Managing Access and Permissions in Power BI Service
Managing access and permissions in Power BI Service is crucial for data security, governance, and collaboration. Power BI provides role-based access control (RBAC) to ensure users can only access the reports, datasets, and workspaces they are authorized for.
This guide covers every step involved in granting, managing, and monitoring access within Power BI Service.
📌 Step 1: Understanding Power BI Access and Permissions
Power BI Service provides different levels of access depending on where the content is stored. The main access points are:
✔ Workspaces – Where datasets, reports, dashboards, and apps are stored.
✔ Apps – Packaged reports shared with specific users or groups.
✔ Datasets & Reports – Users can be granted permissions for individual datasets and reports.
🔹 Key Roles and Permissions in Power BI:
Power BI permissions follow a hierarchical structure from Workspace Level to Dataset and Report Level:
🔹 Power BI Workspace Roles (For Managing Workspaces)
- Admin – Full control, can manage access and delete workspace.
- Member – Can edit, delete, and share content.
- Contributor – Can create and edit content but not share.
- Viewer – Can only view reports/dashboards but not edit.
🔹 Dataset and Report Permissions (For Managing Data Access)
- Read – View reports but cannot edit.
- Reshare – Share with other users.
- Build – Create new reports based on the dataset.
📌 Step 2: Managing Access to Workspaces
Workspaces are collaborative environments where reports, dashboards, and datasets are stored.
🔸 Adding Users to a Workspace
1️⃣ Go to Power BI Service (app.powerbi.com).
2️⃣ Click on Workspaces in the left navigation pane.
3️⃣ Select the workspace you want to manage.
4️⃣ Click on the Access button in the top right corner.
5️⃣ Enter the email address or Microsoft 365 group of the user.
6️⃣ Assign a role: Admin, Member, Contributor, or Viewer.
7️⃣ Click Add to grant access.
✅ Example: If you want users to create and modify reports but not delete the workspace, assign them the Contributor role.
🔸 Removing or Changing Workspace Permissions
1️⃣ Navigate to the Workspace and click Access.
2️⃣ Find the user whose permissions need to be changed.
3️⃣ Click on the role dropdown and select a new role.
4️⃣ To remove a user, click the trash icon.
✅ Tip: Regularly review workspace access to remove users who no longer need access.
📌 Step 3: Managing Access to Reports and Dashboards
Reports and dashboards are stored inside a workspace but can also be shared individually with users.
🔸 Sharing a Report or Dashboard
1️⃣ Open the Report or Dashboard in Power BI Service.
2️⃣ Click the Share button in the top-right corner.
3️⃣ Enter the email addresses of the users or security groups.
4️⃣ Choose whether to allow resharing or build permissions.
5️⃣ Click Send.
✅ Example: You can share a financial report with executives but restrict editing by assigning read-only access.
🔸 Managing Shared Report Permissions
1️⃣ Click on Share for the report/dashboard.
2️⃣ Click Manage Permissions.
3️⃣ See a list of users who have access.
4️⃣ Click on the dropdown to change access levels.
5️⃣ Remove users if needed.
✅ Tip: Avoid using individual email addresses; instead, use Microsoft 365 security groups for easier management.
📌 Step 4: Managing Access to Datasets
Datasets power Power BI reports and can be shared separately with specific permissions.
🔸 Granting Dataset Permissions
1️⃣ Go to Power BI Service.
2️⃣ Click Datasets in the workspace.
3️⃣ Click the three dots (…) next to a dataset.
4️⃣ Select Manage Permissions.
5️⃣ Click Add User and assign roles (Read, Build, or Reshare).
6️⃣ Click Save.
✅ Example: If a data analyst needs to create new reports from a dataset, give them Build access.
📌 Step 5: Using Power BI Apps for Secure Sharing
Power BI Apps allow secure sharing of multiple reports and dashboards to a group of users.
🔸 Creating a Power BI App
1️⃣ Open Power BI Service and go to Workspaces.
2️⃣ Click Create App in the top-right corner.
3️⃣ Enter an App Name and Description.
4️⃣ Select Dashboards, Reports, and Datasets to include.
5️⃣ Click Permissions and specify who can access the app.
6️⃣ Click Publish to deploy the app.
✅ Example: A Sales Performance App can include reports for Sales Executives, while restricting detailed finance reports to Managers.
📌 Step 6: Managing Row-Level Security (RLS) for Restricted Access
Row-Level Security (RLS) restricts data visibility based on user roles.
🔸 Setting Up RLS in Power BI
1️⃣ Open Power BI Desktop.
2️⃣ Click Modeling > Manage Roles.
3️⃣ Click Create Role and enter a role name.
4️⃣ Apply a DAX filter (e.g., [Region] = "West" to limit users to the West region).
5️⃣ Publish the dataset to Power BI Service.
6️⃣ Assign users to the role in Power BI Service under Manage Security.
✅ Example: A Regional Manager should see only their region’s data, not other regions.
📌 Step 7: Monitoring Access and Permissions
Admins should regularly audit who has access to what.
🔸 Reviewing Workspace Access
1️⃣ Go to Power BI Admin Portal.
2️⃣ Click Workspaces.
3️⃣ Check workspace members and their roles.
🔸 Checking Report and Dataset Access
1️⃣ Go to Power BI Service.
2️⃣ Click Manage Permissions on a report or dataset.
3️⃣ Review users with access and remove unauthorized users.
🔸 Monitoring Activity Logs (For Admins)
1️⃣ Open the Power BI Admin Portal.
2️⃣ Go to Audit Logs in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
3️⃣ Filter by Power BI activities to see access and sharing logs.
✅ Example: If an unauthorized user accessed a sensitive dataset, you can track and revoke their access.
📌 Best Practices for Managing Access in Power BI
✔ Use Workspaces Wisely – Avoid personal workspaces for shared reports.
✔ Leverage Security Groups – Assign access via Microsoft 365 Groups instead of individual users.
✔ Apply Row-Level Security (RLS) or Object-Level Security (OLS) – Limit data access efficiently.
✔ Review Permissions Regularly – Remove users who no longer need access.
✔ Use Power BI Apps – Instead of sharing individual reports, bundle them into an app.
✔ Enable Audit Logs – Track access and sharing activities for security compliance.
🔹 Conclusion
Managing access and permissions in Power BI Service ensures data security, compliance, and effective collaboration. By using workspace roles, dataset permissions, Power BI Apps, and RLS, you can control who sees what while maintaining an efficient reporting system.
Would you like a step-by-step walkthrough for setting up access in your Power BI environment?