Power Automate failing to refresh Power BI Dataflow or Power BI Dataset. The backend request failed with error code '400'

[HendrikL]

Good day

I am attempting to create an automation, in a client's tenant, whereby Power Automate first refreshes specific Power BI dataflows and then refreshes the dataset using these dataflows.

I have done this with various clients and tenants with no issue in the past.
However, I am now getting an error code 400 stating that the backend request failed. a bad request.

I am using a microsoft profile and Power BI license that was created by the client's IT department.
All credentials are in working order.

Is there a way for Admins to revoke Power Automate / API access to a Power BI tenant?

If so, can someone please point out what specific setting needs to be toggled on/off.

[Anonymous]

Is there a solution to this issue? Looks like we are facing this quite frequently. 

How do I get solution to this problem

[HendrikL]

Hi HarishShades

Unfortunately I have not gotten any solutions from the community as of yet.

I've had to temporarily abandon this route until a fix is found.

[jdusek9255]

Same problem - very frequent random failures 

[npnigro]

I'm seeing this issue too. Does anyone know why this is happening? 

[Anonymous]

Good day,

I was reading through this problem. Usually it comes when business rules for the app/browser/software you often use don't adhere to the rules set. For example, requesting large number of data that exceed the expectation of the system, or sometimes can just be access rights prohibiting the request to run successfully, or error cause by some of the data format. A lot of things can cause this error. The best is to try to investigate the output results of your error.

Kind regards  

[QH_JGrant]

I'm currently seeing this when I refresh a Dataflow I have placed in a non-premium Workspace. 
In my premium Workspace I have created a filtered down copy of some data, which I then Link through to the client's non-prem workspace (so they can only see their own data out of a larger pile). 

I tied the Power Automate trigger to refresh based on my current Flow, which triggers every 1 hour. 

I then see this fail ~16 times per day (and work ~8 times per day). 
I believe this is because the max number of Dataflow refrehes in a non-prem workspace is 8 per day - so when Power Automate tries to exceed that the PBI Server comes in and caps. 
It also throws in the occasional random fail so I seem to get 6 good runs midnight to 5am, and the 2 late morning, so it's not in a solid block. But, always around that 16 fails per 24 hour timeframe. 
Cheers, James

[EgPa]

I've created a flow to update multiple dataflows and I've got exactly the same problem. The flow run ok for a couple of times today and then stopped with the error The backend request failed with error code '400'

Any solution for this yet? 

[Zuza]

I have noticed that this happens whenever the power automate try's to update a dataflow which is already refreshing... how do we make it wait for the actual refresh?

[jdusek]

Hello, I was facing the same problem. Raised an incident with Power BI team and after a long time we found a solution.

- to put a 15 sec delay before the refresh dataflow step.

This reduced the number of failures by 95%.

If I went below 15 seconds, failures were more frequent

[RejaulRoyel]

Same here, 

These methods I have tried:

1. The dataflow I want to refresh, make sure that the dataflow is not refreshing. 

2. Add a 30 seconds delay, however not worked. 

3. Re-create the process and try again,  not worked.

Any other possible methods you want to share? 

Thanks 

[arb1995nvmd]

Hi all!

I'm encountering the same issue. In my particular case my dataflows are in a non-premium Workspace. I have applied all the possible solutions given in this thread.

I also performed a test: changing the dataflow that we want to refresh through Power Automate, and it worked successfully. That's when I thought that sth could happen to my specific dataflow. I navigated to the API learning web page and click over Try it button to perform a refresh test to my dataflow directly through an API call.

The response of the POST request was the following:

So, in my particular case with non-premium PowerBI capacity, I exceeded the number of daily automated refreshes so I guess I should reschedule the trigger of the flow to comply with this restriction.

 Hope it's useful!!

[MilanSempre1989]

If your dataflow is located in a non-premium capacity workspace, you are allowed to schedule max 8 automated refreshes a day. If you exceed that limit, you would be encountering precisely that error message.