CMD Prompt Popping Up During Changes
Hi all, I’m seeing recently a recurring issue in Power BI Desktop where a brief CMD window appears during report load and sometimes during semantic model-related changes. After digging into it, I found that the CMD window is actually SQLDUMPER.EXE. From what I understand, SQLDUMPER.EXE is a Microsoft diagnostic utility that gets triggered when an internal Microsoft component crashes or throws an exception. In this case, the actions seem to be tied to msmdsrv.exe, which is the backend model/query engine used by Power BI Desktop. What the issue looks like The black CMD window appears briefly. It first happens while the report is opening, specifically during “Preparing report”. It can also happen later when making changes that affect the semantic model, for example renaming a field or making other model-related modifications. The issue does not seem to be a simple visual/UI problem. It looks more like the backend model engine is hitting an exception and SQLDUMPER is collecting a dump. My troubleshooting so far Confirmed the CMD window is SQLDUMPER.EXE Using process monitoring, I confirmed that the CMD window is SQLDUMPER.EXE. Looking deeper, the process triggering it appears to be msmdsrv.exe, which is the Analysis Services/model engine running behind Power BI Desktop. No issue with a PBIX that has no external file connection In my tests, the issue does not appear when the PBIX contains only embedded data and no external data source connection to a file. You can simulate it just entering a dummy data using "Enter Data" in power bi. Issue will not happen on those reports. Happens in both Store version and downloaded version I tested both: the Microsoft Store/App version the downloaded installer version The issue happens in both. Preview features do not seem to be the root cause Turning off some preview features, such as On-object interaction, seemed to reduce the frequency somewhat, possibly because they trigger semantic model changes more often. However, this did not solve the issue completely, so I do not think this is purely a preview feature problem. Cache clearing and fresh install did not fix it I tried: clearing cache fresh installation switching to the downloaded version None of these resolved the problem. Running Power BI as Administrator prevents the issue While investigating logs, I noticed some apparent file access-related problems involving msmdsrv.exe. That led me to try Run as administrator. When I ran Power BI Desktop as Administrator, the issue did not appear. I even turned all preview features back on and tested again as Administrator, and it still did not happen. Moving the PBIX to a simple local folder did not help I also moved the report to a simple folder path such as: C:\test. This did not solve the issue. Current conclusion So far, on my machine, the only thing that prevents the issue is running Power BI Desktop as Administrator, which is obviously not a real solution. At this point, I suspect this may be one of the following: a Power BI Desktop bug a permissions / file access / credential issue something related to external data source connections possibly some interaction between the local Analysis Services engine (msmdsrv.exe) and file-based external sources Main questions Is anyone else seeing SQLDUMPER.exe appear during “Preparing report” or during semantic model changes? Has anyone identified the exact trigger? Has Microsoft acknowledged this anywhere? Is there any proper fix besides running Power BI as Administrator? Thanks in advance. I’m sharing this in case it helps others narrow down the issue.
Power BI Case Study - November 2022
Join us in person as Tony Raasch, lead analyst for a Wisconsin-based restaurant franchise system consisting of over 800 restaurants in the US, shares how his organization uses Power BI to analyze restaurant performance across multiple KPIs like sales, experiences, speed of service, guest satisfaction, and more. The meeting will start at 5.30pm with refreshments. The presentation will start shortly after 6pm on Wednesday November 9th. ***LOCATION*** We'll be meeting on the ground floor of the Baker Tilly offices in Madison: 4807 Innovate Ln, Madison, WI 53707. This is where we met in June. It's on the far east side - exit the interstate on US-151 towards Sun Prairie, then exit on American Parkway. Take the first left onto Eastpark Blvd. The Baker Tilly building is 2 buildings after Cambria Suites on Eastpark Blvd. Enter through the main entrance at the front of the building - doors are locked but we'll have someone to let you in and they'll be a phone number to call if you arrive later. What3Words: ///handyman.navigating.mutatePower BI Dashboards: Layout patterns and visualization techniques
Un buen diseño de dashboards permite a los usuarios visualizar los datos que son relevantes para el análisis de sus datos, buscando mostrar solamente los elementos más importantes de la historia que desea contar cada informe. Así, en esta sesión se abarcarán patrones de diseño y técnicas de visualización orientadas al diseño de dashboards en Power BI, haciendo énfasis en darle un impacto positivo a los usuarios finales.Power BI Projects (PBIP) and Git Quick Start
Bring your laptop and join us for a build-along demo where we learn about the new PBIP project format along with some Git fundamentals. Start developing good Git collaboration habits early! The meeting will start at 5.30pm with refreshments. The presentation will start shortly after 6pm. ***LOCATION*** We'll be meeting on the ground floor of the Baker Tilly offices in Madison: 4807 Innovate Ln, Madison, WI 53707. It's on the far east side - exit the interstate on US-151 towards Sun Prairie, then the 2nd exit on American Parkway. Take the first left onto Eastpark Blvd. The Baker Tilly building is 2 buildings after Cambria Suites on Eastpark Blvd. Enter through the main entrance at the front of the building - doors are locked but we'll have someone to let you in and they'll be a phone number to call if you arrive later. What3Words: ///handyman.navigating.mutateIntroduction to Microsoft Fabric
