null Ref message is not the correct error message - obviously unhelpful

(3) Once you're in this unfortunate case where you have used OneDrive refresh and can no longer publish from desktop, if you want to get back to publishing from desktop you do need to delete the report and the publish it and redo all your pins that you had in your dashboards. As far as I know there is no way to get a list of all the places your report is pinned/used by dashboards, and this is obviously the painful step everyone would like to avoid - BUT you only have to do it once, then after that OneDrive refresh should never have been applied to that report and you can update it by publishing from PowerBI desktop forever more.

[xiaoc]

Got same problem and found this thread. One year has passed, my experience is still "Once you're in this unfortunate case where you have used OneDrive refresh and can no longer publish from desktop, if you want to get back to publishing from desktop you do need to delete the report and the publish it and redo all your pins that you had in your dashboards.". This is really painful.   

[Anonymous]

Any update on this?
I'm also on a SQL cube and have the same problem.

To redo pin of all information into dashboards is unimaginable, therefore deleting and uploading it with a new name is not a solution.

[chaz2jerry]

We ran into this same scenario (cannot publish from desktop, because the report was previously published through onedrive/sharepoint folder sync approach), and had to delete the existing report/dataset first and re-publish from desktop.  

[fish3101]

Thanks for the update. I have removed and re-added and re-pinned to dashboard and I can confirm I can now publish from Desktop again.