Issue with Cloud Connections appearing under Gateway Connection

[aFabricUser]

Apologizes, I work for an organization so I had to redact some of the details within the snip below. I have an issue where my cloud connections are showing up under the gateway connection, preventing online refreshes. The "Prod Revenue" gateway connection is via a service account to an Azure File Share. Reason for that connection is having sensitive data, behind a firewall. So, using the Azure connector won't be a posibility. That being said, the main problem I'm having, is when I use that file share connection, which works fine on it's own, appears to attempt to add cloud connections, such as Dataflows or Sharepoint. Any ideas why this might be occuring?

[v-sgandrathi]

Hi @aFabricUser,

Thankyou @BhavinVyas3003, You are correct to highlight the behavior seen when combining multiple sources. This usually occurs because Power BI treats these datasets as hybrid models, causing it to mistakenly route cloud sources (like SharePoint/Dataflows) through the gateway.

To address this, you can adjust the dataset slightly:

Move all SharePoint and Dataflow logic into Dataflows.

Use only the Azure File Share in your main dataset.

Then, pull data from the Dataflows back into your model, ensuring cloud sources remain cloud-based and are not routed via the gateway.

This setup provides a clear separation and avoids Power BI's auto-routing issues.

I hope my suggestions provided valuable insights. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask in a follow-up message.
If this post helped, please mark it as "Accept as Solution" so others can benefit as well.

Best regards,
Sahasra.

[aFabricUser]

At what stage would I add the dataflow back into the model, before publishing, or after publishing to the service?

The issue resolves if I'm just using file share content or just Dataflows. My main content is from the File Share, but if I add the cloud connection to the Dataflow within BI Desktop, then publish. Same issue happens.

Here's an example of another report I'm having issues with. Same thing. Lineage shows separate sources but still bundles the Dataflow within the gateway. 

[v-sgandrathi · Accepted solution]

Hi @aFabricUser,

Thank you for the clarification, and I completely understand your concern.

Based on the scenario you've described, the issue arises due to how Power BI handles hybrid data models, which combine gateway-bound sources like Azure File Share with cloud-based sources such as Dataflows or SharePoint. When these sources are combined within Power BI Desktop, the platform may incorrectly associate cloud sources with the on-premises data gateway during the publish process, resulting in unexpected refresh behavior and source bundling, as seen in the Lineage view.

We recommend adding the Dataflow connection after publishing your dataset to the Power BI Service.

Here’s the ideal approach to avoid the bundling issue:

In Power BI Desktop, build your dataset using only the Azure File Share connection (which routes via the gateway).

Publish the dataset to the Power BI Service.

In the Service, add the Dataflow using DirectQuery or composite model options. This ensures the Dataflow is treated correctly as a cloud-based source and is not routed through the gateway.

By separating the addition of cloud sources from the desktop model, Power BI can more accurately manage source classification and refresh routing, preventing Dataflows or SharePoint connections from being misassigned to the gateway.

If my response was helpful, consider clicking "Accept as Solution" and give us "Kudos" so that other community members can find it easily. Let me know if you need any more assistance!

Thank you for being a part of the Microsoft Fabric Community.

[aFabricUser]

Thank you for the clarification. This is really helpful!

[Naila-Rais]

Fix (3 Steps):

1. Check Dataset Settings in Power BI Service

   • Go to Settings > Datasets > Your Dataset.

   • Under Gateway Connection, ensure only the Azure File Share is mapped to the gateway.

   • Remove any cloud sources (Dataflows/SharePoint) from the gateway list.

2. Re-enter Cloud Credentials

   • For Dataflows/SharePoint, go to Data Source Credentials and re-authenticate using OAuth2 (not gateway).

3. Restart Gateway & Test

   • Restart the On-Premises Data Gateway service.

   • Trigger a manual refresh to verify cloud sources now work directly.

If still failing, recreate the dataset with separated connections.

[aFabricUser]

I've checked all the connectors and only the azure file share is listed on the gateway. Both Sharepoint and Dataflow is using OAuth2. I've also published various versions, dataflow only and sharepoint only (works fine and doesn't attempt to connect thru gateway). Have also tried a report just using the file share and there's no issues. It's only when attempting to publish a bi report that uses various connectors, it'll add them to the gateway section as shown above.

[BhavinVyas3003]

This issue is likely due to Power BI treating the combined model as hybrid, forcing cloud sources into the gateway list again.

Rebuild the dataset using Dataflows or DirectQuery layering:

• Move SharePoint and other cloud logic into Dataflows.

• Use only the Azure File Share in the dataset.

• Pull Dataflows into the model as cloud sources (they won’t route through the gateway)

This separates gateway-bound and cloud-bound processing cleanly and avoids Power BI auto-routing issues.

[aFabricUser]

So the dataflow actually pulls from sharepoint. Are you saying to only add the dataflow into the model after publishing online?