Forum Discussion
Copilot Chat Pane Not Recognizing Synonyms in Power BI Service (Works in Desktop)
I’ve come across an issue where the Copilot chat pane in Power BI Desktop successfully recognizes non-English synonyms defined in the Q&A setup, but the same does not work in the Power BI Service.
Below is the step-by-step evidence of the issue:
🔹 Step 1 – Non-English Dataset
In Image 1, you’ll see that I’m working with a dataset that includes non-English column names and values.
🔹 Step 2 – Synonym Setup in Q&A
As shown in Image 2, I’ve added non-English synonyms in the Q&A setup for better prompt recognition by Copilot.
🔹 Step 3 – Testing in Power BI Desktop
In Image 3, you can see that when I use the built-in Copilot chat pane in Power BI Desktop, it successfully recognizes the non-English synonyms (UIO) and returns correct results.
🔹 Step 4 – Testing in Power BI Service
However, in Image 4, when I test the same Copilot chat pane in Power BI Service, it fails to recognize the same synonyms and does not return the correct response.
Troubleshooting Steps Taken:
I tested this with both Model.bim and TMDL structured models — in both cases, the issue persists.
After publishing, I confirmed that the semantic model refreshes properly in the Service.
I also validated that in the reportname.SemanticModel, the culture settings and synonyms are still correctly applied and visible within the model.
Additionally, in Power BI Service, the Q&A visual does recognize the synonyms, but the Copilot chat pane does not, which indicates that the synonyms are indeed present and functional — just not being picked up by Copilot in the chat interface.
This leads me to ask:
Has there been a change in how the Power BI Service Copilot uses or supports linguistic schema synonyms?
Is this a known issue or expected behavior?
Do we need to enable anything additional on the service for synonym recognition to work?
Would appreciate any insights or guidance on how to fix or escalate this.
Thanks!
Hi AsadullahNoor12 ,
Thank you for sharing the detailed explanation and supporting visuals that’s very helpful for understanding the issue.
As of now, there is no publicly documented change in how Copilot within Power BI Service handles linguistic schema synonyms. However, it's important to highlight that Copilot in the Service is still undergoing enhancements, and its behavior is not yet fully aligned with Copilot in Power BI Desktop.
- What you are experiencing appears to be a current platform limitation. While synonyms defined in the Q&A setup are correctly recognized by: Copilot in Power BI Desktop and Q&A visuals in Power BI Service. They are not yet fully recognized by Copilot in the Power BI Service chat pane. This discrepancy is not intended long-term and may be addressed in future updates, but at this time, it reflects a known limitation rather than expected full functionality.
- There are no additional configurations currently available in Power BI Service to force synonym recognition specifically within the Copilot chat experience. For best results:
Make sure that all your synonyms are properly saved in the linguistic schema by setting them up through the Q&A setup before you publish your report. After publishing the report to the Power BI Service, it's important to refresh the semantic model to ensure all the latest changes are applied. Also, double-check that the language and regional settings of both your model and the workspace match the language used in your synonyms. This helps improve the chances of those synonyms being recognized correctly.
Since Copilot in Power BI Service is still in preview and rapidly evolving, and given this behavior diverges from what’s expected, we recommend raising a support ticket directly with Microsoft to formally track this behavior and receive updates. This will also help escalate visibility if this is impacting your business workflows.
You can open a support request here:
How to create a Fabric and Power BI Support ticket - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
I hope this will help you understand better, if you need any further assistance, feel free to reach out.
If this post helps, then please give us Kudos and consider Accept it as a solution to help the other members find it more quickly.
Thankyou.
4 Replies
Hi AsadullahNoor12 ,
Thank you for sharing the detailed explanation and supporting visuals that’s very helpful for understanding the issue.
As of now, there is no publicly documented change in how Copilot within Power BI Service handles linguistic schema synonyms. However, it's important to highlight that Copilot in the Service is still undergoing enhancements, and its behavior is not yet fully aligned with Copilot in Power BI Desktop.
- What you are experiencing appears to be a current platform limitation. While synonyms defined in the Q&A setup are correctly recognized by: Copilot in Power BI Desktop and Q&A visuals in Power BI Service. They are not yet fully recognized by Copilot in the Power BI Service chat pane. This discrepancy is not intended long-term and may be addressed in future updates, but at this time, it reflects a known limitation rather than expected full functionality.
- There are no additional configurations currently available in Power BI Service to force synonym recognition specifically within the Copilot chat experience. For best results:
Make sure that all your synonyms are properly saved in the linguistic schema by setting them up through the Q&A setup before you publish your report. After publishing the report to the Power BI Service, it's important to refresh the semantic model to ensure all the latest changes are applied. Also, double-check that the language and regional settings of both your model and the workspace match the language used in your synonyms. This helps improve the chances of those synonyms being recognized correctly.
Since Copilot in Power BI Service is still in preview and rapidly evolving, and given this behavior diverges from what’s expected, we recommend raising a support ticket directly with Microsoft to formally track this behavior and receive updates. This will also help escalate visibility if this is impacting your business workflows.
You can open a support request here:
How to create a Fabric and Power BI Support ticket - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
I hope this will help you understand better, if you need any further assistance, feel free to reach out.
If this post helps, then please give us Kudos and consider Accept it as a solution to help the other members find it more quickly.
Thankyou.
Hi AsadullahNoor12 ,
I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. If my response has addressed your query, please accept it as a solution and give a 'Kudos' so other members can easily find it.
Thank you.
Hi AsadullahNoor12 ,
Could you please confirm if the issue has been resolved after raising a support case? If a solution has been found, it would be greatly appreciated if you could share your insights with the community. This would be helpful for other members who may encounter similar issues.
Thank you for your understanding and assistance.
