How to test RLS when a thin report is split from the dataset?

Power BI
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Since I have multiple reports that need the same tables, relationships and, DAX measures but have different purposes and audiences, I’ve split the original PBIX file into a few thin reports that connect to the same semantic model.

I’ve just had to add a new Row Level Security (RLS) group, so I want to test it and demo the report as the report consumers will experience it, i.e., with their role’s RLS applied. When the dataset and the report were in the same PBIX file, the ability to use the ‘Modeling>View As’ functionality made that easy to do.

Is there any way to do that now without temporarily re-combining the report and dataset into a PBIX file? Is there a quick way to accomplish the recombination temporarily?

2

Hi @JulieCarignan,

Using EDNA AI tool built in the Enterprise DNA platform. This what comes up.

Testing Row Level Security (RLS) without Recombining PBIX File

If you want to test and demo the report with different RLS roles without recombining the report and dataset into a PBIX file, you can use Power BI Desktop’s “Analyse in Excel” feature to achieve this. Here’s a quick way to accomplish this:

  1. Export Data to Excel:
  • Open your Power BI Desktop report.
  • Click on “Home” tab.
  • Select “Analyse in Excel” option.
  • Choose “Summarized data” or “Underlying data” based on what you want to analyze.
  • This will open the data in Excel where you can filter data based on different RLS roles.
  1. Apply RLS Filters in Excel:
  • In Excel, create multiple copies of the same report sheet.
  • Apply different RLS filters to each copy based on the roles you want to test.
  • This will allow you to see how the report looks for each RLS role.
  1. Test RLS Impact:
  • Analyze the data in Excel with different RLS filters to see the impact on the report visuals and data.
  1. Quick Accomplishment:
  • This method provides a quick way to temporarily test RLS without recombining the PBIX file.
  • You can easily switch between different RLS roles in Excel to see their impact on the report.

By following these steps, you can effectively test and demo the report with different RLS roles without the need to recombine the report and dataset into a PBIX file.

DataMentor and EDNA AI tools are a good resource to help with a solution.

Thanks
Keith

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