Data disappears from table after Scheduled refresh in Power BI Service

[VivekN]

Hi all,

I've created a table in Power BI Desktop using data from four different files sourced from two locations:

• File 1: Excel file stored in a SharePoint folder
• File 2: A specific tab from another Excel file in the different SharePoint folder
• File 3 & File 4: Data coming from Power Apps (Dataverse / CRM)

Files 1 and 2 are connected using the "SharePoint Folder" connector, and all data loads and displays correctly in Power BI Desktop.

However, after publishing the report to the Power BI Service the data displays correctly before the refresh, but after setting up a scheduled refresh, the table in the report becomes blank or the data disappears. And i dont get any errors during scheduled refresh, but after the refresh the data just disappears. 

Could anyone please  help identify what might be causing this issue? Is it a data source credential problem, connector limitation, or something else?

Thanks in advance for your help

[v-saisrao-msft]

Hi @VivekN,
I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided by @Poojara_D12 . Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. If hte response has addressed your query, please accept it as a solution so other members can easily find it.
Thank you.

[Poojara_D12]

Hi @VivekN 

The issue you're experiencing—where the report displays data correctly in Power BI Service initially but becomes blank after a scheduled refresh—likely stems from how Power BI Service handles credentials and authentication for multiple data sources, particularly when mixing SharePoint Folder connectors and Dataverse (Power Apps) data. Even though no errors are thrown during refresh, Power BI may be silently failing to retrieve data due to invalid or incomplete data source credentials, especially if OAuth or organizational account authentication is not properly configured for each source in the Power BI Service's Data Source Credentials section.

Specifically, the SharePoint Folder connector requires valid OAuth credentials tied to the specific SharePoint site URLs, and each site (for File 1 and File 2) must have its own separate credential configuration in the Power BI Service under the dataset’s settings. Similarly, Dataverse (CRM) also requires proper OAuth authentication using either a user account with access or a service principal if you're using it in an enterprise setting. If any one of these connections isn't authenticated correctly post-publish, the dataset may refresh without throwing errors but fail to return rows, resulting in blank visuals or tables.

To resolve this, go to Power BI Service > Workspace > Dataset settings, and under Data Source Credentials, verify and update credentials for each data source—making sure that both SharePoint folders and the Dataverse connections are listed and show “Connected.” Also, confirm that the privacy levels for each source are compatible (e.g., all set to "Organizational") to avoid conflicts that prevent query folding or data merging across sources. Finally, test a manual refresh in Power BI Service and compare results to further isolate if one particular data source is failing silently.

[VivekN]

Hi @Poojara_D12 , 

Thank you for your quick and detailed post. As per your recommendation, i went back and made all the changes under Data Source Credentials, and yet the same problem persists. When i configure the scheduled refresh the data disappears. 

i initially thought this might be related to a connection problem, and tried different connectors like Web and Sharepoint folder to connect sharepoint files, but still no luck. 

[Poojara_D12 · Accepted solution]

Hi @VivekN 

Given that you've already verified and updated all Data Source Credentials in Power BI Service and ensured that each data source (SharePoint folders and Dataverse) shows as "Connected," yet the issue persists where data disappears after a scheduled refresh, the root cause likely extends beyond just credentials. One key factor to consider is how Power BI Service handles query folding and privacy level settings across combined sources. When multiple connectors like SharePoint Folder, Web, and Dataverse are used in a single dataset—especially when they involve different domains or organizational boundaries—Power BI enforces privacy isolation by default unless all sources are explicitly marked as having compatible privacy levels (preferably “Organizational”). If there's any mismatch, Power BI may silently block data from flowing between sources during refresh in the Service, even though it works in Desktop where preview and merging behavior is more lenient.

Another possible issue could be related to transformations in Power Query. The SharePoint Folder connector retrieves all files from a site and filters them dynamically. If this filter uses dynamic file paths or content-based criteria, Power BI Service may not evaluate those steps the same way as Desktop does—especially if relative paths, sheet names, or implicit credentials are involved. Additionally, the Web connector (used as a workaround) is more prone to privacy-related blocking, and should generally be avoided for SharePoint content if SharePoint Folder or SharePoint Online List is available.

To narrow down the problem, isolate each data source in separate test reports and publish them independently. Observe if the issue occurs only when combined or even when used alone. Also, go to Dataset > Refresh history in Power BI Service to inspect logs, as sometimes they show subtle warnings even if the refresh “succeeds.” Lastly, consider using Dataflows to pre-stage SharePoint and Dataverse data separately and combine them in your dataset downstream. This helps isolate refresh failures and sidesteps some of the privacy and credential conflicts common with composite models.

[VivekN]

Hi @Poojara_D12 ,

Thank you very much again for your detailed post. I have found the solution. Just like you mentioned, it is related to transformations in the power query. The date column from one of the table is used as a filter inside the visuals, and it is set as text data type in Power Query. And inside the Power BI report, my client converted the datatype of that same date column from text to date but somehow it doesnot work. 

From what i understand, if we have to change the data type or do any transformation, it should be done upstream which is power query in this case. Whatever data type changes we make inside the power bi report just alters the format and not the data type itself. Correct me if i am wrong. 

I went back to power query and changed it as date column using Locale option. I then published and scheduled the automatic refresh to check the power bi service. It is working fine now. 

[v-saisrao-msft]

Hi @VivekN,

I'm glad to hear that your issue was resolved. Please accept the solution that helped you the most so it can assist other community members as well.

Thank you.