Overview
When connecting an Excel file to Flowsite, users may encounter errors during the initial setup, data refresh, or after making changes to a Dashpivot template. This article covers the most common issues and how to fix them.
What's happening
Your Excel file connects to Flowsite via Power Query using a URL and Basic credentials to pull Dashpivot data as a CSV. When something in that connection breaks — unsaved flows, stale credentials, template changes, or missing forms — the refresh fails and an error message appears.
Why this happens
Symptom | Most likely cause |
"No Content" message on first connection | Flow has not been saved in Flowsite |
| No submitted forms exist in the connected template |
Credentials not accepted / login fails | Credentials copied incorrectly, or have been regenerated |
| A Dashpivot template field was renamed, deleted, or added |
Data stopped updating after previously working | Stale or cached credentials in Excel |
Register view looks broken or misformatted | QuoteStyle is set to |
URL not reachable at all, even in browser | Corporate firewall blocking access to the Flowsite/S3 URL |
"Contains external data source" error | Using Excel on the web (not supported — desktop required) |
How to fix it
1. Check that the Flowsite Flow is saved
Before connecting Excel to Flowsite for the first time, confirm the flow has been saved. The Save button will appear greyed out when saved successfully. If the flow is unsaved, a "No Content" message will appear in Excel when you attempt to connect.
2. Confirm at least one form exists in the template
Flowsite can only serve data when submitted forms exist in the connected Dashpivot template. If the template is empty, the refresh will fail with:
[DataSource.Error] Web.Contents failed to get contents
To fix: ask the user to submit at least one form in the template, or manually trigger the flow using the Run Now button in Flowsite.
3. Re-enter credentials correctly
If credentials aren't being accepted:
Type the credentials manually — do not copy-paste. Pasting can introduce invisible characters or misformatted symbols (especially from Trello).
In Excel, go to Data > Get Data > Data Source Settings.
Select the Flowsite URL > click Clear Permissions > Delete.
Refresh the query. When prompted, go to the Basic tab, select the last URL option in the dropdown, and enter the credentials.
If credentials are still not working, the password may have been accidentally regenerated. Ask the Solutions Engineer to verify and re-issue new credentials from the Flowsite flow settings.
4. Reconnect the flow if data has stopped updating
If the file was working before but has stopped refreshing:
Go to Data > Get Data > Data Source Settings.
Select the Flowsite URL > Clear Permissions > Delete.
Go to Data > Get Data > Launch Power Query Editor.
Select the query > click Refresh Preview.
Click Edit Credentials > Basic tab > enter credentials > Connect.
Click Refresh Preview again, then Close & Load.
Note: If the URL in Data Source Settings doesn't match your flow, click Change Source… and enter the correct Flowsite URL before proceeding to step 3.
5. Fix errors after template field changes
Error messages like [Expression.Error], [DateFormat.Error], or [DataFormat.Error] We couldn't convert to Number appear when fields in the Dashpivot template have been renamed, deleted, or added after the integration was built. Power Query is case-sensitive and will break if the column headers change.
To fix:
If you're comfortable with Power Query, open the editor and update the affected steps to match the current field names.
If not, contact your Solutions Engineer and raise an Update/Changes request for reconfiguration.
Important: Do not rename, delete, or add fields to a Dashpivot template once a Flowsite integration is active. Any template change risks breaking the Power Query configuration.
6. Fix a broken or misformatted register view
If the register view looks broken or data appears in the wrong columns, the Power Query QuoteStyle may be incorrectly configured:
Open Power Query Editor (Data > Get Data > Launch Power Query Editor).
Under Applied Steps, click Source.
In the formula bar, check the QuoteStyle value.
If it reads
QuoteStyle=QuoteStyle.None, change it toQuoteStyle=QuoteStyle.Csvand save.
7. Switch from Excel web to Excel desktop
The web version of Excel does not support refreshing external data sources. Flowsite-connected files must be opened and refreshed using the Excel desktop application.
If the customer needs remote access, the file can be stored on SharePoint or Google Drive with credentials saved in a separate document — but it must still be opened in the desktop app to refresh.
If the issue continues
If none of the above steps resolve the issue, contact us via live chat and provide:
A screenshot of the error message (or the exact error text)
The Flowsite workspace URL and flow URL
The Dashpivot template or project link
Our support team can check whether the CSV file exists in storage, verify the last run status, and regenerate credentials if needed.