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Power BI Refresh Error:
DF-SAPODP-DataParsingFailed

What does this error mean?

The ADF Mapping Data Flow SAP ODP connector received data from SAP that it could not parse into the expected column types. This usually means the SAP extractor schema changed — a field was renamed, its data type changed, or it started returning unexpected values.

Common causes

  • 1An ODP extractor field contains malformed or unexpected values (invalid dates, null in NOT NULL columns, unexpected encoding)
  • 2The ADF dataset schema was imported when the ODP object had different field types, and the SAP extractor was since modified
  • 3SAP data quality issues — e.g. a custom field was filled with test values that don't match the production data type
  • 4Delta extraction returned changed records where the delta indicator field was in an unexpected format

How to fix it

  1. 1In ADF Monitor, open the failed activity run and read the full error message — it identifies the field name and the value that could not be parsed.
  2. 2In ADF Studio, open the dataset linked to the ODP source and click Import schema to refresh the field list from SAP.
  3. 3Compare the imported schema with the current data flow column mappings — look for type mismatches (e.g. a string column now mapped to a date).
  4. 4In SAP, run a data preview of the ODP object in SE16 or the relevant transaction to see if any records contain unexpected values in the identified field.
  5. 5If the SAP extractor was recently changed, re-import the schema in ADF and update the data flow mapping.
  6. 6For persistent bad data rows, consider using a derived column transformation in ADF to cast or filter the problematic field before it reaches downstream transformations.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find which field is causing the parsing failure?

The error message includes the field name and problematic value. If not, enable debug mode with a small row limit and check the debug output.

Can a SAP transport cause this error without any explicit schema change?

Yes — transports that modify value domains, add validation rules, or change field population can cause previously valid data to fail. After any SAP transport affecting the ODP object, validate the pipeline before the next run.

Can I skip bad rows instead of failing the entire run?

ADF data flows don't have a built-in skip-on-parse-error for ODP sources. The standard approach is to add a derived column transformation that casts the problematic field safely (e.g. `iifNull(fieldName, 'default')`) before downstream processing.

Will downstream Power BI datasets be affected?

Yes — the pipeline will fail without loading any data, so the dataset will serve data from the last successful run. If the last run was days ago, reports show stale data.

Official documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-factory/data-flow-troubleshoot-guide

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