Models not supported in Power BI Report Server

[MartinFM]

Hello,

I get the following error when I try to open one of our reports:

"This file uses many-to-many relationships or a composite model which combines DirectQuery sources and/or imported data. These models aren't currently support in Power BI Report Server".

However the report was created on the exact Power BI Desktop version that matches the server version (January 2021) and the report is currently running on the local server. Sooooooo...

I know, it is an old server and desktop version and the solution is most likely to upgrade to more recent versions where this issue might have been fixed. I just wanted to add the information to the forum so that if anyone else encounters this problem, they know they are not alone 🙂

[d_gosbell]

Are you using the version of Desktop that is specifically targetted at Report Server? Does the app icon have an "RS" on it? 

If you use this version of desktop it should not let you create reports that are not supported by the server.

[MartinFM]

Hello,

Yes, I use the Power BI Desktop version targetted at Report Server (as I already stated).

Yes, the icon has "RS" on it.

It was purely an informational statement. As I already noted this is probably just a bug in the old versions and the solution is most likely to upgrade to a more recent version where this problem does not exist.

[d_gosbell]

---

@MartinFM wrote:

Yes, I use the Power BI Desktop version targetted at Report Server (as I already stated).

---

Well you actually said that you use the version that "matched" it was not clear if this was the version targetted at Report Server or just the cloud version of desktop from the same month. (this is a common mistake people make which is why I was clarifying this)

[MartinFM]

Ah, OK, thank you, I was not aware of this 🙂

[v-jianpeng-msft]

Your Solution is so great d_gosbell

Hi, @MartinFM 

As Super User said, you're confusing the two versions. You encountered this error when you opened a report that Power BI desktop did not have with the RS version in the RS version of Power BI desktop.
Your report contains a composite data source, which is an unsupported data source type in Power BI Report Server.

This isn't a bug with Power BI report server. It's just that you opened a report that wasn't part of the RS version of Power BI desktop.

Best Regards

Jianpeng Li

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

[MartinFM]

I am not confusing the two versions. I am absolutely clear about the two versions. In fact, I am not using the cloud version of Power BI Desktop so it should be pretty difficult to confuse them.

Let me reiterate:

I am using the Power BI Desktop version with RS on the icon that is targeted at the Report Server version (January 2021). So both server and Power BI Desktop client is version January 2021. 

I have created the model in the mentioned Power BI Desktop version, I have deployed the report including the model to the report server, the report works fine and is running as we speak. When I try to open the report in Power BI Desktop (January 2021 version with the RS on the logo), I get an error that the client does not support the report anymore.

Br, Martin

[v-jianpeng-msft]

Hi, @MartinFM 

In addition to the one above, your report may use a many-to-many relationship. In the changelog, many-to-many relationship reports are supported starting in January 2024.

Change log for Power BI Report Server - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

You can open it with the standard version and check the model relationships inside:

Best Regards

Jianpeng Li

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

[v-jianpeng-msft]

Hi, @MartinFM 

Thank you very much for your reply. I made a simple PBIX file and opened it with Power BI Desktop RS to reproduce your error:

The main cause of this error is when I open a report in mix mode in Power BI desktop RS version. It has nothing to do with the Power BI desktop RS version. Because I'm using the May 2024 version.

You can open your report with the desktop version without RS to check if it is in mix mode.

Best Regards

Jianpeng Li

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

[d_gosbell]

@v-jianpeng-msft - you obviously have not read the thread fully and are really not helping here. We've already clarified that @MartinFM is NOT using the cloud version of desktop.

This sounds like it was probably a bug with the old Jan 21 version and since this has not been available for download for a number of years now the impact is probably very limited.