Dataflow stuck on refreshing for hours

Thankyou, lbendlin, for your response.

Hi ethanluo,

We appreciate your inquiry through the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

Based on my understanding, if a dataflow is stuck refreshing for hours and cannot be canceled via the user interface, it may be caused by complex queries, large volumes of data, or issues related to source connectivity.

Please follow the steps below, which may assist in resolving the issue:

1. If canceling via the user interface is ineffective, please utilize the REST API.
2. Review the dataflow refresh history, the Power BI Metrics app, and the gateway logs (if applicable) to identify any bottlenecks.
3. Simplify queries by removing unnecessary steps or columns early in Power Query.
4. Split large dataflows by breaking complex flows into smaller segments, and reduce the chaining of dataflows.
5. As an alternative, you may automate the cancellation of long-running dataflows (e.g., those exceeding 2 hours) using Power Automate.

Additionally, please find the relevant links below:
Dataflows - Cancel Dataflow Transaction - REST API (Power BI Power BI REST APIs) | Microsoft Learn
Dataflows - Get Dataflow Transactions - REST API (Power BI Power BI REST APIs) | Microsoft Learn

If you find our response helpful, kindly mark it as the accepted solution and provide kudos. This will assist other community members facing similar queries.

Thank you.

Hi ethanluo,

Thank you for your follow-up.

Based on my understanding, since multiple dataflows(even small ones)are stuck during refresh, and considering that you are using a SQL Server database, the likely cause could be related to gateway performance, configuration, or connectivity issues.

Kindly follow the steps mentioned below, which may help resolve the issue:

1. Verify CPU usage, memory load, and status in Manage Gateways.
2. Ensure that the latest version of the Gateway is installed.
3. Optimize the SQL Server by investigating slow queries, locks, or high resource utilization.
4. Improve Power Query performance by simplifying the transformations.
5. For handling high workloads, consider using a Gateway cluster to enable better load balancing.

If you find our response helpful, please mark it as the accepted solution and provide kudos. This will assist other community members who face similar issues.

Thank you.