Improve error message when dataset mixes cloud and local file sources

[GrantLevy]

I ran into an issue with scheduled refresh on a dataset that uses Personal Cloud Connections with SharePoint files.

In Power BI Desktop, all queries refreshed fine. I then published to the Service and set up scheduled refresh. In app.powerbi.com, the dataset showed errors like “scheduled refresh is disabled because at least one data source is missing credentials,” even though all my SharePoint cloud connections and credentials were valid.

After a lot of troubleshooting I discovered the real root cause: in Power Query I had added one new table whose Source step still pointed to a local desktop path (C:\…) instead of a SharePoint URL. Every other query used SharePoint URLs and Personal Cloud Connect, but this one local file prevented the entire dataset from refreshing. The Service error message never indicated that the problem was a local file path mixed in with cloud sources, so I had to manually inspect each query’s Source step to find it.

Feature request: When a dataset contains a mixture of cloud‑connected sources (e.g. SharePoint/OneDrive) and unsupported/local sources (e.g. local file paths without a gateway), please show a specific, actionable error message. For example:

“One or more of your data sources is not cloud‑connected (for example, a local file path). Go back to your Power BI Desktop model and check the Source step for each query.”

Ideally, the message would either list the offending queries or at least clearly call out that a local/not‑cloud‑reachable source exists. This would save a lot of time versus the current generic credential/gateway error, especially for models that mostly use cloud sources with Personal Cloud Connections.

[kleigh]

Publishing and refresh error messages are a constant source of frustration. I've had errors pop up before with zero search results! There needs to be a page that lists all errors that exist in the product, and actually listen to community posts to detail possible causes and solutions.