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How to Fix Power BI Automatic Refresh and Invalid Web Source Credentials
Question details
The user needs to resolve an issue where Power BI scheduled refreshes fail due to invalid web-source credentials or unverified web connections.
- Product
- Power BI
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Running automated scheduled refreshes for datasets connected to web-based data sources.
- Observed behavior
- The scheduled refresh stops working entirely, displaying errors indicating that the web-source credentials have become invalid or the web connection cannot be verified.
Ensure you have the latest valid username, password, or API key for the affected web data source and verify that the web URL is currently accessible in a standard web browser.
Verify Data Source Settings and Consult the Microsoft Fabric Community
Since complex credential errors often require environment-specific troubleshooting, update your credentials locally and engage Microsoft specialists if the automated refresh continues to fail.
Power BI scheduled refreshes often fail if the authentication token expires, the web service changes its security protocols, or the gateway is misconfigured. While you can attempt to reset credentials manually, persistent web source verification errors are best resolved by Microsoft engineers.
Open your report in Power BI Desktop, navigate to the 'Home' tab, click 'Transform Data', and select 'Data source settings'. Select your web source and click 'Edit Permissions' to re-enter valid credentials.
Log in to the Power BI Service online, go to your Workspace, find the dataset, and click the 'Settings' gear icon. Expand 'Data source credentials' and click 'Edit credentials' to ensure they match.
If the refresh still fails, copy the complete refresh error message, note the affected file and table names, the exact data-source type, and your authentication method (e.g., Basic, OAuth2, Anonymous).
Navigate to the Power BI forums within the Microsoft Fabric Community. Create a new topic detailing your collected error information and recent changes so Power BI specialists can investigate the connection drop.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Power BI scheduled refresh fail with a web source error?
This typically occurs when the authentication token for the web source expires, the URL structure changes, API rate limits are exceeded, or the required privacy level settings conflict between Power BI Desktop and the Power BI Service.
How do I change web source authentication from Anonymous to Basic in Power BI?
In Power BI Desktop, go to File > Options and settings > Data source settings. Select the web URL, click 'Edit Permissions', and under the Credentials section, click 'Edit'. Change the type from Anonymous to Basic and enter your username and password.
What details are required when posting in the Power BI community forums?
To get accurate help quickly, always include the full error trace, the type of data source (e.g., SharePoint Web URL, custom API), the authentication method used, whether a gateway is involved, and if the refresh works in Power BI Desktop but fails only in the Power BI Service.
