Power BI report refresh failed due to some data from dataflow.

[lotus99]

All the Power BI reports created before last week can be refreshed successfully, but the new Power BI report saved last week is failing to refresh with data from dataflow. below is the error message, df_Corptax_Entity is a dataflow.

Data source error: [Unable to combine data] Section1/Load_PRVUSPPO_2024/Expanded df_Corptax_Entity references other queries or steps, so it may not directly access a data source. Please rebuild this data combination.. The exception was raised by the IDbCommand interface. Table: Load_PRVUSPPO_2024.
Cluster URI: WABI-US-EAST2-redirect.analysis.windows.net
Activity ID: 93b0f616-47f2-43f3-b499-0acd2c21134d
Request ID: 1bb85697-7e9e-d3e8-0faa-5354a0110fa8
Time: 2025-06-03 22:37:02Z

[alicegray]

Hey 

If your Power BI report fails to refresh data from dataflow, the issue lies in one or more of the following areas: dataflow configuration, credentials, getaway settings, or refresh dependencies.  Here are some steps to consider: 

• Ensure that the RangeStart and RangeEnd Parameters of Power BI reports are properly configured 
• Perform schema upgradation 
• Configure Power Query steps to ensure refresh limit does not exceed 

  Please feel free to contact me for more information! 

[v-echaithra]

Hi @lotus99 ,

May I ask if you have gotten this issue resolved?

If it is solved, please mark the helpful reply or share your solution and accept it as solution, it will be helpful for other members of the community who have similar problems as yours to solve it faster.

Regards,
Chaithra.

[v-echaithra]

Hi @lotus99 ,

As we haven’t heard back from you, so just following up to our previous message. I'd like to confirm if you've successfully resolved this issue or if you need further help.

If yes, you are welcome to share your workaround and mark it as a solution so that other users can benefit as well. If you find a reply particularly helpful to you, you can also mark it as a solution.
If you still have any questions or need more support, please feel free to let us know. We are more than happy to continue to help you.

Thank you for your patience and look forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,
Chaithra E.

[v-echaithra]

Hi @lotus99 ,

As we haven’t heard back from you, we wanted to kindly follow up to check if the solution provided for the issue worked? or Let us know if you need any further assistance?
If our response addressed, please mark it as Accept as solution and click Yes if you found it helpful.

Regards,

Chaithra.

[v-echaithra · Accepted solution]

Hi @lotus99 ,

Thank you for your response.
Inorder to go back to a previous version of Power BI Desktop, go to the official Power BI Desktop previous versions archive or direct link to older versions:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=58494

If this post helps, please give us Kudos and consider marking it Accept as solution to assist other members in finding it more easily.

Regards,
Chaithra

[Akash_Varuna]

Hi @lotus99 The error is due to Power BI’s data privacy settings blocking the dataflow query. Set all data sources’ privacy levels to “Organizational” or “Ignore” under Options > Privacy. Also, rebuild the query to avoid referencing other queries when combining data.

[lotus99]

thanks!

The Desktop setting for Privacy: Always ignore Privacy Level setting.

I don't know how to set the dataflow Privacy, df_Corptax_Entity is a dataflow.

We are using the Desktop version of May, may I go back to the previous version?

it seems to me the problem is with the Desktop of May's version. 
I'd like to go back to the previous version, but I don't know how.

[Poojara_D12]

Hi @lotus99 

You're encountering a refresh failure in a new Power BI report created last week, while all older reports continue to refresh successfully. The error message indicates a problem with the way data is being combined in the new report, specifically pointing to a dataflow named df_Corptax_Entity. The message suggests that the query Load_PRVUSPPO_2024 is attempting to reference or expand steps from df_Corptax_Entity in a way that Power BI considers unsafe or unsupported during scheduled or service refresh. This typically happens when queries from different data sources—or even dataflows—are combined without enabling "Allow data preview to download in the background" or without properly managing Privacy Levels. In your case, it appears that the combination of steps within the report is being interpreted as violating Power BI’s privacy isolation rules, especially if you're referencing or expanding queries that rely on other query steps indirectly. This issue often does not occur in Desktop during development but becomes apparent when refreshing in the service. To resolve it, you can try enabling “Fast Combine” by setting the Privacy Levels for your data sources to "Organizational" or "Public" in the Power BI Desktop under File > Options and Settings > Options > Privacy. Additionally, ensure that your queries are not nested or referencing each other in a way that creates implicit data source combinations. If the issue persists, refactor the query to separate or flatten dependencies before merging or expanding, or consider creating an intermediate dataflow to pre-process and simplify data dependencies.

[lotus99]

Thanks for your prompt reply.

The Desktop setting for Privacy: Always ignore Privacy Level setting.

df_Corptax_Entity is a dataflow, we have it for long time and used by many a lots of reports and Excel. How to set up this dataflow privacy level?

We are using the Desktop version of May, may I go back to the previous version?

Thanks!

Celine