Resolve Power BI Column Discrepancy

During development or enhancements to a Power BI solution, you may encounter this message: "An error occurred while processing the data in the dataset. The 'handouts_path' column does not exist in the rowset." You probably received this message via email if you published the dataset.

What Column Discrepancy Means

The message means that since the dataset was published, the actual data source (SQL Server, Redshift, Excel, etc.) was changed to remove or rename the column. Now, the published data source can no longer find it.

How to Fix Column Discrepancy

Here are the few steps to resolve the error message:

1. Open the PBIX file in Power BI Desktop.
2. Locate and click the refresh icon in the toolbar, as shown below.
3. Wait for the refresh screen to complete. This will vary in length depending on the size of the data source.
4. Once complete, confirm the change in the fields pane to the right. Any field removed should no longer appear and any field renamed should reflect the new name.
5. Examine existing visualizations and correct any issues resulting from the changed field.
6. Save and publish the package choosing the replace existing option when prompted.

Monitor your inbox to ensure the issue is resolved by the elimination of the email indicating an error in the rowset. Now you’re ready to get back to analyzing the data.