Power BI: Query references other queries or steps, so it may not directly access a data source.

When A for Analytics work in Power BI with SSAS in direct query connection and develop reports but we usually get errors while undergoing these process.

Today we gonna see some error that A for Analytics has been experience in recent times with clients.

STAY TUNED!

When we working for a client in Power BI with Direct query SSAS connection, we received a error while refresh the reports in local machine which is something like below

Refresh Error on Local Machine

Our Refresh error is “Query references other queries or steps, so it may not directly access a data source. Please rebuild this data combination”

Initially we have gone through several places where we have written Native Query for SSAS(MDX) and tried to see any deadlocks are appeared because of parameter referencing in few custom functions. For this reason, we tried to rewrite the query wherever required but nothing solved the Issue.

The solution for this Issues is a Privacy and security error. Hm! Sounds stupid?
But that is the solution for this issue, since we have written native query, Power BI desktop doesn’t have the permission to query the data from data source. In order to solve this, we need to make sure certain options are enabled / disabled as below

Goto>File>Options/Setting>Options

Then,

First, Uncheck Require user approval for new native database queries under NATIVE DATABASE QUERIES in security options.

Native Query setting

Second, Always Ignore Privacy level setting under privacy options.

Privacy Setting

BANG! You can now able to refresh data in local machine.

If you have any questions on above things please feel free to reach out info@aforanalytic.com

To your success,
Saravana