Breadcrumbs

Why does my dashboard widget show "This widget lost its data sources"?

A dashboard widget shows This widget lost its data sources when Emplifi can no longer load the profiles or metrics that widget was built on. Your social profiles may still exist in the account. The widget configuration no longer matches what is available.

This article explains the most common causes and what you can do.

Applies to: Dashboard

What you see

In a dashboard report, the widget shows:

  • The widget title

  • The message: This widget lost its data sources

  • Change Data Sources (if you can edit the dashboard)

The same message can appear in exported reports (PDF, PPTX, XLS). Links in exports may not be clickable.

Why this happens

A social profile was removed from your account

Someone removed or disconnected a profile that the widget uses. The widget still references that profile, so it can no longer load data.

What to do:

  1. Open the dashboard and click the widget.

  2. Click Change Data Sources.

  3. Select an active profile, or remove the widget if you no longer need it. For steps to remove a widget, see Add and Remove a Widget from Dashboard

You no longer have access to the profile

The profile still exists in the account, but your user no longer has permission to view it. This can happen when:

  • An admin changed profile visibility or user groups

  • Your role or team assignment changed

  • A profile was restricted to specific users

What to do:

  1. Confirm with your account admin that you have access to the profiles used in the widget.

  2. After access is restored, refresh the dashboard.

  3. If you have edit access, click Change Data Sources and reselect the profiles.

A content label or profile label was removed or changed

Some widgets use labels to group profiles. If the label was deleted or no longer includes the profiles the widget expects, the widget cannot resolve its data sources.

What to do:

  1. Click Change Data Sources.

  2. Reselect the correct profiles or labels.

  3. Save the widget configuration.

A metric in the widget is no longer available

Emplifi periodically updates metrics when social networks change their APIs. When a metric is deprecated or removed for a platform, a widget built on that metric may stop returning data even if your profiles are still connected.

This is different from a deleted profile. The profile exists, but the metric or platform combination the widget uses is no longer supported.

What to do:

  1. Check whether you received a metric deprecation notice for this dashboard or metric.

  2. Click Change Data Sources and update the widget to use a supported metric or platform.

  3. If the widget only supported a single deprecated platform, remove the widget and add a replacement using current metrics.

For recent metric changes, see the relevant deprecation article in the Emplifi knowledge base. For example: Facebook Metric Deprecation (June 2026)

You are viewing a dashboard you cannot edit

If you see Please contact the dashboard owner at the end of the message, you can view the dashboard but cannot change its configuration.

What to do: Contact the dashboard owner or your account admin and share which widget is affected.

Quick checklist

Check

Action

Profile still connected?

Go to Settings and verify the social profile is active.

Do you have access?

Ask your admin to confirm your permissions.

Metric recently deprecated?

Update the widget or replace it with a supported metric.

Can you edit the dashboard?

Use Change Data Sources; if not, contact the owner.

Still stuck?

If none of the above applies, contact Emplifi support and include:

  • Dashboard name and URL

  • Widget title

  • Screenshot of the message

  • Whether the issue started after a profile change, permission change, or metric update