Understand sharing models
Data analysts often need to share Power BI content with different audiences while maintaining control over access and permissions.
In this unit, you'll explore how sharing in Power BI Service can help you manage access to reports, dashboards, and semantic models effectively. For example, a retail company might use workspace roles to collaborate internally, share specific reports with external partners through item-level sharing, and distribute curated content to a broader audience in the company using Power BI Apps.
Workspace roles
Power BI Service provides four distinct workspace roles: Viewer, Contributor, Member, and Admin. These roles determine the level of access and permissions a user has within a workspace. It's important to note that workspace roles operate on an all-or-nothing basis, meaning that users with access to a workspace can view or interact with all the reports, dashboards, and semantic models within it. You cannot selectively exclude specific items from being shared when using this approach.
Viewer
The Viewer role is the most restrictive role in a workspace. Users with this role can only view and interact with the content, such as reports and dashboards, but cannot make any changes. This role is ideal for stakeholders who need to consume data without modifying it.
This is also the only role where Row-Level Security (RLS) will be enforced. RLS ensures that users can only view the data they are authorized to see, based on the security rules defined in the dataset. This makes the Viewer role particularly useful for scenarios where sensitive or restricted data needs to be shared securely.
Contributor
The Contributor role allows users to create, edit, and delete content within the workspace, such as reports and semantic models. However, Contributors cannot manage workspace settings or assign roles to others. This role is suitable for team members who actively develop and maintain Power BI content.
Member
The Member role provides all the permissions of a Contributor. Members can add users to the workspace at Contributor level or below, but they can't change or remove existing users from any workspace role — only an Admin can do that. Members can also publish, unpublish, and change permissions for apps from the workspace, making this role ideal for team leads or senior content owners who manage distribution without full workspace administration.
Admin
The Admin role grants full control over the workspace. Admins can perform all actions, including managing permissions, deleting the workspace, and assigning roles. This role is typically reserved for workspace owners or IT administrators who oversee the workspace's overall management.
Workspace roles can be assigned to individuals, security groups, Microsoft 365 groups, and distribution lists, making it easy to manage access for large teams or organizations.
Item level sharing
Item-level sharing in Power BI Service provides a more granular approach to sharing content compared to workspace roles. While workspace roles grant access to all items within a workspace, item-level sharing allows you to share specific reports or dashboards with selected individuals or groups. This method is particularly useful when you want to maintain tighter control over who can access sensitive or restricted content.
When you share a report or dashboard, recipients can view and interact with the content but cannot edit it. Additionally, they gain access to the underlying semantic model unless Row-Level Security (RLS) is applied. RLS ensures that users only see the data they are authorized to view, adding an extra layer of security for sensitive datasets.
Item-level sharing also offers flexibility in how you share content. You can share via links or directly grant access to specific individuals or groups. Sharing links can be configured to allow access to "People in your organization," "People with existing access," or "Specific people." Each option provides varying levels of control, enabling you to tailor access based on your organization's needs.
One of the key advantages of item-level sharing is that it overcomes the "all-or-nothing" limitation of workspace roles. For example, you can share a single report with external partners without exposing other workspace content. However, it's important to manage permissions carefully to ensure that only authorized users can access the shared content.
Power BI Apps
Power BI Apps provide a streamlined way to share collections of dashboards, reports, and other content with a larger audience without requiring them to be part of your workspace or sharing individual items separately. This approach is particularly useful for organizations that need to distribute curated content to specific groups or even the entire organization while maintaining control over access and updates.
One of the key advantages of Power BI Apps is the ability to package multiple pieces of content into a single, cohesive experience. This eliminates the need to manage permissions for individual items, simplifying the process for both content creators and consumers. Users can access the app through a direct link, the Apps marketplace or AppSource, or even have it automatically installed in their Power BI accounts if configured by an admin. This flexibility ensures that the right content reaches the right audience efficiently.
Another significant benefit of using Power BI Apps is the control it provides when updating content. The workspace acts as a staging area where changes can be made and tested without immediately affecting the published app. Once the updates are ready, the app can be republished, ensuring that users only see the finalized version. This capability is invaluable for maintaining consistency and avoiding disruptions, especially in scenarios where reports and dashboards are frequently updated.
It's important to note that each workspace can only publish one workspace app, and the content included in the app must originate from that workspace. This limitation ensures that the app remains tightly coupled with its source workspace, simplifying management and ensuring consistency across shared content.
Org apps
A newer alternative to workspace apps is the org app — a Microsoft Fabric item type that removes the one-per-workspace constraint. With org apps, you can create multiple targeted apps from a single workspace, include a broader range of Fabric content types (such as notebooks and real-time dashboards), and push changes directly to consumers without a separate publish step. In the next unit, you'll explore how to create and manage org apps and when to choose them over workspace apps.