Can't get OneLake Landing Zone url before files are uploaded

[mikeburek]

When no files have been uploaded yet to the OneLake Open Mirroring Landing Zone, the "Replication status" tab does not show anything. The "Replication status" tab is where it shows the path for the Landing Zone.

So how am I supposed to get the path before I upload to the path?

I can see how maybe this is trying to make me go through the web interface to create the folder and metadata file as a wizard instead of doing it manually. That's fine for just a little demo. I also did not notice a way to create the schema folders through the web dialog, making this method incomplete.

But when I'm trying to make a pipeline to extract and upload files that are megabytes or gigabytes for an initial load, I'm not going to manually create a file and wait for it to upload through the browser.

I'm guessing the best way to currently handle this in the real world right now would be to upload a CSV of just the column headers, then get the Landing Zone path, and then configure the automated process to upload the parquet files for the initial and incremental loads. But can I switch from the 000001.csv to 000002.parquet?

I can see the folder in the desktop OneLake syncing app, but that's just the folder structure, not the direct path url.

Having to look up the GUID of the subscription and the workspace and then manually create the path url is a very frustrating experience when this is billed as a "no code" solution to mirroring.

Before uploading any files, no Landing Zone path url is shown:

I did try this both with the replication running and stopped. Same result.

After uploading a file, then the Landing Zone path url shows up:

[v-csrikanth · Accepted solution]

 Hi @mikeburek 

Thanks for being a part of Fabric Community.
As confirmed, the behavior you're experiencing is a known limitation in Microsoft Fabric at this time — specifically, the inability to retrieve the OneLake landing zone URL before any file has been uploaded. The system currently registers and exposes the folder path only once the first artifact is written to that location.

We acknowledge this limitation and understand that it can be inconvenient when automating or integrating solutions upstream. While there's no immediate workaround to retrieve the path before upload, the current behavior is by design and documented accordingly.

If your scenario requires enhancements to this behavior, we recommend submitting it as an idea via the Fabric Ideas - Microsoft Fabric Community portal so the product team can consider it for future releases.

For any other unrelated issues you face in Power BI or Fabric, please feel free to open a new case — we're here to help.

If this information helped, kindly mark it as a solution to help others in the community facing a similar question.

Best regards,
Community Support Team _ C Srikanth

[v-csrikanth]

HI @mikeburek 
We haven't heard from you since last response and just wanted to check whether the solution provided has worked for you. If yes, please Accept as Solution to help others benefit in the community.
Thank you.

Best Regards,
Cheri Srikanth.

[mikeburek]

Hi, this is a known deficiency, so there is no solution.

[v-csrikanth]

Thanks for confirming @mikeburek.
If you are still facing any challenges, kindly provide further details, and we will be happy to assist you.

Best Regards,
Cheri Srikanth.

[v-csrikanth]

Hi @mikeburek 
Could you please accept the response so that if other community members will persists same issue will be helpful.

Best Regards,
Cheri Srikanth 

[mikeburek]

Thanks for the information you provided, but a known deficiency is not really a solution. Your confirmation that I am not the only one experiencing this would be helpful to others, but it doesn't solve the problem.

[v-csrikanth]

Hi @mikeburek 
This is a known limitation of the Fabric UI, which does not pre-generate the Landing Zone path before the first file is uploaded. The best workaround is to upload a small placeholder file to make the path visible, then automate subsequent data loads. If UI inconsistencies persist, consider reporting it to Microsoft Fabric Ideas for improvements.
Even though the UI doesn’t display the Landing Zone path before uploading a file, you can manually construct it using the following format:
https://onelake.dfs.fabric.microsoft.com/<workspace_id>/<mirrored_database_id>/Files/LandingZone/ 

To get the values:

• Workspace ID: Found in the URL when inside the Fabric workspace.

• Mirrored Database ID: Also present in the URL when viewing the mirrored database.

If the above information helps you, please give us a Kudos and marked the Accept as a solution.
Best Regards,
Community Support Team _ C Srikanth.

[mikeburek]

Thanks for confirming this is a known deficiency.

[mikeburek]

Some other patterns I've found from lots more clicking around:

Starting from only the Workspace page and with no other app.powerbi.com left-side tabs open for mirrored databases. When I first click on a mirrored database without tables, the Landing Zone URL does not show up.

When I first click on a mirrored database that has tables, the Landing Zone URL does show up.

If I leave both left-side tabs open, and switch from the mirrored database with tables to the mirrored database without tables, then the Landing Zone URL stays on top. So the mirrored database tabs aren't separate tab instances; they are really just the same page with a swapping of the active mirrored database.