Dataset refresh error - timeout

[Gianf]

Hi all, 

I am facing this issue: a dataset of mine intermittently timeouts during refresh in service.  The dataset is in a Premium capacity (P1) and it is under incremental refresh.  It is connected to a on-premise SQL Server, via enterprise gateway.

Refresh is scheduled @05:00 ; at that time no other job is running on the DB server, so there should not be any locking/overload. 

The weirdest thing is that refresh requires about 30 minutes. Neverthless, when refresh timeouts, it fail after 15 minutes only. Then, on a secodn try, It completes normally in within 30 minutes - so it is not the refresh duration the problem. 

The question is: if refresh requires 30 minutes, why it sometimes timeouts after only 15? (see screenshot below) 

Thanks in advance for any help!

[v-dineshya]

Hi @Gianf ,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community Forum.

This kind of issue usually points to networking, gateway, or transient resource availability, rather than query logic.

Please check below things to fix the issue.

1. Gateway Timeout Limit

Go to the Enterprise Gateway settings in Power BI Admin Portal and increase the timeout or verify whether it's limited to 15 minutes per query.

2. Cold Cache or Connection Drops

Ask your DBAs to check , SQL Server wait stats at ~05:07 (when it fails). Any logs of connection pool timeouts, dropped sessions, Enable Query Store and inspect execution times over time.

3. Gateway Machine Resource Contention

Look at CPU and memory usage on the gateway machine at ~05:00-05:30. Consider scaling up the machine or installing an additional gateway for load balancing.

4. Data Partition Skew in Incremental Refresh

One partition might contain a very large amount of data compared to others due to business spikes. Even if total refresh is 30 minutes, a single heavy partition could hit the 15-minute query timeout. Review incremental refresh partitions and row distribution using Tabular Editor or XMLA endpoint. Try running the partition query manually in SSMS and time it.

Increase gateway query timeout:

If using the on-prem gateway config file: edit Mashup.MaxPreviewExecutionTime in Microsoft.PowerBI.DataMovement.Pipeline.GatewayCore.dll.config (under Program Files\On-premises data gateway). Restart the gateway after changes.

Stagger the refresh:

Move refresh to 05:15 or 04:45 to test whether time-based startup delays affect it.

Split the load:

If possible, reduce the size of the daily partition via RangeStart/RangeEnd filters or logic.

5. Gateway Diagnostics

Check the gateway logs for the failed refresh attempt. Confirm that the gateway version is up to date. Validate that the dataset is mapped to the correct gateway and that all data sources are registered.

Please refer community thread and Microsoft official document.

Solved: Is Five hours Time limit is same for Power Bi Prem... - Microsoft Fabric Community

Troubleshoot refresh scenarios - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

If my response has resolved your query, please mark it as the "Accepted Solution" to assist others. Additionally, a "Kudos" would be appreciated if you found my response helpful.

Thank you

[Gianf]

Hi @v-dineshya 

I asked my system admin to perform the check you suggested againtst the gateway. 

regarding #1, he say he is unable to find the gateway timeout settings in the Power Bi admin portal
about #4, we searched for Mashup.MaxPreviewExecutionTime settings in configuration file and it is not present. Since we don't know which default this setting has, we googled for this setting and... well... it found this topic only 

Can you help us about this? 

thank you! 

[v-dineshya · Accepted solution]

Hi @Gianf  ,

To address this effectively, we recommend raising a support ticket with Microsoft Azure Support. This will allow the engineering team to investigate the issue in detail and provide a resolution or guidance

To raise a support ticket for Fabric and Power BI, kindly follow the steps outlined in the following guide:

How to create a Fabric and Power BI Support ticket - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

If this post helps, please give us Kudos and consider marking it Accept as solution to assist other members in finding it more easily.

Thank you

[v-dineshya]

Hi @Gianf ,

We are following up once again regarding your query. Could you please confirm if the issue has been resolved through the support ticket with Microsoft?

If the issue has been resolved, we kindly request you to share the resolution or key insights here to help others in the community.

Thank you for your understanding and participation.

[Gianf]

Ciao @v-dineshya 

thank you for your very useful hints: tomorrow (today ins holiday here in Italy) I will reach DBAs and System administrators to perform the checks you suggest. 

To add a piece of information, I checked other datasets: they timeout as well. Here it is an example 

This dataset, as you can see, yesterday [sunday] timeouted in 10 minutes, and subsequently refreshed successfully in only 5 minutes. It is an incremental refresh one too, and it is way smaller than the first one. 
I highlight it because you suggested a gateway timeout of 15 minutes: in this case the refresh timeouts in 10 minutes only, and most important, as opposite as the other dataset, the actual refresh took only 5 minutes to complete - half the time of the timeout, whereas the first dataset succeeds in twice the tiemout time. 

[Gianf]

HI @Brianyoung thank for your feedback. 

Dataset is in import and incremental refresh. Usually it takes 30 minutes to refresh, but sometimes (well... actually everyday in the past three days, including today) it timeouts after 15 minutes; then at the second try, it works in the usual 30 minutes. Moreover I am in a premium capacity.. timeout is 5 hours. 

In the past weeks, until past tuesday included, it refreshed in 30 minutes like a charm. 

The query is always the same: how it is possible that sometimes it is too complex and timeouts, whereas in other days it works without troubles? and if the query is so complex that timeouts, why does it succeed on the second try? 

DBAs  say no jobs/other queries/anything else is running at refresh time. No other datasets are refreshing at the same time. 

How can I troubleshoot this? 

Thanks to everybody who will point me in the right direction. 

[Brianyoung]

The dataset refresh timeout usually happens when the data source takes too long to respond or the query is too complex. To fix this, try optimizing your queries by reducing data volume or simplifying transformations. Also, check if your data source performance is stable and avoid heavy operations during peak hours. If using DirectQuery, consider switching to Import mode for faster refresh. Additionally, verify your Power BI service settings and increase the timeout limit if possible. Splitting large datasets into smaller parts or refreshing incrementally can also help prevent timeouts.