What causes 0x0000DEAD?

Boolean columns in the data model being converted from TRUE/FALSE to -1/0 by the Power BI service engine during refresh. Incompatible data type handling between Power BI Desktop preview and the cloud refresh engine. Corrupt or oversized data model causing the container process to crash. Memory pressure or resource exhaustion within the refresh container environment

How do I fix 0x0000DEAD?

Step 1: Identify any boolean columns in your data model that may display correctly in Desktop but behave differently after cloud refresh — the service converts booleans to objects then to -1 or 0.. Step 2: In Power Query Editor, explicitly cast boolean columns to text (e.g., using Text.From()) or to integer before loading, to ensure consistent behavior across Desktop and the service.. Step 3: Reduce the size of your semantic model if it is large — simplify queries, remove unused columns, and apply filters early in Power Query to limit data volume.. Step 4: Check the Power BI service refresh history for additional error details and attempt a manual refresh after making model changes.. Step 5: If the issue persists, open a Microsoft support ticket referencing error code 0x0000DEAD with your workspace and dataset identifiers.

High severityrefresh

Power BI Refresh Error:
0x0000DEAD

What does this error mean?

The Power BI refresh engine container terminated unexpectedly during a dataset refresh operation. This often relates to boolean column type conversion issues between Power BI Desktop and the Power BI service.

Common causes

1Boolean columns in the data model being converted from TRUE/FALSE to -1/0 by the Power BI service engine during refresh
2Incompatible data type handling between Power BI Desktop preview and the cloud refresh engine
3Corrupt or oversized data model causing the container process to crash
4Memory pressure or resource exhaustion within the refresh container environment

How to fix it

1Step 1: Identify any boolean columns in your data model that may display correctly in Desktop but behave differently after cloud refresh — the service converts booleans to objects then to -1 or 0.
2Step 2: In Power Query Editor, explicitly cast boolean columns to text (e.g., using Text.From()) or to integer before loading, to ensure consistent behavior across Desktop and the service.
3Step 3: Reduce the size of your semantic model if it is large — simplify queries, remove unused columns, and apply filters early in Power Query to limit data volume.
4Step 4: Check the Power BI service refresh history for additional error details and attempt a manual refresh after making model changes.
5Step 5: If the issue persists, open a Microsoft support ticket referencing error code 0x0000DEAD with your workspace and dataset identifiers.

Frequently asked questions

Why do my visuals look correct in Power BI Desktop but break after a cloud refresh?

Power BI Desktop retains TRUE/FALSE string representations for boolean columns, while the Power BI service engine converts them to objects and then to -1 or 0 during refresh, causing visual behavior to change unexpectedly.

Is 0x0000DEAD always caused by boolean columns?

No — while boolean type conversion is a documented common cause, this error can also result from memory exhaustion, corrupt model artifacts, or other container-level failures. Check the full refresh error log for additional context.