Power BI Service - Failure to Refresh

[G_Terry]

     We have a Power BI Desktop report, based on an Access 365 database, that we periodically publish to the Power BI Service. We utilize a gateway server for the Power BI Service connection to the database, which worked for a brief period of time with scheduled Refreshes, but no longer does so. We can and do refresh in Power BI Desktop. I have tried basically all of the recommended steps to fix, i.e Compact and Repair on the .accdb table file, creating a new database and copying the tables to the new file, to make sure the data is not corrupted. 
     In every attempt I get the following error in the Power BI Service on refresh attempt (the only exception being is the table name; it cycles through the table names normally with subsequent refresh attempts):

Any help at this point would be appreciated. I've read many similar issues, but none that I recall listing "Unspecified error" as in my case.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi G_Terry,

We wanted to see if the information we gave helped fix your problem. If you need more help, please feel free to contact the Microsoft Fabric community.

Thank you.

[v-tejrama]

Hi  @G_Terry ,

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.

Thank you,

Tejaswi.

[v-tejrama]

Hi @G_Terry ,

Thanks for sharing the details. Since the refresh is working in Power BI Desktop but failing in the Service with DataFormat.Error, it usually points to the gateway setup rather than the query or the Access file itself. Please update your On-premises data gateway to the latest version and install the matching Microsoft Access Database Engine (generally 64-bit) on the gateway machine.

Also, ensure you are using a UNC path instead of a mapped drive, and confirm that the gateway service account has read access to the file and folder. At times, differences in regional settings between Desktop and Service can also cause this error, so it’s safer to explicitly define date/number formats in Power Query and check for unexpected nulls or text values in numeric/date columns. 

If you have validated these and the issue still persists, the best next step is to raise a support ticket through the Power Platform Admin Center so Microsoft can review the logs https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/support/create-support-ticket

Thank you,
Tejaswi.

[wardy912]

Hi @G_Terry 

DataFormat.error usually indicates the data couldn't be interpreted correctly due to corrupted data, unexpected nulls, or incompatible types.

I think the error is a red herring though.

It's not the query, as it's refreshing successfully in Power BI desktop.

I doubt it's the data in the Access DB for the same reason.

I'd suggest you make sure the on-premises data gateway is up to date.

Ensure the machine running the gateway has the latest Microsoft Access Database Engine installed.

After that, I agree with @FBergamaschi, might be one for Microsoft.

I hope this helps, please mark as solved if it does!

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[G_Terry]

Thanks for the response. Our company has a gateway server, on which the gateway is created for the Access database in question. The gateway connection was created relatively recently, and I had requested of the enterprise configuration team that the 64 bit Access driver be installed on the gateway server, which was done. The connection is created via a UNC path to the share where the Access table file is located. Once the correct connection was made, the refresh worked initially, as I recall both instant refresh, and also scheduled. Then it just quit working. The old "unspecified error," which is usually useless in my experience, comes up as you can see. At this point, guess I will put in a ticket.

[v-tejrama]

Hi @G_Terry ,

Thanks for sharing the additional details. Since the refresh was working earlier with the gateway and the 64-bit Access driver, but later stopped with the “unspecified error,” it means the original setup was fine and something in the environment has changed. In such cases, the most common causes are either the Access driver getting unregistered after a Windows update, or the gateway service account losing permissions to the shared folder where the Access file sits.

I would suggest confirming that the driver is still properly installed on the gateway server, checking if the service account has uninterrupted access to the UNC path, and verifying that the file itself has not been moved, renamed or locked. The gateway logs (found under C:\Program Files\On-premises data gateway\GatewayLogs) will normally point to the exact issue. If none of these checks resolve it, raising a support ticket would be the right step as the logs will help the support team narrow down whether it is a driver, permissions, or gateway service problem.

Thank you,

Tejaswi.

[v-tejrama]

Hi  @G_Terry 

I wanted to follow up and see if you had a chance to review the information shared. If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, feel free to reach out.

Thank you.

[v-tejrama]

Hi  @G_Terry ,

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.

Thank you,

Tejaswi.

[G_Terry]

Sorry for the late reply. The admin I'm working with at corporate indicated that the gateway server had been patched to the latest version. I've indicated to him to check for an unregistered Access driver, which he said he woul do today. So we'll see. Also, to check th logs on the server. Wish I could do that myself, but the only access I have to the gateway server is creating the connection through Power BI web.

[v-tejrama · Accepted solution]

Hi @G_Terry ,

Thank you for the update. Since the gateway has been patched and your admin is reviewing the Access driver registration, you are proceeding correctly. At this stage, it is advisable for your admin to examine the gateway logs on the server, as these logs can help determine whether the issue is related to the Access driver, file path permissions, or the gateway service itself.

If the driver is functioning properly and the logs do not clarify the cause, submitting a support ticket to Microsoft would be the most effective next step, as their team can perform a detailed log analysis and provide further guidance.

Thank you,

Tejaswi.

[FBergamaschi]

Refreshing from Access is often an issue.

Looking at the error message, I assume you need a ticjet to Microsoft, you can open it from the admin center of power platform

https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com/

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