Reconnect semantic model to dataflow

Hi Sebfrank,
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Forum Community.

Thank you ibarrau, for your insights.

It looks like after downloading the published PBIX file, making updates, and re-publishing it, the connection between your semantic model (dataset) and the Power BI dataflow was broken. 

• To restore the dataflow connection, follow these steps in Power BI Desktop: 
• Open your PBIX file in Power BI Desktop. 
• Go to Transform Data to open the Power Query Editor. 
• For each query that originally pulled from a dataflow: 
  Select the query. 
  Check the Source step. 
  If it’s pointing to a static table or Analysis Services, it needs to be replaced. 

• Reconnect the dataflow: 
  Click Home > Get Data > Power Platform > Power BI Dataflows. 
  Select the appropriate workspace and the correct dataflow entities. 
  Load the data. 

• If applicable, copy over transformation steps from the old query to the new one. 
• Delete the old queries that are no longer connected to the dataflow. 
• Click Close & Apply and then re-publish your report to the same workspace. 
• In the Power BI Service: 
  Go to Dataset Settings > Data Source Credentials. 
  Update credentials for the dataflow if needed (especially if a warning icon appears). 

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Thank you.

Hi Sebfrank 

When you download a Power BI report from the Power BI Service and make changes in Power BI Desktop, publishing it back can sometimes break existing data source connections—especially with dataflows—if the changes alter or remove the original connection settings. To reconnect the semantic model to the dataflow, open the report in Power BI Desktop, go to Transform Data to access Power Query Editor, and verify if the dataflow source still exists under the Data sources pane. If it’s missing or broken, you need to re-add the dataflow: click on New Source > Power Platform > Dataflows, sign in with the correct credentials, and select the appropriate workspace and dataflow. Choose the table(s) you were using earlier and load them. Once added, ensure the names of the dataflow tables match the original ones used in your model to avoid breaking measures, visuals, or relationships. You might need to adjust column names or step names in Power Query to match the old schema. After restoring the connection and ensuring all steps and relationships are intact, publish the updated report to Power BI Service. This will re-establish the semantic model’s link to the dataflow and allow for scheduled refreshes as before.