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ZZ88ZZ
Regular Visitor

How to turn visibility on in PBI copilot diagnostic file?

In PBI copilot_diagnostic file, many data fields' visibility are shown as hidden, even though in the PBI desktop, I am sure all the columns/fields/measures are not hidden.
I want to know why they are hidden, and how to turn on the visibility ?

{
  "Binding": {
    "EntityName": "TableABC",
    "PropertyName": "FieldABC"
  },
  "Terms": [],
  "Visibility": "Hidden"
}

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
SolomonovAnton
Super User
Super User

When you see entries like this in the copilot_diagnostic JSON file:


{
  "Binding": {
    "EntityName": "TableABC",
    "PropertyName": "FieldABC"
  },
  "Terms": [],
  "Visibility": "Hidden"
}

it reflects what Power BI Copilot thinks the model field’s visibility status is. Even if in Power BI Desktop you see the column or measure enabled, Copilot may still classify it as Hidden for a few reasons:

  1. Model metadata mismatch: The field may be hidden in the data model or via the XML datasource but the Desktop UI hasn’t fully updated.
  2. No visual usage: Copilot may treat unused fields—those not used in visuals or model dependencies—as Hidden by default.
  3. Field-level security or semantic layer settings: These can tell Copilot it's hidden even if you see it in the Desktop field list.

To fix this and make the fields visible to Copilot:

🔄 1. Refresh metadata in Power BI Desktop

  • Go to Modeling → Refresh to ensure metadata is up-to-date.
  • Save and re-publish your report to Power BI Service if using Copilot there.

👁️ 2. Ensure each column/measure is explicitly visible

  • In the Model or Data view, right-click the field → confirm “Show in report view” is checked.
  • For measures, go to Properties pane → ensure “Hide in client tools” is unchecked.

📦 3. Validate in Tabular Editor or in the TMSL/JSON Model

If you're using Arm-based or XMLA-connected development:

  • Use Tabular Editor → open the field → check “Is Hidden” attribute → set it to False.
  • If editing the .pbix XML directly (advanced), find the Visible attribute and set to True.

✉️ 4. Re-run Copilot diagnostics and check

  1. Export the .json again from Copilot diagnostic logs.
  2. For the same binding section, the "Visibility" should now show "Visible".

---

Summary Table

Step Action Why it helps
1 Refresh and re-publish Ensures Copilot reads current metadata
2 Unhide fields via Desktop UI Makes them visible in the semantic model
3 Check “Is Hidden” in Tabular Editor Overrides hidden flag in model definition
4 Rerun diagnostics Verifies that Copilot now detects visibility

---

If after these steps the field still shows as “Hidden” in Copilot diagnostic logs, it could be due to:

  • Field-level security or workspace permissions restricting metadata access
  • A bug/inconsistency with the Copilot analysis tool

 

✔️ If my message helped solve your issue, please mark it as Resolved!

👍 If it was helpful, consider giving it a Kudos!

View solution in original post

3 REPLIES 3
ZZ88ZZ
Regular Visitor

You are so helpful. I did use zip approach to change connection and other measure setting before, which could be the root cause of current sitation. As this dataset has been running for 4 years with more than 400+ users, don't want to rebuild it again, your advise is so helpful as next my guiding steps, much appreciated. 

If my message helped solve your issue, please mark it as Resolved!

SolomonovAnton
Super User
Super User

When you see entries like this in the copilot_diagnostic JSON file:


{
  "Binding": {
    "EntityName": "TableABC",
    "PropertyName": "FieldABC"
  },
  "Terms": [],
  "Visibility": "Hidden"
}

it reflects what Power BI Copilot thinks the model field’s visibility status is. Even if in Power BI Desktop you see the column or measure enabled, Copilot may still classify it as Hidden for a few reasons:

  1. Model metadata mismatch: The field may be hidden in the data model or via the XML datasource but the Desktop UI hasn’t fully updated.
  2. No visual usage: Copilot may treat unused fields—those not used in visuals or model dependencies—as Hidden by default.
  3. Field-level security or semantic layer settings: These can tell Copilot it's hidden even if you see it in the Desktop field list.

To fix this and make the fields visible to Copilot:

🔄 1. Refresh metadata in Power BI Desktop

  • Go to Modeling → Refresh to ensure metadata is up-to-date.
  • Save and re-publish your report to Power BI Service if using Copilot there.

👁️ 2. Ensure each column/measure is explicitly visible

  • In the Model or Data view, right-click the field → confirm “Show in report view” is checked.
  • For measures, go to Properties pane → ensure “Hide in client tools” is unchecked.

📦 3. Validate in Tabular Editor or in the TMSL/JSON Model

If you're using Arm-based or XMLA-connected development:

  • Use Tabular Editor → open the field → check “Is Hidden” attribute → set it to False.
  • If editing the .pbix XML directly (advanced), find the Visible attribute and set to True.

✉️ 4. Re-run Copilot diagnostics and check

  1. Export the .json again from Copilot diagnostic logs.
  2. For the same binding section, the "Visibility" should now show "Visible".

---

Summary Table

Step Action Why it helps
1 Refresh and re-publish Ensures Copilot reads current metadata
2 Unhide fields via Desktop UI Makes them visible in the semantic model
3 Check “Is Hidden” in Tabular Editor Overrides hidden flag in model definition
4 Rerun diagnostics Verifies that Copilot now detects visibility

---

If after these steps the field still shows as “Hidden” in Copilot diagnostic logs, it could be due to:

  • Field-level security or workspace permissions restricting metadata access
  • A bug/inconsistency with the Copilot analysis tool

 

✔️ If my message helped solve your issue, please mark it as Resolved!

👍 If it was helpful, consider giving it a Kudos!

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