Forum Discussion
Unable to Change Data Type of String in PowerBI - Dataset Published via Alteryx Power BI Output Too
Yes, the issue is now clear after reviewing the information provided by the contributors.
Since push datasets created through the REST API don’t support Power Query or transformations, the inability to change data types inside Power BI is expected behavior. Also, as confirmed, external tools like Alteryx cannot write directly into Dataflows because Dataflows do not expose a row-level write API.
At this point, it seems the only workable approach is to stage the data in an intermediate source such as Azure SQL, SharePoint/OneDrive, or Dataverse, and then use a Dataflow to perform proper transformations including DateTime conversion. We will explore these options on our side.
Thank you again for the clarification and guidance.
Super UserHi Junaid46
This behavior is expected with the Alteryx to Power BI REST API route.
When you publish via the Power BI Output Tool, the dataset is created as a push dataset (streaming/live connection), push datasets don’t expose a Power Query layer, so you can’t transform columns or change data types inside Power BI that’s why the Transform Data option is disabled and why you can’t switch it to Import or DirectQuery mode afterward.
I suggest pushing the data into a Power BI dataflow (via Alteryx or another connector), then connecting your report to the dataflow. Dataflows support transformations and proper DateTime types.
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After reviewing available documentation, it looks like the Power BI Output Tool in Alteryx does not support writing to Dataflows. The Output Tool only supports pushing rows into Power BI datasets through the REST API, and Dataflows do not expose a write API for row ingestion.
If there is any supported way to send data directly into a Dataflow from a third-party tool like Alteryx, please let me know.
Thanks again for your clarification.
V-yubandi-msftCommunity Support
Hi Junaid46 ,
Thank you for checking. At the moment, Power BI Dataflows do not support pushing data directly via the REST API. Because of this, tools like Alteryx cannot write to Dataflows they can only send data to Power BI through push datasets. However, push datasets do not support Power Query or transformations.
If you need to perform transformations or handle fields like DateTime properly, a recommended approach is to first load your data into a source such as Azure SQL, SharePoint/OneDrive, or Dataverse. Then, you can connect your Dataflow to that source using Power Query.
Helpful Reference:
Dataflows - REST API (Power BI Power BI REST APIs) | Microsoft Learn
Connect to data sources for dataflows - Power Query | Microsoft Learn
Introduction to Dataflows and Self-service Data Prep - Power BI | Microsoft LearnRegards,
Yugandhar.