How to Remove Data Source from Power BI Gateway

Removing a data source from a Power BI on-premises gateway isn't something you do every day, and finding the option can feel a bit like a scavenger hunt. Once you know the process, however, it’s a simple task that helps keep your connections clean and manageable. This guide will walk you through the exact steps to remove data sources from your standard gateway, what actions to take beforehand, and how to troubleshoot common issues along the way.

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First, Which Power BI Gateway Are You Using?

Before we jump into the steps, it's helpful to know which type of on-premises gateway you have installed. The process of managing data sources varies slightly between the two versions.

• On-premises data gateway (standard mode): This is the most common type used in organizations. It's a centralized gateway that can be shared by multiple users to connect to various on-premise data sources. If you connect to shared servers for your Power BI reports, you're likely using standard mode.
• On-premises data gateway (personal mode): As the name suggests, this version is for individual use only. It runs as an application on your personal computer and is used exclusively by you. It can't be shared with others.

This tutorial will primarily focus on the standard mode gateway, as it's the one that requires more careful management of shared data sources. We'll also touch on personal mode toward the end.

Why Would You Need to Remove a Gateway Data Source?

Cleaning up your Power BI environment is an important part of good data governance. You might need to remove a data source for several common reasons:

• Decommissioning a Server: The old server or database the source pointed to has been turned off or replaced.
• Migrating to the Cloud: You've successfully moved your data to a cloud-based solution like Azure SQL, so the on-premise gateway connection is no longer needed.
• Cleaning Up Test Connections: You created a temporary source to test a report, and now it's just cluttering your data source list.
• Re-creating a Connection: Sometimes in troubleshooting, the easiest solution for a problematic connection is to remove it and create it again from scratch.
• Security Policy Changes: Authentication methods have changed, or access to the underlying data has been revoked, making the gateway source obsolete.

The Pre-Removal Checklist: 3 Crucial Steps

Hold on! Before you click "Remove," taking a few preparatory steps can save you and your colleagues from a major headache. Deleting a data source that’s actively being used will instantly break reports and stop scheduled refreshes.

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1. Identify All Dependencies

The most important step is to figure out which datasets - and by extension, which reports and dashboards - rely on this data source connection. Unfortunately, Power BI doesn't currently offer a simple "show dependencies" button for gateway sources.

You can find this information by navigating to the gateway settings page (which we'll cover in the next section) and observing which datasets are mapped to the source. A more practical method is to go to the workspace containing the reports and manually check each dataset's settings to see which gateway source it uses.

2. Communicate With Your Team

If the data source is used for shared reports, let the report owners or end users know that you're removing the connection and how it will impact them. A broken report without any warning can cause unnecessary confusion and panic. Ideally, you’ll have a replacement source ready and can communicate the plan for switching over.

3. Plan for Replacement

If you're replacing the old source with a new one - perhaps a new server or a cloud database - make sure you have all the new connection details ready. Once you remove the old source, you'll want to add the new one and remap the affected datasets as quickly as possible to minimize downtime for the reports.

Step-by-Step Guide to Removing a Gateway Data Source

Once you’ve confirmed the data source is no longer needed or you have a migration plan, follow these steps to remove it from your gateway in the Power BI Service.

Step 1: Navigate to the Gateway Management Page

• Log in to your Power BI account at app.powerbi.com.
• Click the Settings gear icon in the top right corner of the screen.
• From the dropdown menu, select Manage connections and gateways.

Step 2: Select Your Gateway Cluster

On the "Manage connections and gateways" page, you'll see a navigational pane on the left. Click on the On-premises data gateways tab. Here, you'll see a list of all gateway clusters you have permission to manage. Find and select the cluster that contains the data source you wish to remove.

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Step 3: Find and Remove the Data Source

After selecting your gateway cluster, the right side of the screen will populate with a list of all existing connections (data sources) configured for that gateway.

• Scroll through the list to find the one you want to delete.
• To the right of the data source name, click the ellipsis (...) menu.
• From the options that appear, select Remove.

Step 4: Confirm the Deletion

A confirmation window will appear, warning you that this action cannot be undone and may break reports that use this connection. Since you’ve already done your homework with the pre-removal checklist, you can proceed confidently.

Click Remove again to permanently delete the data source from your gateway. And that's it! The source will disappear from the list.

Troubleshooting: "Cannot delete data source because it is being used..."

The most common problem you’ll encounter is an error message stating that the data source cannot be removed because it's actively used by one or more datasets. Power BI prevents you from deleting a source that has an active link to a dataset to avoid accidental breaking changes.

If you see this error, you need to unlink the dataset from the source first.

1. Identify the Dataset: Go to the workspace that contains the reports powered by the data source.
2. Go to Dataset Settings: Find the relevant dataset, click the ellipsis (...) next to it, and select Settings.
3. Re-map the Connection: In the settings page, find the "Gateway and cloud connections" section. Here, you will see that your dataset is mapped to the data source you're trying to remove.
4. Try Removing Again: Once all datasets have been unlinked from the data source, return to the Manage connections and gateways page and try removing the source again. It should now work without any errors.

What if the "Remove" Option is Grayed Out?

If the "Remove" option is grayed out and you are unable to click it, it means you do not have administrative permissions for that specific data source or gateway. In a standard mode gateway, different users can be assigned different roles (User, User with resharing, Admin). Only an Admin can add or remove data sources. You’ll need to contact your Power BI gateway administrator and ask them to either grant you admin rights or remove the source for you.

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A Quick Note on Personal Mode Gateways

Managing data sources for a personal mode gateway is much simpler. Since the gateway is only for you, you don’t manage a centralized list of shareable data sources in the Power BI Service. Instead, you manage credentials and connections on a per-dataset basis.

Effectively, "removing" a data source from a personal gateway just means you either stop refreshing the reports connected to that on-premise source or you update a dataset to point to a new location. If you want to remove all personal gateway connections, the most direct method is to uninstall the personal gateway application from your computer through the Windows Control Panel.

Final Thoughts

Removing a data source from your Power BI gateway is a simple process once you know it's located under the "Manage connections and gateways" settings in the Power BI Service. The most important part of the job is doing your prep work: always check for dependent datasets before you delete a connection to avoid accidentally breaking reports that your team relies on.

While managing on-premise gateways is a key skill for traditional BI setups, we’ve found many folks on sales and marketing teams no longer need this complexity for their daily work. That's why we created a tool to instantly get answers from cloud apps by just connecting them and asking simple questions. For platforms like Google Analytics, Shopify, Facebook Ads, or HubSpot, an on-premise gateway is overkill. With Graphed, we can connect our data sources with one click and create real-time dashboards using plain-English prompts, turning a day’s worth of report building into a 30-second task.