Columns in SPO list not showing up in PBI Report

[Sharon11]

Hello,

I created my semantic model in PBI Service (from the SPO list I exported to PBI), didn't use PBI Desktop.  Then when I created a report some of the columns did not appear.  I cleared my cache and did a manual refresh, columns were still missing.  I don't know how to create a lakehouse.  Not sure how to resolve this issue.

Any suggestions

Sharon

[Sharon11 · Accepted solution]

I asked MS and they provided me this response: 

This is a fairly common issue when using Power BI Service with SharePoint Online (SPO) lists as a data source. The root cause is that the Export to Power BI feature creates a static schema in the semantic model. While the data refreshes, the schema does not automatically update when you add or rename columns in the SPO list. That’s why new columns don’t appear in your report even after a refresh.

Why It Happens

• The export function builds a fixed model based on the columns present at the time of export. Later changes in the SPO list (new columns, renamed columns) do not propagate because Power Query expressions and the model metadata remain unchanged.
• In some cases, only a subset of columns is picked up during export (e.g., 40 out of 120), and this is not limited to specific data types. Even similar columns (like date fields) can behave inconsistently.
• Certain special columns (e.g., AttachmentFiles) are not supported in Power BI transformations and will not appear at all.

How to Fix It

1. Re-export the SPO list and merge models
• Export again to create a new semantic model with the updated schema.
• Use ALM Toolkit (alm-toolkit.com) to compare and merge the new model into your existing one. This avoids rebuilding the entire report from scratch.
2. Use Tabular Editor
• Tabular Editor lets you edit the model metadata and Power Query expressions directly in the service or after downloading the PBIX. This is more advanced but powerful for schema changes.
3. Switch to Power BI Desktop for ongoing maintenance
• Connect to the SPO list from Desktop, build your report, and publish to the service.
• Future schema changes can be handled in Desktop and republished, which is the most sustainable approach.
4. Check Power Query steps
• If you see “Column not found” errors, open Transform Data in Desktop, review the applied steps, and adjust the column selection. Often, the query is hardcoded to a fixed set of columns.

Extra Tips

• If you rely on live semantic models in the service, note that schema updates are not currently supported natively—this is a limitation of the feature.
• For troubleshooting missing or wrong values after publishing, simplify filters and check for relative date filters or bookmarks in the service.

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For me, I'll recreate the list since I changed several columns.  Transforming may be the same amount of work as recreating it.

[Sharon11]

@d_m_LNK  Hello, all the columns do not show up in the model in the service.  I made a report that is just visuals. 

Not all of the columns are showing up.  This is the visual that I have so far.

The last circles are all blue becuase the column that had the data for those circles did not show up in the model.  My company does not have fabric.  I read in another post the way to fix this is to create a lakehouse using fabric but I don't have fabric.  I also cleared my cache and did a manual update of the semantic model and still missing columns.  I did not add new columns to an existing report.  This is the original report with the original columns.  I didn't use desktop. I just went to the SPO list and did an Export PBI report which created my semantic model in service.  (I didn't use desktop at all in this report).

[d_m_LNK]

Are all the columns showing in the model in the service?  When you say you made a report was that just visuals or was it a paginated report in the service? Could you also provide any screenshots?