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Medium severitygateway

Power BI Refresh Error:
The server name provided doesn't match the server name on the SQL Server SSL certificate

What does this error mean?

SSL cert mismatch: the hostname in the connection string doesn't match the SQL Server certificate CN or SAN. Fix by using the correct FQDN in Power BI.

Common causes

  • 1The connection string uses an IP address, but the SSL certificate was issued for a hostname (or vice versa)
  • 2The SQL Server was migrated to a new host but the connection string was not updated
  • 3The SSL certificate was issued for a short name (e.g., 'sql01') but the connection uses the FQDN
  • 4A load balancer or alias is being used that doesn't match the certificate CN/SAN
  • 5Self-signed certificate installed on SQL Server uses a different name than expected

How to fix it

  1. 1Verify the exact hostname in the connection string matches the certificate's Common Name (CN) or Subject Alternative Name (SAN)
  2. 2Update the data source connection in Power BI Desktop to use the FQDN that matches the certificate
  3. 3If the certificate is self-signed and trusted internally, add it to the gateway machine's Trusted Root Certification Authorities store
  4. 4Ask your DBA to reissue the SQL Server SSL certificate with the correct hostname or add a SAN entry
  5. 5As a temporary workaround, you can disable SSL encryption in the gateway data source settings (not recommended for production)

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