Table of Contents
Summary
- DirectQuery support in the Viva Insights Connector for Power BI is being retired, encouraging a shift to Import connectivity mode.
- Existing DirectQuery-based Power BI reports will not refresh, and attempts to connect using DirectQuery will fail.
- Unpivoted schema type and Aggregated data granularity options will also be retired.
- Analysts need to convert DirectQuery reports to Import mode to ensure continued functionality.
- No admin action is required, but analysts should be informed about the change and conversion process.
Admin Impact: Medium
User Impact: High
Release Start: 30 Apr 2026
Release End: 15 May 2026
Services: Viva
Category: Plan for change
Tags: User Adoption, Admin Action, Retirement
History
3/17/2026 Item Added to Message Center
Microsoft Message
Introduction
Viva Insights is retiring DirectQuery support in the Viva Insights Connector for Power BI. This allows us to invest in improving the Import connectivity mode, which provides better stability and support for Viva Insights scenarios.
Going forward, we recommend using the Import connectivity mode in the Viva Insights Connector.
As part of this retirement, the Unpivoted schema type and Aggregated data granularity options will also be retired.
When this will happen
The retirement will begin rolling out in late April 2026 and will complete by mid‑May 2026.
How this affects your organization
Who is affected
- Organizations with Viva Insights analysts who use the Viva Insights Connector with DirectQuery connectivity.
What will happen
- DirectQuery connectivity mode will be retired.
- Analysts will no longer be able to create new DirectQuery connections.
- Existing DirectQuery-based Power BI reports will no longer refresh.
- Attempts to connect using DirectQuery will fail and result in blank visualizations.
- The following DirectQuery-dependent options will also be retired:
- Unpivoted schema type
- Aggregated data granularity
- Import mode will continue to support:
- Pivoted schema type
- Row-level data granularity
To continue refreshing reports, analysts must convert existing DirectQuery reports to Import mode.
What you can do to prepare
No admin action is required.
We recommend notifying your Viva Insights analysts about this change.
If analysts have existing reports that use DirectQuery, they can convert them to Import mode:
- Open the .pbix file in Power BI Desktop.
- Go to Model view.
- Select the table currently using DirectQuery.
- In Properties, set Storage mode → Import.
- Select Transform data.
- In the Formula bar, update the following fields:
- Change APIType from “Aggregated data” to “Row-level data.”
- If SchemaType is “Unpivoted,” change it to “Pivoted.”
- Note: Reports using Unpivoted fields (AttributeName, AttributeValue) will see these fields replaced with individual attribute columns.
- Refresh the dataset.
Learn more: Export query data to Power BI | Viva Insights | Microsoft Viva | Microsoft Learn
Compliance considerations
No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.