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pghMR's avatar
pghMR
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22 days ago
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Org vs. Workspace Apps - permissions & embedding

We are preparing to rollout Power BI to our organization and are determine whether we should guide users to Organizational vs. Workspace apps. By all accounts, org apps seem the way to go but I'm run...
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  • ShivekMaharaj's avatar
    ShivekMaharaj
    15 days ago

    Hi pghMR​,

    There are two separate behaviours here, and I think it helps to distinguish Org Apps from the existing workspace/classic Power BI apps.

    For classic/workspace apps, Microsoft still supports adding Entire organization to an app audience.

    Microsoft documents that here: Publish a workspace app in Power BI.

    That option can be unavailable in a few cases, for example:

    • automatic installation is enabled for the app
    • you are a guest user
    • your Power BI/Fabric admin has disabled organization-wide app sharing in tenant settings


    So if you need true “everyone in the organization” distribution today, a workspace app still supports that pattern.

    Org Apps use a different access model.

    Microsoft’s current Org Apps guidance focuses on granting users/groups access through audiences and sharing the Org App or individual audience items. I do not currently see the same documented Entire organization audience option there.

    See: Get started with Org Apps.

    For SharePoint, I would not try to embed the complete app experience.

    Microsoft’s supported pattern is to embed the individual Power BI report using the Power BI web part in SharePoint Online.

    See: Power BI integration with other services.

    The report still respects Power BI permissions and RLS, so users only see data they are authorized to see.

    So for your rollout, I would currently think about it like this:

    Workspace app
→ best fit if you need Entire organization distribution today

Org App
→ newer app experience with audience-based distribution, but different sharing/embedding capabilities

SharePoint
→ embed individual reports rather than the whole app shell

    If your users already use SharePoint as the main navigation portal, one practical approach is to keep the Org App for Power BI consumption but embed the important individual reports into SharePoint where needed.

    AI-assisted drafting: AI was used to help structure and phrase this response. I reviewed and validated the technical content before posting.

DaniyalKhaleel1's avatar
DaniyalKhaleel1
Icon for Resolver II rankResolver II
21 days ago

For an organization-wide Power BI rollout, Organizational apps and Workspace apps have different sharing and embedding capabilities, so the best choice depends on how users access reports.

1. “Share with the entire organization” — this option may not be available in Organizational apps in the same way it is for Workspace apps. Check whether the app's audience and underlying report permissions support your intended access model.

2. SharePoint embedding — if Organizational apps do not support your required embedding scenario, use a supported report URL or embed option from the workspace, with appropriate Power BI permissions and licensing.

Solution

  • For organization-wide distribution: Org apps support sharing with users and groups; however, the exact “Entire organization” option may differ from workspace apps. See Microsoft's Org Apps documentation.
  •  For SharePoint: Use the Power BI web part with the individual report URL, rather than trying to embed the entire app. Users still need permission to view the report.

Recommendation: Use Org apps for centralized content distribution, but embed individual reports in SharePoint pages where needed. If embedding the complete app experience is essential, retain Workspace apps for that scenario