topic Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection in Developer

Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 16:22:16 GMT

Hello!

I currently have two reports that share the same dataset published, hence are connected to that dataset via live connection

I want to start using version control for this reports and that includes for example any metrics created at the dataset level but i'm not sure what are the best practices right now.

In the future I want to have everything being automated via deployment pipelines as well

So my questions is, has anyone tried the developer mode with live connection and if yes what best practices or setup do you recommend?

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 07:18:36 GMT

Hello

I started working with it during the last few days.

But I encountered a very odd behavior:

I create a report and connect it to a Power BI semantic model
I save it as a project
Commit to my Git Repo
Update the workspace connected with my Git Repo

Immediately after the workspace update, Power BI told me that something had been updated.

In fact, Git integration tells me that the report uploaded to the workspace from Git has been changed.

I commit the change to Git.

Then, I pull the new version to my local folder and open the report.

Now, all tables are converted to Import mode.

The information on the status line at the bottom of the Power BI desktop window has disappeared.

When I open Power Query, I see the M-Code for all tables, which should not be possible with a live connection.

The only way to circumvent this is to manually publish my reports to the workspace instead of relying on Git.

I hope that this will be changed in the Git integration on the Power BI service.

Regards

Salvatore

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

RuiRomanoMS — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 20:58:49 GMT

Thanks for the feedback. This behavior is by design, when report and semantic model share the same workspace they get exported to Git with a relative connection: byPath. Learn more here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/developer/projects/projects-report#definitionpbir

If you still wish to open the report in live connect, you can temporarily replace the definition.pbir with a by a byConnection connection. But after publishing to service, it will be swapped by a byPath.

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 06:00:30 GMT

Hello

This is neither intuitive nor easy to work with.

I expect to keep it as a life connection.

This way, I must manually publish reports with a live connection, which defies all the benefits of Developer mode.

It's not possible to sync a report to the workspace from Git with a live connection. When I need to change it and sync it back to Git, it is changed, and I cannot continue to work without hacking the files.

Regards

Salvatore

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

RuiRomanoMS — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 14:19:39 GMT

The reports are always published as live connection, the only difference is on local development.

When both report and model live in the same workspace, by default, Fabric Git Integration will export with a relative connection letting you when opening in Desktop author both model and report. If you dont wish to refresh the model locally, you can temporarily switch to live connection.

But on publish using Fabric Git, even if its a byPAth the report will always be published connected to the model. Same as if you publish with Live Connection.

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

D_Lav — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 09:47:44 GMT

Hi @RuiRomanoMS

Maby im missing somethhing but i dont understand how this could be by design. If the architecture suggests to separate workspaces for semantic models and reports. You could never use GIT integration for the report part as it is now?

Is there a workaround for this or should we live with the fact that reports connected to a semantic model in a separate workspace can´t be git connected?

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

RuiRomanoMS — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 16:02:03 GMT

When reports and semantic models live in different workspace there is no problem, the byConnection will be preserved when exporting to Git.
Only when both report and semantic live in the same workspace, when exporting to git because they are in the same workspace the definiton.pbir of the report will be by default as a relative byPath connection.

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

lbendlin — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 17:48:46 GMT

Maybe worth adding an override option that always uses absolute addressing.

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 05:30:30 GMT

But it's still a problem that it's impossible to properly work with reports with a Live connection while integrating them in Git.

To be honest, I don't care about why.

The fact is that it's a pain.

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

D_Lav — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 05:55:13 GMT

Thanks @RuiRomanoMS for the reply.

Maby its a separate error then.. I have created a simple report connected to a semantic model in development stage and then, save it as a PBIP, push it to development branch in origin and try to sync the branch in my report workspace i get the following error.

I have used the connect to PBI Semantic model connector.

its only a small table in the report.

The definition file does indeed validate what you said so i guess that looks good?

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 06:45:50 GMT

Hi @D_Lav

I didn't check the definition file in such detail.

But I got a different effect.

The synced report works without any issues.

But I cannot edit it in Power BI Desktop after syncing it back from Git.

Perhaps it's the same cause.

I don't know.

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

D_Lav — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 06:54:34 GMT

Hi @Anonymous

I tried that now aswell. If i publish the report to the workspace with a connection to a semantic model in separate workspace. I can sync the content to git from workspace but not the other way around.

And the reports dont work in pbi desktop after. So same effect as you.

This seem to wonky to work with in real life..

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

RuiRomanoMS — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 08:03:17 GMT

Are you connecting to a semantic model in "My Workspace"? Or to Azure/SQL Analysis Services?

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

D_Lav — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 10:29:17 GMT

Hi @RuiRomanoMS

im connecting to a semantic model in a power bi service workspace (App workspace and not in my personal workspace) which is on a premium capacity if that helps. Using connector "Power BI Datasets"

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

RuiRomanoMS — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 15:56:46 GMT

Looking into the connectionType of the definition.pbir (pbiserviceOnPremLive) you should be connected to a semantic model in the service that is connected to an Analysis Services database (AAS or SQL). Can you confirm that?

Unfortunately Git Integration does not support Analysis Services semantic models (not hosted in Power BI) - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/cicd/git-integration/git-integration-process#general-limitations

Cannot share a concrete timeline, but we are working to support those scenarios before GA.

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

D_Lav — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 05:45:28 GMT

This is what i see in definition.pbir file for the report.

The semantic model im connected to in Power BI Service has storage mode "Import". The sementic model is not connected to an SSAS or AAS instance.

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

D_Lav — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 07:10:10 GMT

Any toughts or ideas around this @RuiRomanoMS ?

I dont see a way to implement GIT for Power BI on a large organizational scale if you cant handle the reports connected to a semantic model.

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

RuiRomanoMS — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 08:59:23 GMT

If you are live connect to a import model the connectionType should not be of type 'pbiserviceonpremlive', should be 'pbiServiceXmlaStyleLive'. If you are live connected to a import model and still seeing 'pbiserviceonpremlive' its a bug. Can you please open a support ticket.
Are you using the latest Power BI Desktop version?
Can you share the connectionString property? You shared before, but I cannot see the datasource value. I dont need the full address just the initial chars "powerbi://api.powerbi.com*"

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 09:05:16 GMT

@RuiRomanoMS , I just tried it.

I opened a pbix file that is connected to a Power BI semantic model in PBI Service.

Saved as PBIP and checked the definition.pbir: "connectionType" is 'pbiServiceXmlaStyleLive'.

Then checked the same report, which I published from the pbix files and synced on my laptop through GIT, and the section for the datasetReference is completely changed:

{

"version": "1.0",

"datasetReference": {

"byPath": {

"path": "../Report name changed.Dataset"

"byConnection": null

}

Can anyone confirm this behavior?

Re: Developer mode & git for reports with live connection

RuiRomanoMS — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 11:50:52 GMT

That's by design, when both report and semantic model live in the same workspace.

Workspace export to git is not selective, it always exports all items. If you have a report connected to a semantic model in the same workspace, export to Git and clone to your laptop, you will see a folder for both report and semantic model and a byPath connection. And when you open the report for edit in Desktop, make changes and commit, Fabric Git will, resolve the relative byPath connection and ensure its connected to the model in the service. Git integration, only exports with ByConnection when the report is connected to a model in a different workspace.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/developer/projects/projects-report#definitionpbir