Initialisation of data source failed error

[Chris_Black]

I have built an Excel report using a Power BI pivot table as a data source.

When I refresh this excel file it updates as expected.

However, when my user refreshed the file they recieved the following error:

• The user is already an admin in the semantic model for the power BI data.

• The user has a Power BI Pro license, along with myself and all other users.
• There shouldn't be any issues with tenant settings as me and another user can already refresh these files?

What are the possible other causes of this?  Is it possible they need PBI desktop installed on their PC to do this?

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Thanks for the solution SamWiseOwl offered, and i want to offer some more infotmation for user to refer to.

hello @Chris_Black , Please check whether the Excel version supports the current connector. The cause may be that the Excel version does not match. It is recommended that users upgrade the Excel version. You can refer to the following similar process.

Solved: Initialization of data source failed - Microsoft Fabric Community

Solved: Analyze in Excel: Initialization of the data sourc... - Microsoft Fabric Community

Best Regards!

Yolo Zhu

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

[SamWiseOwl]

Hi @Chris_Black does the Power BI report itself refresh? 

If it does are you using a Gateway to pull the data?

[Chris_Black]

The power BI report is refreshed by refreshing within the desktop app and then re-publishing the PBI Desktop file.

[SamWiseOwl]

If you try connecting from scratch does that refresh ok?

Someone here suggested a filter or column name might have changed datatype or name.

This isn't flagged by excel until the refresh happens.

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Service/Connecting-to-PBI-dataset-in-Excel-Refresh-fails/m...

[Chris_Black]

Unfortunately doesn't seem to be the issue.

I can refresh the file with no problems, so it's not an issue directly with the file - but something on the user end. I also have other users that can use these files so it shouldn't be a tenant setting (although I'm checking those anyways).

Apparently the user gets the error every couple of minutes they have the file open.