Forum Discussion

joaovitorasso's avatar
joaovitorasso
New Member
5 months ago

Issue on deleting Dataflows (Gen1)

Hi everyone, I'm having trouble deleting dataflows from the workspaces I manage. Basically, I import the dataflows via JSON (gen1) and now I need to delete them. I delete it from the workspace, and every time I refresh the page, it's back again.

The same thing happens when I try to delete it via the API. I successfully hit the endpoint, but it's still there. Has anyone experienced something similar?

Dataflow

2 Replies

  • MohdZaid_'s avatar
    MohdZaid_
    Super User
    5 months ago

    Hey joaovitorasso  , 

     

    If you’re unable to permanently delete Dataflows (Gen1) in Microsoft Power BI and they reappear after refreshing the workspace, the issue is usually related to automation, ownership, or backend synchronization. In many cases, the dataflow is being automatically recreated by a deployment pipeline, CI/CD process, PowerShell script, or service principal that republishes the JSON definition after deletion. It’s important to verify that no automation (such as Power BI Deployment Pipelines or Azure DevOps pipelines) is redeploying the dataflow in the background.

     

    Another common cause is ownership. Even if you are a workspace admin, the original owner of the dataflow (often a service principal or another user account) may still control it. If possible, take ownership of the dataflow before deleting it. Additionally, check whether the dataflow is a linked or computed dataflow that depends on another workspace, as deleting a dependent object without removing its source can cause it to reappear.

     

    If the workspace is backed by Premium capacity or part of Microsoft Fabric, there may be a metadata synchronization delay. In such cases, try deleting the dataflow, waiting several minutes, and performing a hard browser refresh. Also ensure that when using the REST API, you are targeting the correct workspace ID and dataflow ID with proper permissions.

     

    If the issue persists after verifying automation, ownership, dependencies, and API configuration, it may be a backend metadata caching issue. At that point, exporting the JSON definition, renaming the dataflow, republishing, and then deleting the original may help. Otherwise, contacting Microsoft Support would be the recommended next step.

     

    If this explanation helped, please mark it as the solution so others can find it easily.

    If it helped, a quick Kudos is always appreciated it highlights useful answers for the community.

    Thanks for being part of the discussion !!

  • v-veshwara-msft's avatar
    v-veshwara-msft
    Community Support
    5 months ago

    Hi joaovitorasso ,

    Just wanted to check if the response provided by MohdZaid_ was helpful. If further assistance is needed, please reach out.

     

    Additionally, could you please confirm whether the issue has been addressed through the support ticket with Microsoft and got resolution?


    Thank you.