MetricSign
EN|NLRequest Access
Medium severityconfiguration

Power BI Refresh Error:
DF-Synapse-StoredProcedureNotSupported

What does this error mean?

Stored procedure calls are not supported in ADF Mapping Data Flow Synapse connectors — this option is only available in Copy Activity.

Common causes

  • 1A pipeline was migrated from a Copy Activity to a Mapping Data Flow and the stored procedure source/sink configuration was carried over
  • 2The data flow dataset was configured with a stored procedure name in the source settings, which is only valid for Copy Activity datasets
  • 3A pre-copy or post-copy stored procedure was configured on a Mapping Data Flow sink — this option does not exist in data flows

How to fix it

  1. 1Open the data flow source or sink and check whether a stored procedure is configured — Mapping Data Flows do not support stored procedure sources or sinks.
  2. 2For source queries that used a stored procedure: replace with a SQL query in the source query field, or create a view in Synapse that encapsulates the stored procedure logic.
  3. 3For post-load processing via stored procedure (e.g., updating a status flag): add a Stored Procedure activity after the data flow activity in the pipeline.
  4. 4For pre-copy scripts (truncate, clean): use the sink's pre-SQL script field in the data flow sink Settings tab to run T-SQL before the data load — for example: TRUNCATE TABLE [schema].[target_table].
  5. 5If the stored procedure performs complex transformations, replicate the logic using data flow transformations (Aggregate, Join, Derived Column, etc.) or create a Synapse view that the data flow queries as its source.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Copy Activity support stored procedures but Mapping Data Flows do not?

Copy Activity runs SQL commands directly against the database engine. Mapping Data Flows run on Apache Spark — they cannot call stored procedures. All transformations must be expressed as Spark-compatible operations.

Can I run a stored procedure before or after a data flow in the same pipeline?

Yes — add a Stored Procedure activity and connect it before or after the data flow. The data flow handles bulk transformation; the Stored Procedure handles pre- or post-processing T-SQL.

What can I use instead of a stored procedure as a data flow source?

Create a SQL view in Synapse containing the stored procedure's SELECT logic and point the data flow source at the view. Alternatively, enter the SQL directly in the data flow source query field.

Will downstream Power BI datasets be affected?

Yes — the pipeline fails on every run, leaving the target table stale. Dependent datasets serve outdated data.

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

Other configuration errors