Unable to refresh dataset with Column content exceeding 315 characters

[pallavi_r]

Hi All,

I am facing one issue while refreshing a dataset with column length more tan 315 characters. It does not throw proper error, Just refresh stops with invalid credentials. And if i decrease the characters, it gets refreshed successfully. 

The dataset is very less, just 4-5 mb.

Any idea how to resolve this one?

Can I change it to any specific data type which can accomodate more chars.

Thanks,

Pallavi

[pallavi_r]

Thank you @lbendlin  @Poojara_D12 @V-yubandi-msft  for quick reply. All your points seems right to me. Its not the column length, rather when the file length is more than 315 in combination with expanded column attributes in the power query steps, it is causing the issue. I have not been able to resolve it yet. May be is it because I am using sharepoint online list 1.0 which is causing refresh issue.  Still figuring out.

Thanks,

Pallavi

[V-yubandi-msft]

Hi @pallavi_r ,

Thank you for your update.  Based on your findings, it looks like the issue might be due to limitations in SharePoint Online List 1.0 and expanded column attributes in Power Query.

• SharePoint Online List 1.0 has known limitations, and upgrading to List 2.0 could provide better performance and stability.
• SharePoint Online has API limits, especially when retrieving large data with expanded columns,      which might be affecting the refresh.

Could you please try switching to SharePoint Online List 2.0 and simplifying Power Query steps to see if it resolves the issue? Let me know the results, and I'll be ready to assist you with any further steps.

Best regards,

Yugandhar.

[pallavi_r]

Hi @V-yubandi-msft ,

Yes, Online List 1.0 is slow, but if I upgrade to List 2.0, the required metadata is not found in List 2.0. It seems list 2.0 has limited metadata compared to List 1.0. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Is there a way I can use List 2.0 and call out these specific expanded column attribute in power query step which are actually not available in List 2.0.

Kindly suggest.

Thanks,

Pallavi

[V-yubandi-msft]

Hi @pallavi_r ,

Thank you for your quick response and for sharing your experience and knowledge. Using SharePoint's REST API to directly fetch the required metadata from SharePoint Online seems like a useful workaround. Have you already tried this method?

Regards,

Yugandhar.

[pallavi_r]

Hi @V-yubandi-msft ,

I am going to try this today. Could you please do me a favour sharing some reference link or sample code to extract specific metadata from SharePoint call via rest api.

Your suggestion will be a great help to me.

Thanks,

Pallavi

[lbendlin]

Can you specify what you mean by "specific"? Can you give an example?

[pallavi_r]

Hi @lbendlin ,

The specific field that I want to capture but not limited to

Odata_ComplianceTag,

Odata_ComplianceTag,

That's available in Items.file.listitemallfields.fieldvalueastext 

Along with this I capturing other metadata like childcount, empty folder, file url etc etc.

Thanks,

Pallavi

[V-yubandi-msft]

Hi @pallavi_r ,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Community with your query.  The solution provided by the @lbendlin & @Poojara_D12 is accurate. Here are some additional points to consider.

•  Ensure that the column type in the source system (SharePoint list) is set to allow for longer text entries. If   it's a single line of text, consider changing it to a multiline text field.
•  If the file names are consistently exceeding the character limit, consider using Power Query   transformations like Text.Middle() or Text.Start() to split or truncate the text safely before loading.

For more detailed guidance, you can also refer to the following resources, which might be helpful for you.

Link:  How to increase Character Limit for Multiline Text Field in SharePoint - Microsoft Community.

If my answer addressed your query, kindly mark it as the Accepted Solution to assist others.

I'd also be grateful for a 'Kudos' if you found my response useful.

[Poojara_D12]

Hi @pallavi_r 

As per the previous comments what I think is the issue with dataset refresh stopping without a clear error when a column exceeds 315 characters may be due to data type constraints, connector limitations, or backend storage restrictions. In Power BI, Text columns generally support long values, but some sources impose hidden limits. If using SQL Server, ensure the column is NVARCHAR(MAX) or TEXT instead of a fixed length. For Excel or APIs, consider truncating or splitting the text before loading. If using DirectQuery, long text fields might not be fully supported, so switching to Import Mode could help. Additionally, Power Query transformations like Text.Middle() or Text.Start() can limit the length safely. Debugging by manually reducing text length, checking Power BI logs, or isolating the column can help pinpoint the issue. As a workaround, storing long text separately and linking via a key can prevent failures.

 

[lbendlin]

what is "column length" ? Size of the column name, or size of the column content?

There are various limitations that sometimes even combine , for example "10000 rows or 1000000  elements, whichever comes first").

What's the source of your semantic model?

[pallavi_r]

Hi @lbendlin ,

It's the content of a column that exceeds 300+ chars and causes refresh issue 

Thanks,

Pallavi

[lbendlin]

Text in columns can be up to 32K characters long. There must be something else going on.  What's the source of your semantic model?

[pallavi_r]

Hi @lbendlin 

The source is SharePoint list to capture the metadata where I have further expanded the attributes in the power query.

Thanks,

Pallavi

[lbendlin]

Then the limitation is likely coming from the source. Single line of text or multi line?

[pallavi_r]

Hi @lbendlin ,

Its actually from SharePoint list,  I am capturing the File.Name in one of the dataset as content. If the name of the file exceeds these much chars, issue crops up.

Any suggestion or workaround to trick this one?

Thanks,

Pallavi