Quick Tip: Dataflows Error: The OData connector failed with the following error: We cannot convert the value null to type Duration.

When you create a Power BI Dataflow with the Business Central connector, you might get the following error:

The OData connector failed with the following error: We cannot convert the value null to type Duration.

The error mentions a conversion of null into a type Duration. This got me thinking.

Let’s have a look at the code by selecting Show Details:

section Section1;
shared Query = let
Source = Dynamics365BusinessCentral.ApiContentsWithOptions(null, null, null, [UseReadOnlyReplica = null, AcceptLanguage = null, Timeout = null, ODataMaxPageSize = null])
in
Source;

So the Dynamics365BusinessCentral.ApiContentsWithOptions() takes a few parameters and one of them is a date: Timeout. This is probably the cause.

Go back and open the Advanced options:

Here you find the Odata Timeout parameter, which by default is empty.

Add a value in it and then try again.

and voila, it’s working again.

To me this looks like a bug, because in the past it would work out of the box.

When I open the Advanced Editor, I can see this:

let

Source = Dynamics365BusinessCentral.ApiContentsWithOptions(null, null, null, [UseReadOnlyReplica = null, AcceptLanguage = null, ODataMaxPageSize = null, Timeout = #duration(1, 0, 0, 0)]),

#”Navigation 1″ = Source{[Name = “SANDBOXPBI”]}[Data],

#”Navigation 2″ = #”Navigation 1″{[Name = “CRONUS USA, Inc.”]}[Data],

#”Navigation 3″ = #”Navigation 2″{[Name = “Advanced”]}[Data],

#”Navigation 4″ = #”Navigation 3″{[Name = “microsoft/reportsFinance/beta”]}[Data],

#”Navigation 5″ = #”Navigation 4″{[Name = “customers”, Signature = “table”]}[Data]

#”Navigation 5″

I did not find any documentation about the Timeout parameter, but apparently for Power BI Dataflows it can not be zero.

The strange thing is that when I do exactly the same in Power BI Desktop, it does not give any error:

So it must be a bug and will probably be fixed soon, and if you encounter it, now you know how to work around it 😉

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2 Thoughts on “Quick Tip: Dataflows Error: The OData connector failed with the following error: We cannot convert the value null to type Duration.”

Jago Swiers on September 9, 2024 at 11:29 said:

I’ve had the same issue today, except with an other table. See this post for more info.

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Service/undefinedPower-BI-error-NULL/m-p/4131975

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Kim Rouges on September 10, 2024 at 11:56 said:

Hi,
Since 09/09/24 I had the same issue with the BC connector (webservices) in my semantic model.
A lokal refresh in Power BI desktop works fine, but the refresh in the Power BI service failed.

I replaced all my BC sources to
Source = Dynamics365BusinessCentral.ApiContentsWithOptions(null, null, null, [UseReadOnlyReplica = null, AcceptLanguage = null, ODataMaxPageSize = null, Timeout = #duration(1, 0, 0, 0)])

and it works 🙂
thanks!

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