Microsoft Fabric is a new and innovative solution that simplifies data analytics for enterprises. It combines the best of Power BI, Azure Synapse, and Azure Data Factory into one integrated platform that covers everything from data movement to data science, real-time analytics, and business intelligence. With Fabric, you can enjoy a seamless and easy-to-use experience that lets you access and analyze your data in the cloud, without worrying about the underlying infrastructure or services. In this presentation, you will learn about the key features and benefits of Microsoft Fabric. The meeting will start at 5.30pm with refreshments. The presentation will start shortly after 6pm. ***LOCATION*** We'll be meeting on the ground floor of the Baker Tilly offices in Madison: 4807 Innovate Ln, Madison, WI 53707. It's on the far east side - exit the interstate on US-151 towards Sun Prairie, then the 2nd exit on American Parkway. Take the first left onto Eastpark Blvd. The Baker Tilly building is 2 buildings after Cambria Suites on Eastpark Blvd. Enter through the main entrance at the front of the building - doors are locked but we'll have someone to let you in and they'll be a phone number to call if you arrive later. What3Words: ///handyman.navigating.mutate
CCC Quarterly BI Convening
Join us for a quarterly meet-up and learning opportunity about Power BI for California Community College research practitioners. The purpose of these convenings is to provide a space for individuals to share their Power BI expertise and to also bring Power BI users together to engage in collaborative learning. For 2024, we will be meeting the fourth Thursday of every quarter (1/25, 4/25, 7/25, and 10/24) at 10:00am. January Agenda Introductions Overview: Jaime Rodriguez, Katy Wilson Chancellor’s Office Update: Erik Cooper Showcase: Success and Retention, D. Martinez; SQL Import Option, D. Buitron. Resources Next meeting/Website You can use this link to sign on: https://lrccd.zoom.us/j/87678134299Data Visualization and Data Storytelling Best Practices
Want to present? Click here! SESSION TOPIC: Data Visualization and Data Storytelling Best Practices [More Details to Follow] HIGH LEVEL AGENDA: #1. Settle in & Intros #2: Updates #3. Session Topic #4. Q&A / Close LEARNING OBJECTIVES: [Coming Soon]Architecture de la consommation des données dans Power BI
Dans un monde où les données sont au cœur des décisions stratégiques, l'architecture de leur consommation devient essentielle pour maximiser leur valeur. Cette présentation explore comment Power BI, avec ses pipelines natifs et ses capacités avancées, peut transformer la gestion des données en une stratégie gagnante. Vous découvrirez les meilleures pratiques pour concevoir des architectures mono-tenant et multi-tenant adaptées à différents contextes, en combinant pipelines natifs et outils comme Azure DevOps. L'objectif : simplifier les flux de données, améliorer la gouvernance et accélérer la prise de décision. Conférencier : Rodolphe Charly Yemeli Rodolphe Charly Yemeli est un ingénieur de données passionné et expert en technologies Microsoft, avec plus de 10 ans d’expérience dans la gestion de données, les pipelines ETL et la Business Intelligence. Actuellement en poste chez Desjardins, il est spécialisé dans l'architecture et l'administration de Power BI, la modélisation de données avancée, ainsi que l’optimisation des pipelines de données. Rodolphe a piloté des projets de gouvernance et de modernisation des plateformes Power BI à grande échelle, assurant à la fois la performance, la sécurité, et la conformité des données. Avec ses compétences en SQL, Azure Synapse, Power Query, et DAX, il propose des solutions d'architecture robustes et innovantes, adaptées aux besoins métier. Reconnu pour sa passion pour les nouvelles technologies et son esprit collaboratif, Rodolphe est également un formateur certifié, ayant animé de nombreuses formations techniques en Power BI, .NET, et SQL Server. À travers cette conférence, il partagera ses connaissances approfondies sur les architectures de consommation de données dans Power BI, en s’appuyant sur des pipelines natifs pour maximiser la valeur des données.
Images on first page of embedded report flicker and disappear
I have an Image URL visualization which shows an image of the company that is selected in a slicer. It is live on https://www.talkingengagement.ca/municipal-culture-indicators All my images are publicly hosted URLs, in the right format. They all work except for the first image that loads by default. That image flickers in and out, and sometimes disappears completely. The data responds perfectly to the slicer, the flickering problem is only with the image. I tried to troubleshoot by changing the image, changing the number and order of companies in my data; the problem is always with whichever image is loaded first. In powerBI Desktop and MyWorkspace, everything is fine. The problemarises when the report is embedded, on all browsers. The problem is intermittent
FIX THE 'LINE GRAPH' VISUAL BUG IN LATEST VERSION OF POWER BI
Power BI Desktop 2.156.951.0 (July 2026) appears to have a bug in the standard built-in 'Line Chart' visual. Marker colour formatting is being ignored. Line colour updates correctly but markers continue to render using the default series colour. An example of the issue is highlighted below where we can see that the line graph markers should be displaying in matching pink, but the visual is failing to obey the instruction and is dispalying them in deafult blue instead.
