Resource / capacity

Memory limit exceeded

Power BI dataset refresh error: what it means and how to fix it.

What this means

A query exceeded the per-query memory allowance.

How to fix it

  1. Use incremental refresh and lower parallelism.
  2. Simplify the model to reduce memory footprint.
  3. Move to a higher-memory SKU.
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Frequently asked questions

What does the "Memory limit exceeded" error mean?
A query exceeded the per-query memory allowance.
How do I fix it?
Use incremental refresh and lower parallelism. Simplify the model to reduce memory footprint. Move to a higher-memory SKU.
Where does this Power BI refresh error appear?
It appears in a Power BI semantic model's refresh history when a scheduled or on-demand refresh fails.

Related resource / capacity errors

Catch this automatically

RefreshRadar monitors every Power BI dataset refresh and emails you when one fails, with the likely cause and the fix, so you are not hearing about a broken refresh from your stakeholders first.