Forum Discussion
Data Dictionary
Hi all,
Interested to see ifthe community has tried to utilise Power BI info.view and/or other ways of generating a data dictionary not just for single Pbixs but across the estate?
Any recommendations?
Thanks
Wow, fantastic – thank you so much for getting back to me!
It’s definitely been a journey. We’ve been using a combination of tools – DAX Studio across four files per report to extract Measures, Columns, Tables, and Partitions (Sources) and dumping to share point and intend to use desktop to display a Data Dictionary.
For business logic, we’ve been relying on a virtual table union of Info.view, which, as you rightly pointed out, works reasonably well for single reports.
Our reporting estate is quite large – easily into the hundreds – so I’m really interested in the methods you mentioned. I’ll be doing some research into them. I was aware of parts of what you shared, but haven’t yet had the chance to fully explore or conceptualise how it could be applied across our setup.
If there are any resources you’d recommend based on your response, I’d really appreciate it. I completely understand the need to be cautious with sharing due to confidentiality, of course 😊
Thanks again – genuinely grateful for your response!
To create data dictionaries across multiple PBIX files, try these approaches:
- Use INFO.VIEW DAX functions for metadata inside each PBIX
- Export metadata with DAX Studio or Tabular Editor for batch processing
- Extract and parse schema from PBIT files with Power Query
- For large estates, consider enterprise tools like Microsoft Purview for centralized metadata management
5 Replies
To create data dictionaries across multiple PBIX files, try these approaches:
- Use INFO.VIEW DAX functions for metadata inside each PBIX
- Export metadata with DAX Studio or Tabular Editor for batch processing
- Extract and parse schema from PBIT files with Power Query
- For large estates, consider enterprise tools like Microsoft Purview for centralized metadata managementHey Jitmondo,
I've been working on this exact challenge for our organization. Here are a few approaches that have worked well for us:
Power BI Info View:
- Great starting point but limited to individual files
- We use it as baseline then export to standardize format
- Works nicely for quick documentation needs
Enterprise-wide solutions we've tried:
- Power BI REST APIs - Game changer once you get it setup. Can pull metadata from all workspaces automatically
- Power BI Documenter (open source) - Really solid for batch processing multiple files
- DAX Studio - Export model documentation feature is underrated
Our current workflow:
- PowerShell script hits the Admin APIs monthly
- Exports all dataset metadata to Excel templates
- Teams can add business context manually
- Everything gets stored in our SharePoint doc library
Lessons learned:
- API approach requires Premium capacity admin rights
- Start small with a few workspaces before going enterprise-wide
- Having a standard template makes all the difference
- Automation is key - manual updates never stick
What size environment are you working with? Might help tailor suggestions.
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Best Regards,
Jainesh Poojara | Power BI DeveloperWow, fantastic – thank you so much for getting back to me!
It’s definitely been a journey. We’ve been using a combination of tools – DAX Studio across four files per report to extract Measures, Columns, Tables, and Partitions (Sources) and dumping to share point and intend to use desktop to display a Data Dictionary.
For business logic, we’ve been relying on a virtual table union of Info.view, which, as you rightly pointed out, works reasonably well for single reports.
Our reporting estate is quite large – easily into the hundreds – so I’m really interested in the methods you mentioned. I’ll be doing some research into them. I was aware of parts of what you shared, but haven’t yet had the chance to fully explore or conceptualise how it could be applied across our setup.
If there are any resources you’d recommend based on your response, I’d really appreciate it. I completely understand the need to be cautious with sharing due to confidentiality, of course 😊
Thanks again – genuinely grateful for your response!
Hi Jitmondo,
We would like to confirm if our community members answer resolves your query or if you need further help. If you still have any questions or need more support, please feel free to let us know. We are happy to help you.
Shahid12523 & jaineshp ,Thanks for your prompt responseThank you for your patience and look forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,
Prashanth Are
MS Fabric community supportInterested in @Shahid12523 response on -
Our current workflow:
- PowerShell script hits the Admin APIs monthly
- Exports all dataset metadata to Excel templates
- Teams can add business context manually
- Everything gets stored in our SharePoint doc library
Doing some research but thanks for all your help
