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Lorenz33's avatar
Lorenz33
Helper IV
6 months ago
Solved

Gen 2 Dataflow unable to use other dataflow source

A dataflow we have created is unable to get data from another dataflow.   Steps to reproduce: Create a Gen 2 dataflow. The datasource is an Azure SQL database and it the dataflow is connection th...
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  • tayloramy's avatar
    tayloramy
    6 months ago

    Hi Lorenz33, 

    As Murtaza_Ghafoor suggested, what I would recommend is have your first dataflow write to a lakehouse/warehouse, and then have your second dataflow pull from that lakehouse/warehouse.

     

    Dataflow Gen 2 works differently than dataflow Gen 1. Gen 1 acted as a data store for you to use in other queries/reports, however gen 2 is designed for data movement/transformation, not as data storage, so having your first data flow store the data in a lakehouse/warehouse puts it in a place that is easily accessible from the rest of the Fabric platform. 

     

    Here are the docs on adding destinations in dataflow gen 2: Dataflow Gen2 data destinations and managed settings - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn

     

Olufemi7's avatar
Olufemi7
Super User
6 months ago

Hello Lorenz33, 

Power BI Gen2 dataflows cannot use another dataflow as a source if the first dataflow connects to its source via a VNet data gateway.

Linked tables work only when both dataflows are in a Premium workspace and the upstream dataflow’s output is accessible without gateway restrictions.

Workarounds:

  • Have the second dataflow query the same SQL source directly using its own gateway.
  • Persist the first dataflow’s output to ADLS Gen2 or a Power BI dataset, then have the second dataflow read from there.

References: 

Linked tables
Dataflow limitations