Forum Discussion
Scheduled Refresh Disabled Due to Missing Credentials – Unable to Identify Source
Hi all, first time posting here. Hoping someone can help.
I'm experiencing an issue with a Power BI semantic model where refresh history shows:
"Scheduled refresh has been disabled because at least one data source is missing credentials."
However, I cannot identify which data source is causing the issue.
Current Situation
- Semantic model refreshes successfully in Power BI Desktop.
- Refresh History in the Service shows an instant failure (start and end timestamps are the same second).
- Semantic model settings show:
- Last successful refresh completed successfully.
- A future refresh time is shown.
- Refresh schedule controls remain greyed out and cannot be enabled.
- Manual refresh from the Service immediately fails with:
"Scheduled refresh has been disabled."
Data Sources Used
Current Data Source Settings in Desktop only contain:
- Snowflake (Basic authentication)
- SharePoint Online site
- Power Platform Dataflows
- GitHub-hosted CSV files
- Arbor export URLs
Troubleshooting Already Completed
- Removed all legacy File.Contents() sources.
- Migrated all Excel lookup tables from local/synced file paths to SharePoint sources.
- Confirmed no remaining C:\... sources exist in Data Source Settings.
- Removed references to old user-specific file paths.
- Fixed several Power Query refresh errors.
- Verified Query Dependencies show only expected source chains.
- Confirmed all cloud connections are mapped under:
- Snowflake
- PowerPlatformDataflows
- EES Weekly CSV
- EES YTD CSV
- SharePoint
- Confirmed all mappings have green status.
- Re-authenticated SharePoint, Dataflow, and GitHub connections.
- Desktop Data Source Settings appear clean.
Strange Behaviour
The semantic model simultaneously shows:
- Last successful refresh completed successfully.
- Next refresh time is populated.
- Refresh schedule toggle is disabled/greyed out.
- Refresh History says:
"Scheduled refresh has been disabled because at least one data source is missing credentials."
Question
Is there any way to identify which underlying data source Power BI believes is missing credentials when:
- Gateway & Cloud Connections all appear healthy.
- Data Source Settings are clean.
- Refresh never actually starts and fails instantly.
Has anyone seen a semantic model become stuck in this state despite all connections appearing valid?
Thanks all!
Hi dksmith this usually looks like the model is stuck with a hidden or stale credential reference that you cannot see in the Service.
Because the refresh fails instantly, it normally means the issue happens before execution even starts, during credential validation.What can work in this case is to assume there is a “ghost” source still registered. This often comes from old parameters, disabled queries that are still referenced, or functions using Web.Contents.My suggestion is to start by forcing a full reset of credentials in the Service. Go to the semantic model settings and re-enter credentials for every listed source, even if they already show as valid. This can clear inconsistent states.Another common cause is dynamic sources. Things like GitHub files, APIs, or export URLs can create multiple logical sources in the Service, even if they look like a single source in Desktop. That can trigger this error.It is also worth checking your Power Query logic for hidden references, especially parameters, custom functions, or queries that are not loaded but still used somewhere in the dependency chain.If nothing works, what usually helps is republishing the model as a new dataset and setting up credentials again from scratch. This tends to remove any leftover references in the backend.In practice, the issue is not always about identifying one broken source, but about forcing the Service to revalidate everything cleanly.If you want, you can share part of your M code and I can help check for patterns that typically cause this.
4 Replies
- Zanqueta
Super User
Hi dksmith this usually looks like the model is stuck with a hidden or stale credential reference that you cannot see in the Service.
Because the refresh fails instantly, it normally means the issue happens before execution even starts, during credential validation.What can work in this case is to assume there is a “ghost” source still registered. This often comes from old parameters, disabled queries that are still referenced, or functions using Web.Contents.My suggestion is to start by forcing a full reset of credentials in the Service. Go to the semantic model settings and re-enter credentials for every listed source, even if they already show as valid. This can clear inconsistent states.Another common cause is dynamic sources. Things like GitHub files, APIs, or export URLs can create multiple logical sources in the Service, even if they look like a single source in Desktop. That can trigger this error.It is also worth checking your Power Query logic for hidden references, especially parameters, custom functions, or queries that are not loaded but still used somewhere in the dependency chain.If nothing works, what usually helps is republishing the model as a new dataset and setting up credentials again from scratch. This tends to remove any leftover references in the backend.In practice, the issue is not always about identifying one broken source, but about forcing the Service to revalidate everything cleanly.If you want, you can share part of your M code and I can help check for patterns that typically cause this. - GilbertQ
Hi dksmith
What I would also recommend doing is in Pirate BI Desktop clicking on Data Source settings and to make sure that the data sources that you have in your settings are what you can see in the Power BI service and that they all map. To a credential successfully. This could be another issue why it is failing instantly.
- v-csrikanth
Community Support
Hi dksmith
We would like to inquire whether have you got the chance to check the solutions provided by GilbertQ & Zanqueta in commiunity to resolve the issue. We hope the information provided helps to clear the query. Should you have any further queries, kindly feel free to contact the Microsoft Fabric community.
Thanks,
Srikanth Cheri
Community Support Team. - v-csrikanth
Hi dksmith
We haven’t heard from you on the last response and was just checking back to see if you have a resolution yet. And, if you have any further query do let us know.
Thank you.
