Forum Discussion
Fabric cloud based Report Server replacement
Hi keith_smith1
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.
Thank you d_gosbell and rohit1991 for sharing helpful insights on this topic.
We understand your requirement to transition from an on-premises SQL Server/Power BI Report Server (PBIRS) setup to Microsoft Fabric, hosting hundreds of reports in the cloud while ensuring line-level staff have strictly read-only access without license prompts, promotional pop-ups, or exposure to the Fabric dashboard.
To provide a controlled, read-only report viewing experience, we recommend using Microsoft Fabric Apps for centralized report management and SharePoint Online embedding for secure, UI-free delivery to your staff.
Organize paginated and Power BI reports in a Fabric workspace with F64 or higher capacity, create a Fabric app, and configure navigation for ease of use. Assign Viewer permissions via Azure AD security groups, publish the app, and share the URL for streamlined access and subscription.
Embed Power BI and paginated reports in SharePoint Online by copying the embed URL from the Fabric app or workspace and adding it to a Power BI web part on a modern site page. Secure the SharePoint site with Read permissions via Azure AD groups, allowing users to access reports directly in SharePoint with a clean, report-only experience.
Regarding the License Prompts and Trial Offers as suggested by d_gosbell , please ensure your workspace is on an F64 or higher capacity to enable free user access without Pro licenses. To disable trial prompts, navigate to Fabric Admin Portal > Tenant Settings > Users can try Microsoft Fabric paid features > Disabled.
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Thank You
Hi keith_smith1 ,
Microsoft Fabric is powerful, but its current model isn't a perfect drop-in replacement for the simplicity and control offered by traditional Report Server, especially when it comes to tightly controlled, read-only access for broad user bases. While using a Fabric workspace app can centralize report access, the fact that end-users are prompted to activate a free license, see promotional pop-ups, and can freely navigate the broader Fabric UI is understandably frustrating and not ideal for operational staff who just need straightforward access to reports.
Embedding Power BI reports in SharePoint is a viable workaround, and Microsoft has stated ongoing investments in supporting paginated reports in Fabric, though full feature parity with PBIRS (especially around subscriptions and embedded scenarios) isn't quite there yet. For now, some organizations are using Power BI embedded with custom portals or intranets to strictly control user access and UI exposure.
Others are using Azure services (e.g., Azure App Services with row-level security and embed tokens) to mimic the controlled delivery model. Unfortunately, there is no officially announced "Fabric Report Server" equivalent yet, but the community is actively providing feedback, and Microsoft seems aware of the need. In the meantime, a combination of SharePoint embedding, premium capacity, and perhaps a custom front-end might be the most effective workaround.