Request for Guidance on Programmatically Generating PBIP Folder Structure Using C# or PowerShell

Hi bmidhun

The full definition can be get at the MSFT documentation:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/developer/projects/projects-dataset

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/developer/projects/projects-report?tabs=desktop

Be aware that for the Dataset there are two different schemas semantic model and TMDL.

goes outside the scope of power Bi

Staying within the scope of power Bi , if you are trying to replicate the structure for multiple members just for connection purpose , using a PBIDS format would allow you to do that

As per copilot you can use the following commands :

1. Using PowerShell
PowerShell's directory and file management capabilities make it a good choice for this task. Here's a basic outline of the script:

# Define the root folder
$rootPath = "C:\PBIP_FolderStructure"

# Create Report folder structure
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "$rootPath\Report\.Report"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "$rootPath\Report\.Report\StaticResources"
New-Item -ItemType File -Path "$rootPath\Report\.Report\.pbi"
New-Item -ItemType File -Path "$rootPath\Report\definition.pbir"
New-Item -ItemType File -Path "$rootPath\Report\report.json"

# Create SemanticModel folder structure
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "$rootPath\SemanticModel"
New-Item -ItemType File -Path "$rootPath\SemanticModel\.pbi"
New-Item -ItemType File -Path "$rootPath\SemanticModel\definition"

2. Using C#
C# gives you more flexibility and allows integration into larger applications. Below is an example:

using System;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
static void Main()
{
string rootPath = @"C:\PBIP_FolderStructure";

// Create Report folder structure
Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(rootPath, @"Report\.Report\StaticResources"));
File.Create(Path.Combine(rootPath, @"Report\.Report\.pbi")).Dispose();
File.Create(Path.Combine(rootPath, @"Report\definition.pbir")).Dispose();
File.Create(Path.Combine(rootPath, @"Report\report.json")).Dispose();

// Create SemanticModel folder structure
Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(rootPath, "SemanticModel"));
File.Create(Path.Combine(rootPath, @"SemanticModel\.pbi")).Dispose();
File.Create(Path.Combine(rootPath, "SemanticModel/definition")).Dispose();

Console.WriteLine("PBIP folder structure created successfully!");
}
}

Compile and run this C# program, and it will generate the desired folder structure and files.

bmidhun 

Here’s a full PowerShell script to generate this folder structure:

# Set the root folder where you want to create the PBIP structure
$rootPath = "C:\PBIPSample"

# Define all the folder paths
$folders = @(
"$rootPath\Report\.pbi",
"$rootPath\Report\StaticResources",
"$rootPath\SemanticModel\.pbi"
)

# Define the file paths
$files = @(
"$rootPath\Report\definition.pbir",
"$rootPath\Report\report.json",
"$rootPath\SemanticModel\definition"
)

# Create all folders
foreach ($folder in $folders) {
if (!(Test-Path -Path $folder)) {
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $folder -Force
}
}

# Create empty files
foreach ($file in $files) {
if (!(Test-Path -Path $file)) {
New-Item -ItemType File -Path $file -Force
}
}

Write-Host "PBIP structure created successfully at $rootPath!"

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Thanks MFelix johnbasha33 Bhavnish  for your reply. But as per my requirement including folder structure i need to generate all the necessary files which completes the PowerBI Project file (PBIP).

Kindly let me know if there is any code or link which can help me on the same.

Kindly let me know if anyone have any idea on the above topic

Hi bmidhun  ,

we wanted to kindly follow up to check if the solution provided for the issue worked? or Let us know if you need any further assistance?

If our response addressed, please mark it as Accept as solution and click Yes if you found it helpful.

Regards,

Chaithanya.