Gateway needed for cloud-only connections?

[agneum]

I am getting a fail when updating a report that the "semantic model requires a gateway". 
At the same time it says that I do not need any gateway for the model because all the data connections exist in the cloud.

So which one is it, this seems like a bug to me.

[agneum]

The source is in Serverless Synapse SQL, a cloud service. 
Under https://app.powerbi.com/groups/me/gateways

I have a connection set up that is "cloud" to the server. When I try to publish a report the dataset requires me to map the connection:
 

All is good, but then why does it want me to use a gateway? The error says 
"This model requires a gateway. Choose a gateway..."

Activity-ID a74a5012-135f-4fbe-b994-cdb7199fecde


There is only one source to the data which is the cloud connection, so it prompts me to use gateway, even though I should not need to use it.

[aj1973]

You might also need to edit credentials, did you do that?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx6JpIpq9QY

[aj1973]

Please check this out

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/educator-developer-blog/how-to-connect-azure-synapse-to-power....

[agneum]

Are you saying that it cannot be connected to like a regular SQL Server, you have to use this .pbids file? 
The .pbids file is esentially just a connection to the Serverless SQL Pool, it's no different. I can open a new Power BI desktop file, and connect to SQL server as normal. The only difference is that there is now a "linked servce" relating to the Workspace in Synapse. Is the linking at all relevant to being able to refresh the reports, we do not intend to use Synapse Studio at all. I assume linking is just if you want to work in Synapse Studio, I don't see it having any impact on the issue with refreshing the datasets.


Anways, this doesn't solve the issue of "Refresh failed because this semantic model requires a gateway" error, when I only have 1 single cloud source.

[aj1973]

@agneum 

In the Desktop you can't use the regular SQL server. You have to use Azure connector

Tutorial: Connect serverless SQL pool to Power BI Desktop & create report - Azure Synapse Analytics ...

[agneum]

I've tried this, the .pbids export string seems to be the same  regarldess if I choose Azure SQL database, Azure Synapse Analytics SQL or regular SQL Server connection. I published a report using Azure SQL as the source. The dataset owner can refresh the dataset, everyone else gets "you need a gateway installed" error when attempting to refresh. It's very strange because it only happens with Synapse Serverless SQL, it does not happen for example with Azure SQL, even though when check the connections they are both Cloud, both authenticate with "basic" , have all the same settings and shared with the same people. Refreshing any report built on the Azure SQL works fine, but not the Synapse one.

The only way it works if I do refresh via API

[aj1973]

Hi @agneum 

You need to know yourself where your datasource is located? If your source is local server then you need a Gateway installed On-Prem. If the source is located in a cloud service then you don't need a Gateway.

So where is your source?