This is a known Power Platform behavior and what you’re seeing is almost always caused by an orphaned SQL connection reference, not an actual runtime permission issue.
That’s why:
The app is not using that SQL connection anymore, but Power Apps still thinks it is.
Why this happens
When you changed the SQL connection inside the flow, Power Platform created a new connection reference, but the old one was never fully removed from the app/solution metadata.
So you end up with:
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✅ Flow using new SQL connection
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❌ App still holding reference to old SQL connection
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❌ That old connection no longer exists or you don’t have permission
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✅ Runtime works because the flow runs under its own connection
At app startup, Power Apps tries to validate all referenced connections, including unused ones — and that’s what triggers the consent dialog.
Why “Allow” is disabled
The Allow button is disabled because:
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the SQL connection belongs to another user or
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the connection was deleted or
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the environment no longer has access to that connection
Since you can’t grant consent to a connection you don’t own, Power Apps blocks the button.
Why clicking “Don’t allow” still works
Canvas apps do not execute SQL directly in this scenario.
The actual execution path is:
Power Apps
↓
Power Automate flow
↓
SQL connector (inside flow)
The app itself never touches SQL.
So even if you deny the connection at app load:
That’s expected.
How to confirm this is the issue
Open your app in Power Apps Studio:
Data → Connections
You will see:
That connection exists only because of old flow metadata.
Correct way to fix it
✅ Step 1 — Check solution connection references
If your app is in a solution:
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Open Solutions
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Open the solution containing:
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Go to Connection References
You will almost certainly see:
The old one is the problem.
✅ Step 2 — Update flows to the correct reference
For each flow:
Even if it already looks correct — reselect and save.
This forces Power Platform to detach the old reference.
✅ Step 3 — Remove the orphaned reference
After all flows are saved:
If delete is disabled:
✅ Step 4 — Remove unused app connections
Back in Power Apps Studio:
After this
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Consent dialog disappears
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App opens normally
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No “Allow / Don’t allow” prompt
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SQL access continues working through flows
Summary
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❌ This is not a real permission problem
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❌ SQL is not actually blocked
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✅ It’s an orphaned connection reference
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✅ Happens commonly after changing SQL connections
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✅ Fix is cleaning connection references at solution level
Key takeaway
Canvas apps validate every referenced connection at startup — even unused ones.
If a stale SQL reference exists anywhere in the solution, the consent dialog will continue to appear.
Once you remove that orphaned connection reference, the issue is permanently resolved.
