Unable to Connect to OData Feed from Excel and Power BI – Metadata Error

OData TripPin Service Connection Error

When connecting to the public OData TripPin 'https://www.odata.org/odata-services/' service from Excel using the built-in "OData Feed" data source, a connection error occurs. The error message is:

"The odata.context url 'https://services.odata.org/TripPinRESTierService/(S(t1tp121yd2pzirzee4pxkhbc))/$metadata#People(Trips0)/$entity' is invalid"

This happens when accessing a resource like:

https://services.odata.org/TripPinRESTierService/(S(t1tp121yd2pzirzee4pxkhbc))/People('keithpinckney')?$expand=Trips

Assemblies Affected

• Public OData endpoint: https://services.odata.org/TripPinRESTierService
• Consumed using: Excel's built-in OData connector
• Possibly affected components: OData RESTier Service, Excel OData client

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Microsoft Excel.
2. Go to Data > Get Data > From Other Sources > From OData Feed.
3. Enter the following URL:

   https://services.odata.org/TripPinRESTierService/(S(t1tp121yd2pzirzee4pxkhbc))/People('keithpinckney')?$expand=Trips
   

4. Click OK or Connect.

Expected Behaviour

Excel should successfully retrieve and display the data by following the metadata and resolving the $expand=Trips clause properly.

Actual Behaviour

Excel displays an error stating the metadata context URL is invalid:

The odata.context url '.../$metadata#People(Trips0)/$entity' is invalid

Additional Details

This appears to be an issue with how the context URL is generated or interpreted. The segment Trips0 in the metadata context seems incorrect. It might be a bug in the metadata serializer on the server or an issue in Excel's OData parser not handling expanded entities properly in this scenario.

No repository file, test, or entry point is identified in the report. Start by reproducing the request against the TripPinRESTierService URL with Excel or Power BI, then determine whether the invalid People(Trips0)/$entity context is generated by the service or rejected by the client; done requires a confirmed cause and a reproducible fix or documented client limitation.