Microsoft has announced upcoming changes to the Power BI service that will affect how some users work with Excel and CSV data. A legacy data import experience is being retired, with key deadlines arriving in 2026. Users relying on older reports are encouraged to transition to the newer data connection methods to avoid outdated data.

Here’s what you need to know:

What’s affected?
Semantic models created with the old import experience can’t be edited in the browser, downloaded, or scheduled for refresh. If your model supports those capabilities, you’re already using the newer connectors and won’t be impacted.
What’s changing?
Starting July 31, 2026, reports built using the old import experience will stop refreshing from their source files. They will still open and be editable, but the data will no longer stay synced unless recreated using the new connectors.
Key dates to remember
By May 31, 2026, creating new semantic models using the old experience will be disabled. By July 31, 2026, existing models built with it will stop refreshing.

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