Portability of Power Bi reports containing power bi datasets

Question

I'm using Power bi service along with power bi desktop version. What I'd like is to spend less time on setting up UI for my charts.

Let's say I have multiple accounts with power bi datasets in them (hybrid dataset to be able to display data in real-time).

Currently I have to create report on each of them, set up charts etc. I expected to create pbix file once and then just publish it to different accounts. But when it comes to reports bound with power bi datasets, it is no longer possible. Even if account already has exactly the same hybrid dataset.

Any ideas on how to implement portable reports?

Answer 1

If I got your point correctly, you have multiple accounts and in each of them you have the same dataset. You want to create open report, which you will publish to all of these accounts. I do not understand why do you need to create a new report for each of your accounts. Why not just change the data source of your report prior publishing it to each of these accounts?

Also it is not clear, how these datasets are created. I think there are two possible options here - these datasets are published with your report, or they are existing datasets not published with this report.

In the first case, just design your report, getting data from your database, and publish the report in each of your accounts. You could change the data source prior every publishing, if your different accounts/datasets should get data from different databases.

In the second case, when you design your report, do not get data from the database, but connect the report to the Power BI Service itself:

and pick the existing dataset:

Before each publish change the account you are logged in, change the data source of the report and select the dataset from the corresponding account. This way when publishing the report, the dataset will not be overwritten, but will be shared between this report and any other report who uses it.

To change the data source of your report, in the drop down of "Edit Queries" button, select "Data source settings" and then click "Change Source..." button.

In both ways you will design your report only once, but it will be published in different accounts using different data.

Answer 2

Are all of your users in the same tennant/company?

If so, create a workspace. Create your report which uses another power BI dataset as its source. Turn on row level permissions. Share the new report to all people. They will only see the data relevant to them and you will only need to maintain one report.

Row level security in power bi

Answer 3

I have used Power BI Service with Multiple Reports/Users in Same Organization with Shared Data Sources using different Reports for each user using the same Datasets.

From your Admin Account (eg. [email protected]) Publish all the Reports and once its working from Online (after configuring Gateway and DataSources). Download the PBIX Report File from Power BI Online.

Using Admin Account go to Dataset Settings and Allow the users who will use reports using this datasets to Publish Reports using this Dataset (further security to use dataset i.e. Even if they get the source PBIX File and upload it they wont get access to the data).

Login using the Users Power BI Account (must be within Same Organization, eg. contoso.org) then upload the Same PBIX Report File which was downloaded Earlier from Power BI Web Portal (do not publish via the Desktop App), its more efficient and cleaner on Accessing the Data through Web/Devices.

Now the reports as already they are using the same shared Datasets, the reports will be running fine and the data source settings only have to be done once from Admin User. And for any further databases Administration only One Admin Account need to be used to access and modify the Data Source Settings.