Power BI ends support for old service CSV import models
Reviewed by Helen Jones
Microsoft’s Power BI data refresh documentation now states that semantic models built with the legacy CSV import experience in the Power BI service stop refreshing after 31 July 2026 and stop loading after 31 August 2026. The cutoff applies only to that older service-side CSV import path. CSV files brought in through Power BI Desktop and Power Query on supported import paths are not covered by this retirement. Affected models that remain on the legacy path need to be rebuilt on a supported import method if they must keep refreshing and opening for users.
Many department reports still rest on a quiet habit: someone uploaded a CSV in the service years ago, published a thin model, and never moved the source into Desktop or a documented Power Query flow. Refresh looked fine until it did not, and ownership of that model was rarely written down. After these dates, that path is not degraded. It is closed. Refresh stops first, then the model stops loading. The practical risk is a blank or broken report in a workspace that still looks healthy on the surface, with no new feature to blame and no automatic fix for the people who only ever maintained Excel packs and service uploads.
Analysis
This is a trap to clear, not a reason to redesign your whole stack. Open each workspace you own, flag any semantic models still tied to the legacy service CSV import path, and rebuild survivors in Desktop with a normal Get Data or Power Query import so refresh and load stay on a supported route.
Source note
Pulse published by Collab365 Spaces, reviewed by Helen Jones on . Cite as "Power BI ends support for old service CSV import models", Collab365 Spaces. 1 source referenced.