Scheduled refresh is failing with "Unable to combine Data"

[Anonymous]

Hi,

The scheduled refresh fails with the below error:

Report has failed to refresh.
Failure details: The last refresh attempt failed because of an internal service error. This is usually a transient issue. If you try again later and still see this message, contact support.

<ccon>[Unable to combine data] Section1/<Table>/Filtered Rows1 references other queries or steps, so it may not directly access a data source. Please rebuild this data combination.</ccon>. The exception was raised by the IDataReader interface. Please review the error message and provider documentation for further information and corrective action. Table: <Ref Table>

[ichavarria]

Hi @Anonymous,

Based on the error message, it seems that the refresh failure is related to a data combination issue in the Power BI dataset. To troubleshoot the issue, we can consider the following steps:

1. What is the data source? First, we need to identify the data source(s) used in the Power BI dataset. This can be done by checking the data source settings in Power BI Desktop or by reviewing the data source credentials in the Power BI service. It is possible that the data source is encountering an issue or experiencing downtime that is causing the refresh failure.

2. Is there a Gateway involved? If the data source is an on-premises source, there may be a Gateway involved. We need to verify if there is a Gateway configured and if it is running properly. This can be done by checking the Gateway status in the Power BI service and verifying that it is connected to the data source.

3. If there is a Gateway, does it work in Desktop from the Gateway server? We also need to check if the Gateway is working properly from the server where it is installed. This can be done by attempting to refresh the Power BI dataset in Power BI Desktop from the server where the Gateway is installed. If the refresh is successful, this may indicate an issue with the Gateway configuration or network settings.

4. If no Gateway, does it refresh properly from Desktop? If there is no Gateway involved, we need to verify if the Power BI dataset refreshes properly in Power BI Desktop. If the refresh is successful, this may indicate an issue with the Power BI service or network settings.

Once we have identified the root cause of the refresh failure, we can take corrective action such as adjusting the data source settings, fixing the Gateway configuration, or contacting Power BI support for further assistance.

Best regards, 

Isaac Chavarria

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[Anonymous]

Hi @ichavarria , Below are the details

1. The datasouce is an API call to an external site. we are calling the apI and and referencing that to 5 more tables.
2. No, there is no Gateway involved, since it is a not an on-prem server that we are calling the api.
3. And Yes it refreshes perfectly fine in the desktop.