GA4 Connector Failing in Power BI Service – JSON Error & OAuth Token Issues

[GraceConway]

Hi all,

We’re experiencing issues with the Google Analytics (GA4) connector in Power BI Service. Reports that refresh fine in Power BI Desktop fail in the Service with the following errors:

1. Credential update error:
   “Failed to update data source credentials: We found an unexpected character in the JSON input.”

2. Refresh failure error:
   “DMTS_OAuthTokenRefreshFailedError: Token has been expired or revoked.”

We’ve tried clearing and resetting credentials, republishing, and simplifying queries - no luck. The connector uses the native GA4 option (Implementation="2.0"). No custom JSON or manual uploads are involved.

Wondering if others are seeing the same or if there’s a confirmed issue with the GA4 connector in the Power BI Service?

Thanks!

[v-ssriganesh]

Hi @GraceConway,
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.

[GraceConway]

Hi @v-ssriganesh - the issue has been confirmed to be with the connector itself from Microsoft, who are supposedly now working on a fix. Thanks for your suggestions but we will be leaving it with Microsoft to resolve from here.

[v-ssriganesh · Accepted solution]

Hi @GraceConway,
We regret the inconvenience caused and acknowledge your requirements. Please consider raising a Microsoft support ticket for further investigation. You can explain all the troubleshooting steps you have taken to help them better understand the issue.

You can create a Microsoft support ticket with the help of the link below:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/support/create-support-ticket

If this helps, please "Accept as solution" and drop a "Kudos" so other members can find it more easily.

Thank you.

[v-ssriganesh]

Hi @GraceConway,

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.

[eclarkeMSI]

Hi Grace, we're experiencing the same issue as well:

Google Analytics GA4 Authentication Error - Microsoft Fabric Community


We've tried the same troubleshooting steps with no success

[GraceConway]

Thanks @eclarkeMSI - glad to know we're not alone. We're getting stuck in the ranks of our service providers in getting this looked at. Hopefully multiple people raising the issue will get it addressed. Definitely seems to be an issue with the connector. Hoping it's not causing too much strife and extra work for you!

[v-ssriganesh]

Hi @GraceConway,
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

After thoroughly reviewing the details you provided, below are some troubleshooting steps, along with a relevant community thread that may provide additional context.

• In Power BI Service, clear the dataset’s credentials and re-authenticate with the Google account used in Power BI Desktop. Ensure the account has access to the GA4 property and the Google Analytics Data API is enabled in Google Cloud Console.
  
  
• The “unexpected character in JSON input” error suggests an issue with the API response. Test the GA4 API manually (e.g., using Postman) to verify the JSON is well-formed. If not, there may be an issue on Google’s side.
  
  
• The “token expired or revoked” error may occur if the refresh takes too long. Optimize your query (e.g., reduce metrics or date range) to shorten refresh time. Consider using an on-premises data gateway for refreshes.

For your reference, please refer the below solved thread:
Solved: GA connector in Power BI (after upgrade to GA 4) - Microsoft Fabric Community

If this information is helpful, please “Accept as solution” and give a "kudos" to assist other community members in resolving similar issues more efficiently.
Thank you.

[GraceConway]

Thanks for your response @v-ssriganesh. We've tried steps 1 and 3, amongst others with no luck. I believe it is an issue with the connector. We've been using it for over a year with no issue and then last Monday, every report that uses this connector stopped working at the same time, and gave the same issue. No changes to the reports, just when they refreshed overnight they all failed. Appreciate your time suggesting these steps.

[v-ssriganesh]

Hi @GraceConway,
Thank you for the update and for trying the suggested steps. I appreciate your patience and the additional details, which help narrow down the cause. Can you please clarify your setup details:

• Could you confirm whether you’re using an on-premises data gateway for refreshes? If so, is it on a supported version (Microsoft supports the last six versions)?
• Have you checked the Google Cloud Console (APIs & Services) for recent changes to the GA4 Data API or OAuth settings? For example, any new Conditional Access policies or API quota restrictions?

These details will help rule out configuration issues and pinpoint whether the issue lies with Power BI or Google.

Alternatively, you could export GA4 data to Google BigQuery and connect Power BI to BigQuery, avoiding the GA4 connector entirely.

I trust this information proves useful. If it does, kindly “Accept as solution” and give it a "kudos" to help others locate it easily.
Thank you.