Intermitent problem using SQL Server on Azure VM and Fabric Capacity

Question

I'm running a Power BI application on Power BI service using SQL Server database on an Azure VM. I have a Fabric capacity F4 and use it as a tabular server SSAS. I use Tabular Editor Enterprise to manage the DAX measures and the tables in the tabular server. I use Power BI Desktop to manage the reports. I can publish the reports and they work fine. All the permissions (XMLA endpoint, admin, etc.) are enabled and working MOST of the time. Many times, I cannot connect from Tabular Editor and Power BI Desktop to the capacity, with the error: User is not authorized to the Discovery Method. This happens after I select the workspace, so the server is active. I'm in development mode, but need to solve this before I put the application in production.

Answer 1

I think ur fabric cap just fell into a stale xmla‑discovery state… just toggle the xmla endpoint once n’ re‑assign the cap so the discovery chain resets; if it still breaks, unbind→rebind the cap once.

Answer 2

Hello Pablo Schor,

Thank you for reaching out and for providing detailed information about your setup.

Based on your description, the issue does not appear to be related to the SQL Server hosted on the Azure VM. Since the reports are publishing and functioning correctly, the backend data source connectivity is working as expected.

The error “User is not authorized to the Discovery Method” is typically associated with the XMLA endpoint used by external tools such as Tabular Editor and Power BI Desktop. This behavior is usually intermittent and is most commonly linked to authentication/session token inconsistencies or temporary service-side conditions within the Fabric capacity.

In many cases, the connection may remain active in the client tool, but the underlying authentication token may have expired or become invalid, leading to authorization failures during metadata discovery operations.

To help mitigate the issue, we recommend trying the following steps when the problem occurs:

• Sign out and sign back in to Power BI Desktop to refresh authentication
• Restart Tabular Editor and reconnect to the XMLA endpoint
• Clear cached data source permissions in Power BI Desktop and re-establish the connection
• Ensure that your workspace permissions (Admin/Member) and XMLA endpoint settings (Read/Write) are correctly configured
• Avoid keeping long-running idle sessions open, as they may lead to token expiration
• If possible, test during periods of lower capacity utilization, as smaller capacities (such as F4) can occasionally experience transient limitations

At this stage, the behavior appears to be transient rather than a configuration issue. However, if the issue becomes more frequent, persists across sessions, or impacts multiple users, further investigation from the Fabric team may be required.

Please note that Microsoft Fabric is currently not supported in the Microsoft Q&A forums. You may receive more targeted assistance from the dedicated Fabric community.

We recommend opening a new thread in the Microsoft Fabric Community using the links below:

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Power-BI-forums/ct-p/powerbi

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Fabric-platform/bd-p/ac_generaldiscussion

Please let us know if the above suggestions help or if you need any further assistance from our end.