Connectivity

The certificate chain was issued by an authority that is not trusted

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

What this means

An on-prem SQL self-signed certificate is not trusted (encrypt-by-default).

How to fix it

  1. Add the servers to SqlTrustedServers on the gateway (PBI_SQL_TRUSTED_SERVERS in Desktop).
  2. Or install a trusted CA certificate.
View on Microsoft Learn

Frequently asked questions

What does the "The certificate chain was issued by an authority that is not trusted" error mean?
An on-prem SQL self-signed certificate is not trusted (encrypt-by-default).
How do I fix it?
Add the servers to SqlTrustedServers on the gateway (PBI_SQL_TRUSTED_SERVERS in Desktop). Or install a trusted CA certificate.
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 connectivity 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.