What causes SqlDataTypeNotSupported?

The SQL table contains a column with a type not supported by ADF (geography, geometry, hierarchyid, sql_variant, xml). A sink column is mapped to a type that the destination SQL database does not support. The column type was recently changed and the ADF dataset schema was not refreshed

How do I fix SqlDataTypeNotSupported?

Identify the unsupported column in the ADF activity run error output.. Exclude the unsupported column from the copy by modifying the column mapping in the copy activity.. If the column value is needed, cast it to a supported type (e.g., CAST(geog_col AS nvarchar(max))) in a source query.. Refresh the dataset schema in ADF Studio after the source table schema changes.

Medium severitydata source

Power BI Refresh Error:
SqlDataTypeNotSupported

What does this error mean?

The SQL column data type is not supported by ADF for this copy operation. Types like geography, hierarchyid, and sql_variant cannot be directly read or written.

Common causes

1The SQL table contains a column with a type not supported by ADF (geography, geometry, hierarchyid, sql_variant, xml)
2A sink column is mapped to a type that the destination SQL database does not support
3The column type was recently changed and the ADF dataset schema was not refreshed

How to fix it

1Identify the unsupported column in the ADF activity run error output.
2Exclude the unsupported column from the copy by modifying the column mapping in the copy activity.
3If the column value is needed, cast it to a supported type (e.g., CAST(geog_col AS nvarchar(max))) in a source query.
4Refresh the dataset schema in ADF Studio after the source table schema changes.

Frequently asked questions

Does this error affect all pipeline runs or just the current one?

Depends on the root cause. A persistent misconfiguration fails every run; a transient issue may resolve on retry. Check the run history.

Can this error appear in Azure Data Factory and Microsoft Fabric pipelines?

Yes — the same connector errors appear in both ADF and Fabric Data Factory pipelines.

How do I see the full error detail for an ADF pipeline failure?

In ADF Monitor, click the failed run, then the failed activity. The detail pane shows the error code, message, and sub-error codes.

Will downstream Power BI datasets be affected when an ADF pipeline fails?

Yes — a dataset refreshing after the pipeline will use stale data or fail if the target table was cleared. The Power BI refresh may succeed while serving wrong data.

Official documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-factory/connector-troubleshoot-synapse-sql