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Medium severitydata source

Power BI Refresh Error:
DF-SAPODP-SystemError

What does this error mean?

An unclassified system-level error in the SAP ODP connector. SystemError is a catch-all for connector errors that don't map to SAPSystemError (ABAP exception) or DataflowSystemError (ADF infrastructure). Read the error detail for the actual cause.

Common causes

  • 1An internal error in the SAP ODP connector that does not map to a more specific error code
  • 2An RFC library error on the Self-Hosted IR host — outdated SAP NCo (NetWeaver RFC) library or version mismatch
  • 3The SAP system returned an error response in an unexpected format that the connector could not classify
  • 4A transient memory or threading issue in the Self-Hosted IR process

How to fix it

  1. 1In ADF Monitor, copy the full error message from the failed activity — it may contain a more specific error code or SAP RFC error text even if the outer code is SystemError.
  2. 2Check whether the SAP NCo (NetWeaver Connector) library on the Self-Hosted IR host is up to date — download the latest version from SAP Service Marketplace and replace the DLL files on the IR host.
  3. 3Restart the Self-Hosted IR Windows service to clear any transient state.
  4. 4Retry the pipeline once — if it succeeds, the error was transient; if it fails again with the same message, the cause is structural.
  5. 5If the error persists, open a support ticket with Microsoft ADF support and include the full error text and the timestamp — SystemError cases often require connector-level diagnostics.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SAP NCo library and why does it matter?

SAP NCo (NetWeaver Connector for .NET) is the RFC library used by the SAP ODP connector — it must be on the SHIR host. An outdated version causes SystemError. Download NCo 3.0 or 3.1 from SAP Service Marketplace.

How can I tell if this is a transient error or a persistent one?

Retry the pipeline once immediately. If it succeeds, the error was transient (IR memory spike, brief network glitch). If it fails again with the same SystemError, the cause is structural and requires investigation.

Is SystemError the same as SAPSystemError?

No — SAPSystemError means SAP threw an ABAP exception. SystemError is a connector-level catch-all. Check the error detail: if it references an ABAP exception class or RFC error, it is SAP-side.

Will downstream Power BI datasets be affected?

Yes — the pipeline fails without loading data. Downstream datasets will show stale data.

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

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