Need help with error: The XML for Analysis request timed out before it was completed

[Sunflower7500]

I have a PBI semantic model that is pulling from a Databricks connection and is on an auto-refresh schedule in PBI service. The query is very simple: it unions together two tables and renames the fields to be more consumable for the user. The refresh has been working fine up until the last few days when I have been getting this error: "The XML for Analysis request timed out before it was completed. Timeout value: 7200 sec."

Over the weekend, the auto refresh ran perfectly, but this morning I received this error message again so it seems like only sometimes I get this error message even though I haven't changed anything in the query.

The size of my pbix file is 598 KB, so nowhere near the 1 GB limit for refreshes, and it also refreshes within an hour when I manually refresh it on PBI desktop. Refreshing the dataset manually is not a viable long-term solution so I need to find a way to return to an error-free auto refresh.

Is there a way I can resolve this issue? Thank you!

[GilbertQ · Accepted solution]

Hi @Sunflower7500 

It appears that the error could be coming from the databricks connection, and potentially not from the analysis services request. This is because the analysis services request is sending this through two databricks. Could you maybe check on your data warehouse site to see when the query is running and how long it takes to return the information?

[v-ssriganesh · Accepted solution]

Hi @Sunflower7500,
Thank for posting your query in Microsoft fabric community.

we understand that your Power BI dataset refresh is timing out intermittently, even though it works in Power BI Desktop. This can happen due to query performance, service load, or timeout settings. I would recommend you the below steps:

• Try refreshing at a different time (off-peak hours) to see if it completes successfully.
• Please optimize your Databricks query by ensuring proper indexing, minimizing transformations, and verifying cluster performance.
• If your workspace is in Power BI Premium, you may be able to adjust timeout settings via XMLA endpoints.
• Check Dataset Settings → Refresh History for any error details.
• If applicable, incremental refresh can help improve performance.

Please refer the below Microsoft Official links:
Data refresh in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Troubleshoot refresh scenarios - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Please refer to the following similar thread link:
Timeout Value in Power BI Service

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

[v-ssriganesh]

Hi @Sunflower7500,
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.

[Poojara_D12 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Sunflower7500 

The "XML for Analysis request timed out before it was completed" error in Power BI Service suggests that the dataset refresh is exceeding the 7200-second (2-hour) limit despite working fine in Power BI Desktop. Since your PBIX file is small (598 KB) and refreshes within an hour manually, the issue is likely due to performance fluctuations in Databricks or Power BI Service capacity constraints. The error occurs intermittently, which suggests that Databricks may be experiencing high load at certain times, leading to slower query execution. To resolve this, you can optimize your query in Databricks, enable query folding, or consider incremental refresh to reduce processing time. Additionally, adjusting the refresh schedule to avoid peak usage times and checking for resource contention in Power BI shared capacity can help improve reliability. If the issue persists, moving to a dedicated capacity (Premium/Fabric) or tuning Databricks performance settings may be necessary. Monitoring query execution times in Databricks and analyzing Power BI Service refresh logs can provide further insights into the root cause.

 

[v-ssriganesh]

Hi @Sunflower7500,

May I ask if you have resolved this issue? If so, please mark the helpful reply and accept it as the solution. This will be helpful for other community members who have similar problems to solve it faster.

Thank you.

[v-ssriganesh · Accepted solution]

Hi @Sunflower7500,
Thank for posting your query in Microsoft fabric community.

we understand that your Power BI dataset refresh is timing out intermittently, even though it works in Power BI Desktop. This can happen due to query performance, service load, or timeout settings. I would recommend you the below steps:

• Try refreshing at a different time (off-peak hours) to see if it completes successfully.
• Please optimize your Databricks query by ensuring proper indexing, minimizing transformations, and verifying cluster performance.
• If your workspace is in Power BI Premium, you may be able to adjust timeout settings via XMLA endpoints.
• Check Dataset Settings → Refresh History for any error details.
• If applicable, incremental refresh can help improve performance.

Please refer the below Microsoft Official links:
Data refresh in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Troubleshoot refresh scenarios - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Please refer to the following similar thread link:
Timeout Value in Power BI Service

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

[Sunflower7500]

Hi @v-ssriganesh , thanks for the response. The server refresh occurs successfully in non-peak hours. 

The semantic model is connected to a databricks compute cluster that is used for multiple notebooks/other PBI reports so it seems like that is causing a data connection slowdown. Once PBI is connected to the Databricks host, the data loads in relatively quickly (usually within an hour) but the host connection can take an 1-1.5 hours to create, exceeding the 2 timeout period on PBI.

We have decided to upgrade to premium so that we can have the 5-hour refresh timout period on PBI service.

[v-ssriganesh]

Hi @Sunflower7500,

Could you please confirm if this issue has been resolved? If it has, kindly mark it as the solution and share the details in the community to help other members.

Thank you.

[GilbertQ · Accepted solution]

Hi @Sunflower7500 

It appears that the error could be coming from the databricks connection, and potentially not from the analysis services request. This is because the analysis services request is sending this through two databricks. Could you maybe check on your data warehouse site to see when the query is running and how long it takes to return the information?

[Sunflower7500]

Hi @GilbertQ , thanks for the suggestion. Yes, it looks like the slowdown is caused by creating the connection to the Databricks host when loading the data into PBI, which can take about an hour since we have multiple notebooks/reports connected to the cluster. Once connected, the data loads in quickly