Forum Discussion
Dataflow Wont Open for Editing
Hi IamTDR
If you keep the new dataflow name and entity names identical to the old ones, you won’t need to re-link all 100 reports they will continue to work as before.
What matters is:
- The workspace stays the same.
- The dataflow name is exactly the same as the original.
- All entity (table) names inside the dataflow match the originals.
Power BI reports reference the entity paths (Workspace >> Dataflow >> Entity). If these are unchanged, the reports will reconnect automatically after the dataflow is recreated and refreshed.
Hi IamTDR
That “Something went wrong” when opening a Gen1 dataflow usually means the editor can’t load the definition (lock, refresh in progress, browser/cache, or a corrupted entity). Try these in order:
Quick checks
- Is a refresh running or queued? Stop/cancel it and try again. You can’t edit while it’s running.
- Anyone else editing recently? Gen1 can stay locked after a crash/close for ~30–60 mins. Wait, then retry.
- Permissions : you need Admin/Member (Edit) on the workspace; Viewer/Contributor can’t open the editor.
- Browser : open in an InPrivate/Incognito window, different browser, and disable extensions; clear cache.
- Capacity/Gateway :if on Premium/Fabric, check capacity health; also verify the gateway the dataflow uses is online (editor can fail to load previews if the gateway is down).
If it still won’t open (common recovery paths)
6. From the dataflow’s … menu >> Settings, try Download/Export JSON (definition).
a. Create a new Gen1 dataflow >> Import from JSON (or paste queries) to clone it.
- If export isn’t available, use the Power BI REST API Get Dataflow Definition (ask a workspace admin if needed) to pull the JSON, then create a new dataflow from that.
- As a last resort, recreate a new dataflow and re-add the entities/parameters. You can copy M from the JSON (or from a recent PBIX that connected to it), then delete the broken one after the new flow refreshes.
Replying to Quick Checks
1. No refresh is running (Refreshes once in the early morning)
2. I am the Admin of this Dataflow and no one else has access
3. I have Admin permissions. I created and maintain this Dataflow
4. I tried in different web browsers
5. No issue with Gateway / Dataflow can refresh without any issues
I need this Dataflow to work as its connected to over 100 BI reports. If this dataflow should fail, I would need to edit 100 plus PBI reports.
BTW, I just tried this Dataflow and it opened up for editing without any issue. I made this ticket as I had this problem before. Seems to work 40% of the time. Just dont understand why it doesn't opening for editing every time anymore like the other dataflows I maintain
Hi IamTDR
Thanks for confirming the quick checks. Since the other dataflows open fine and this one fails instantly, it’s likely the definition for this specific dataflow is corrupted or contains a query step that’s no longer valid (e.g., deleted source, renamed column, removed gateway).
Next steps to recover:
- Export the definition JSON
- In the workspace >> Dataflow >> menu >>Settings >>Export JSON.
- If it won’t open there, use the Power BI REST API Get Dataflow Definition to pull it (requires Admin/Member rights).
- Inspect the M code
- Look for queries referencing a missing table, field, parameter, or disabled connector.
- Fix any invalid steps in a text editor.
- Recreate the dataflow
- Create a new Gen1 dataflow >> Import the corrected JSON or paste the queries manually.
- Save and refresh to confirm it works.
- If API/Export isn’t possible
- Try cloning the dataflow from Dataflow Settings >> Save As New (if available).
- If both fail, you’ll need to rebuild from a backup PBIX or original source scripts.
Recreating the Dataflow, would that require me to re-link all 100 PBI reports?
This is a huge ask where I would need to manually download each report and re-populate the flow.
- Export the definition JSON
Hi
same issue I mentioned last week.
Seems like for me I just need to wait a few hours, then its fine again, annoying if you change something, test and need to modify again
However, refreshes are still working on time, so for user no issue
