What causes DWCopyCommandOperationFailed?

Network instability causes the server to forcibly close the TCP connection mid-copy. Server-side timeout or resource limits terminate the long-running copy operation. The error message reads: 'A transport-level error has occurred when receiving results from the server'

How do I fix DWCopyCommandOperationFailed?

Check the server logs for the Data Warehouse and review network stability between the integration runtime and the server.. Split the copy operation into smaller partitions instead of running one long-running copy — this reduces exposure to network interruptions.

High severitydata source

Power BI Refresh Error:
DWCopyCommandOperationFailed

What does this error mean?

COPY INTO to Azure Synapse or Fabric Data Warehouse failed. Network instability or server-side timeouts terminated the bulk load operation.

Common causes

1Network instability causes the server to forcibly close the TCP connection mid-copy
2Server-side timeout or resource limits terminate the long-running copy operation
3The error message reads: 'A transport-level error has occurred when receiving results from the server'

How to fix it

1Check the server logs for the Data Warehouse and review network stability between the integration runtime and the server.
2Split the copy operation into smaller partitions instead of running one long-running copy — this reduces exposure to network interruptions.

Beyond the docs

Common practitioner solutions not covered in the official documentation.

1Add retry logic to the ADF pipeline activity to handle transient transport-level errors
2If the error is intermittent, investigate network path stability between the self-hosted IR and the Data Warehouse endpoint

Frequently asked questions

Does this error affect multiple datasets at once?

If multiple datasets connect to the same data source, yes — all of them will fail until the source connectivity is restored.

Can this error be caused by a server migration or rename?

Yes — if the server name, database name, or connection string changed (e.g., during a cloud migration), Power BI still holds the old connection details. Update the connection in Power BI Desktop and republish.

Does this error appear in Power BI Desktop?

Sometimes — if you open the .pbix file and attempt a refresh, Desktop will surface the same connection error. This is useful for debugging without affecting the Service dataset.

Will the error resolve automatically once the source is back online?

Only if it was a temporary outage. The next scheduled refresh will succeed automatically. If the connection string changed or credentials expired, manual intervention is needed.

Source · learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/data-factory/connector-troubleshoot-data-warehouse