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Shreyash_Sanket's avatar
Shreyash_Sanket
Regular Visitor
5 months ago

Power BI refresh showing warnings

Hi Anonymous 

Recently, I observed some strange behavior in the Power BI Service during dataset refreshes. The refresh completes successfully, but warnings are displayed without any actual errors.

In one scenario, I noticed that the warnings refer to tables and columns that are not even part of the current data model. I verified this in the dataset and confirmed that those columns do not exist.

The issue appears to be related to the fact that this dataset was previously referencing an older dataset/file, which did contain those tables and columns. However, I have since deleted all those tables and columns from the current model.

It seems that Power BI is still retaining references to the old schema, possibly due to cached metadata. To resolve this, I also attempted to clear the Power BI cache, but the warnings continue to appear during refresh.


Any solution to this

 

 

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5 Replies

  • pankajnamekar25's avatar
    pankajnamekar25
    Icon for Super User rankSuper User
    5 months ago

    Hello Shreyash_Sanket 

     

    The issue occurs when a Power BI dataset refresh completes successfully but still shows warnings referencing tables or columns that no longer exist in the current model. This typically happens because Power BI retains hidden or cached metadata from a previously used dataset or file, even after those elements have been removed. As a result, the model appears clean visually but still carries internal references. To resolve this, you should refresh all queries in Power Query and apply changes, ensure there are no unused or hidden queries in the dependencies view, and re-enter the data source credentials in the Power BI Service to reset the connection. If the warnings still persist, the most reliable solution is to rebuild the PBIX file from scratch to completely eliminate any leftover metadata.

     


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  • v-sgandrathi's avatar
    v-sgandrathi
    Icon for Community Support rankCommunity Support
    5 months ago

    Hi Shreyash_Sanket,

     

    Thank you GilbertQ  and pankajnamekar25 for your answers to the query.

    Thank you for providing the details. From your description, it seems the issue is likely due to residual or cached metadata that Power BI evaluates during refresh, even though those tables and columns are no longer in the model.

    Since re-publishing and clearing the cache didn’t resolve it, I suggest checking the dataset at the query level. Open Power Query Editor and review all queries, including disabled or hidden ones, and confirm that none of the applied steps reference columns or tables that were removed. Sometimes, intermediate transformation steps can still hold these references and cause warnings during refresh.

    If everything appears correct and the issue remains, the best approach is to recreate the dataset in a new PBIX file by reconnecting to the data source and rebuilding the queries from scratch, rather than copying them. This can help remove any hidden metadata from the previous model.

    If the warnings persist after rebuilding, it might be due to backend metadata in Power BI Service. In that case, contacting Microsoft support would be the next step.
    Create a Fabric and Power BI Support Ticket - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

    Thank you
    CST Member.

  • v-sgandrathi's avatar
    v-sgandrathi
    Icon for Community Support rankCommunity Support
    4 months ago

    Hi Shreyash_Sanket,

     

    Just looping back one time to check if everything's good on your end. Let me know if you need any final support happy to assist if anything’s still open.

     

    Thank you.