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Power BI Refresh Error:
XmlSinkNotSupported

What does this error mean?

ADF does not support writing XML — XML is a source-only format in ADF copy activities.

Common causes

  • 1The copy activity sink was configured to use an XML format dataset
  • 2A dataset that was used as an XML source was accidentally assigned as the sink

How to fix it

  1. 1Change the copy activity sink to a supported writable format (JSON, CSV, Parquet, etc.).
  2. 2If XML output is required, use an ADF data flow with a custom transformation to generate XML, or use Azure Logic Apps / Functions to produce XML output.

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-xml

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