Sharepoint List Importing Problems

[Sogi]

Trying to pull a online Sharepoint list into Power BI. I'm able to see the list in the preview but if I try to convert it into a semantic model or transform the data I get an error.

Below is the error I got trying to transform the data. Any insight into what is going on would be great.

---------- Message ----------
Request failed

---------- Stack ----------
onerror()@webpack://@powerquery/monolith-ui/ClientShared/Scripts/ImageHtmlManagerBase.ts:18:23

---------- Session ID ----------
b7b12297-d3fa-417b-a491-4a76ba1cc5a0

---------- Mashup script ----------
section Section1;
shared #"955e3f41-4154-49bb-80f5-ece63bc807d4" = let
  Source = SharePoint.Tables("https://newnanga.sharepoint.com/sites/Maintenace", [Implementation = "2.0", ViewMode = "All"])
in
  Source;

[v-saisrao-msft]

Hi @Sogi,

Thank you @adudani @cengizhanarslan, for your insights.

This issue occurs because the Navigator preview does not fully run the query; a complete evaluation only happens during Transform Data or Load. Microsoft states that the root SharePoint site URL must be used, as using an incorrect URL might cause failures during loading, even if the preview appears to work. The SharePoint Online List v2.0 connector has a join limit, so including too many lookup or related columns especially with the All view can cause the query to fail. To resolve this, reduce columns using a Default view or limit the fields before loading.

Power Query SharePoint Online list connector - Power Query | Microsoft Learn

Power Query SharePoint list connector - Power Query | Microsoft Learn

Thank you.

[cengizhanarslan]

That error is usually not your M code – it’s the Power Query UI failing while rendering the SharePoint preview/result, most often because one of the columns contains rich content (image/html/attachments/people fields) that the editor struggles with.

A few quick fixes that typically resolve it:

1) Don’t load the whole “tables navigator” object

Right now you’re returning SharePoint.Tables(...) directly. Instead, pick the list and only return its items.

Example pattern:

let
    Source = SharePoint.Tables("https://newnanga.sharepoint.com/sites/Maintenace", [Implementation="2.0", ViewMode="All"]),
    MyList = Source{[Id="YOUR_LIST_ID"]}[Items]
in
    MyList

(You can also select by [Name="Your List Name"] if it’s stable.)

2) Remove “problem” columns early (common culprits)

In the query, immediately remove columns like:

• Attachments

• Thumbnail / Image

• Rich text / HTML columns

• Person or Group

• Lookup (multi-select)

Even if you need them later, load the basic table first, then add them back carefully.

3) Try switching the connector behavior

In your code you already use Implementation="2.0". If it still fails, try Implementation="1.0" (some tenants/lists behave better with the older API):

SharePoint.Tables("https://.../sites/Maintenace", [Implementation="1.0", ViewMode="All"])

 

4) If the list is large, filter rows early

Very large lists can preview but fail on transform/load. Add a filter early (e.g., only last 90 days) to confirm it’s not a volume/throttling issue.

[adudani · Accepted solution]

Hi @Sogi,

Even though the error message looks like a UI/JavaScript failure (ImageHtmlManagerBase.ts), the root cause is almost never the UI. That message appears when Power BI fails to retrieve or expand the SharePoint list metadata, and the UI crashes while trying to render the preview.

In other words: Power BI can see the list, but cannot materialize it into a table.

Some potential solutions may be:

1. The SharePoint site URL is slightly wrong. Instead maybe try:

SharePoint.Tables("https://newnanga.sharepoint.com/sites/Maintenance")

2. The list contains unsupported column types. These columns load in preview, but fail when Power BI tries to expand them, triggering the UI crash suggested. Can try:

https://newnanga.sharepoint.com/sites/Maintenance/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('YourListName')

3. You’re using the v2.0 SharePoint connector. Switching to the legacy connector often fixes the issue instantly. 

The v2.0 connector is faster but much more fragile. It may break on:

• Large lists

• Lists with complex fields

• Lists with hidden system columns

• Lists with attachments enabled

4. Permissions mismatch. 

If this does not resolve the issue, Could you share if:

• The SharePoint list column types ?

• Double check that the site name is spelled correctly

• Whether you’re using Power BI Desktop or Power BI Service ?

• Whether the list is large (10k+ items) ?

Mask any sensitive data necessary.

[Sogi]

I was using the Sharepoint Online list connector which was causing the issue. Using SharePoint List allowed the data to be imported without issue.